by J.I.B. Jones
The twelfth annual Los Angeles Open Golf Tournament was held at Griffith Park in January 1937, on the all-grass George C. Thomas designed Wilson (1927) golf course, the first time a public links was used for the main event of this classic.
The 1937 L.A. Open was saved from cancellation by the Los Angeles Times, who along with the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the local S.C.P.G.A., and the city Parks department, came to the rescue and financed the event at the last minute! Title play was over four days, and began on Friday January 8, and ended on Monday the 11th.
The other George C. Thomas Jr., designed Griffith golf course, Harding (1923), was used for a fund raising pro-am that was played on Thursday. This allowed public golfers to keep their “weekend tee times” on the Harding course, while the stars competed for the $8,000 purse on Wilson!
William Johnson and William “Billy” Bell, lengthened and strengthened George Thomas’s original 1923-1927 Wilson and Harding designs for the Open. New irrigation, fairways, traps, and new severely undulating greens, were built between 1935-1937, and have mostly stood the test of time! Along with a new clubhouse, the improvements were paid for with Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) labor and funds.
In unusually cold and frosty conditions, Harry Cooper won the 12th Open title and $2,500, with a 274, the lowest score yet in any L.A. Open. With every winner since 1926 except Bobby Cruickshank entered, and Olin Dutra too sick to start, the 1937 event included the best of the touring professionals, and a sprinkling of local professionals and amateurs, 150 of whom attempted to qualify at Baldwin Hills GC (Fox Hills GC West), California CC (Culver City), Fox Hills GC East, Sunset Fields GC #1 (Crenshaw Plaza), Sunset Fields GC #2 (Crenshaw Plaza), and Rancho GC, on January 6, 1937.
The “bombardiers of the links” included: Ralph Guldahl, Jimmy Thomson, Lawson Little, Horton Smith, Macdonald Smith, George Von Elm, Vic Ghezzi, Craig Wood, Jimmy Hines, Charley Guest, Willie Hunter, Denny Shute, Paul Runyan, Henry Picard, Johnny Revolta, George Schneiter (medalist), Paul & Lloyd Mangrum, John Bulla, Byron Nelson, Leo Diegel, Bruce McCormick (amateur), Newt & Harry Bassler, Angel de la Torre, Sam Snead, Mortie Dutra, Faye Coleman, Bud Oakley, Fred Morrison, Dick Metz, Eddie Loos, Joe Robinson, Harry Pressler, Harold McSpaden,and others.
1937 was the last year before fourteen clubs became the maximum allowed after 1938.
Henry Picard drove the ball 310 yards on the 4th hole of Wilson during the tournament!
Highlights of the 1937 Los Angeles Open at Griffith Park on YouTube:
It’s interesting to note the original golf course at Griffith Park, I’m told was called Riverside, and featured Wilson number 1,2,3,4,14,15,16,17 and 18. Yes, it was a nine hole course and may have featured sand greens. Not sure about that. From the 1937 highlight film, Griffith Park is almost unrecognizable! I hope that list of golfers posted on the highlight clip is accurate which would me such luminaries as Byron Nelson and Sam Snead participated. Babe Ruth played there when it was Riverside and was told when leaving the ninth green that he’d been traded to the Yankees. They say Ruth could reach number one with a driver and seven iron. I tend to believe that! I’ve played Wilson many times over the years and made my first ever birdie on number ten when playing with my dad in 1963.
The original course was 18 holes with sand/oil greens and was called the Griffith Park Golf Links (Municipal No. 1). It opened in 1914 and lasted until 1925. Municipal No. 2 (Harding) opened in 1923 on new land along the L.A. river, and was nicknamed “Riverside.”
In 1925 the sand course was broken up and the first two holes of Wilson were built on the ground of the front nine of the old links, but the holes are not comparable. Wilson’s other holes were all new except for half a dozen that were taken from Harding, which had new holes added, and both courses re-opened by 1927. The back nine of the old links became the Roosevelt course, which was grassed over in the late 30’s, and bulldozed for the zoo in the early 60’s.
Here is a link to my book, “100 Years of Golf in Griffith Park” –
https://books.google.com/books?id=qVRGDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA1952&lpg=PA1952&dq=978-1-365-02210-4&source=bl&ots=DP7FM09Ab4&sig=ACfU3U3yWfEK_GgcemcmYjR9Dyfonh2NIg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwisiPvx6LHqAhVRUK0KHXvtB9QQ6AEwAHoECAsQAQ#v=onepage&q=978-1-365-02210-4&f=false