Jock and Constance in Hollywood

Jock Hutchison giving actress Constance Talmadge an indoor golf lesson in 1922.

Jock Hutchison and Jim Barnes were the reigning British and U.S. Open champions when they booked a 12 date exhibition tour of the Pacific Coast, from December 1921, to January 1922. Their first stop in Southern California was the Ambassador Hotel golf course in Los Angeles, which later became the Rancho Golf Club, which is on the same land that is now the municipal Rancho Park golf course and Cheviot Hills Park.

Constance Talmadge was one of the three Talmadge sisters to succeed in Hollywood. Their father, of course, was an alcoholic, and abandoned them, and their mother went to work doing laundry!

Jim Barnes and Jock Hutchison in 1921.

St Andrews born, Jock was the first naturalized American to win the “British” Open, which he did in 1921.

English-American “Long” Jim Barnes was the 1921 U.S Open champion, and a West coaster who worked at Claremont G.C. (Oakland, CA.), Spokane G.C., and Tacoma G.C. He hit a 350 yard drive at Del Monte in 1911, and his consistent 300 yard length “off the tee,” gave him his nickname.

Constance loved comedy, not slapstick. She said she couldn’t be compared to her sister, as she couldn’t weep over a plastic doll. She loved golf, but preferred to watch the experts play, or caddying for them, and could often be found following the many exhibition matches held in Los Angeles in the 1920’s.

Note – I have included Wikipedia links to the people in this article, however, I often disagree with much of the history these pages present – jibj

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