Did the @usgamuseum forget it held the 24th Amateur Public Links Championship in 1949 at the new Rancho Golf Course? The opening of the new L.A. Parks links by Bill Johnson & Billy Bell replaced Herbert Fowler's 1921 Ambassador/Rancho links. @usopengolf https://t.co/CIcpyvSf1G
— Golf Historical Society (@GolfHistorical) June 5, 2023
Category: Rancho Golf Course
Willie Hunter and George Von Elm at Rancho Golf Club in 1923
71 Years of the Rancho Park Golf Course!
Rancho Municipal Golf Course opened on July 3, 1949, with a Bob Hope exhibition, followed by the U.S.G.A. Public Links championship, and has continued to host numerous golf championships on its hallow green ever since.
Always one of the busiest golf courses in America, Rancho’s rolling hills, lofted trees, wide fairways, minimal rough and small greens, can still challenge and enchant, despite existing in a playing condition more akin to the 1980s than television golf.
The Los Angeles Open was held at Rancho between 1956 and 1983, when it was a major civic event, drawing thousands of spectators, and where Arnie’s Army really began.
The Open’s early-January date was the first of the professional season, and often enhanced by fog, wind, cold and rain, making for great competition. When Rancho was in championship form, with double cut greens, deep rough and narrow fairways, the pros almost never “ate up” the course.
The lowest Los Angeles Open score on Rancho was 268 by 23 year-old Phil Rodgers in 1962, the same year Jack Nicklaus entered his first championship and finished in last place. Rodgers had a 62 in the final round! Phil also won the 1954 Junior L.A. Open at Rancho, beating runner-up and National Junior champion Al Geiberger by seven strokes.
Rancho’s next lowest L.A. Open score was Arnold Palmer‘s 269 in 1967.
Gil Morgan managed 270 in the last L.A. Open at Rancho in 1983. This compares to Lanny Watkins’s record score of 264 in 1985, Fred Couples’ 266 in 1990, and Chip Beck and Mike Weir’s 267 in 1988 and 2004 respectively, all scored on the Riviera Country Club course.
Happy 71st Birthday Rancho!
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Rancho Golf Course – July 17, 1949
After the Bob Hope Exhibition on July 3, followed by the United States Golf Association Public Links championship, the Rancho golf course opened to the Public on July 17, 1949. Greens fees were $1 for 18 holes!
The Los Angeles Times reported that,
“A capacity play of 400 golfers crowded the new Rancho municipal course yesterday on the first day of public use of the city’s latest 18-hole links.”
“From 4:40 a.m., when the clubhouse doors were open and several score early waitees headed for the starter’s window, until 6 o’clock when the place was jumping. By 7 a.m. a four-hour wait was needed to get a starting time at the first tee.”
“Weekday play at Rancho will start at 6 a.m.”
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57th L.A. Open at Rancho Park, Los Angeles
In 1983, the 57th Glen Campbell Los Angeles Open returned to the 6638-yard Rancho Park Golf Course for one year, while Riviera Country Club hosted the PGA Championship.
The L.A. Open was played at Rancho from 1955 to 1972 (minus 1968 at Brookside Park), and most recently in 1983. The Rancho golf course has been home to three permanent golf clubs, and more than 100,000 local and visiting golfers, every year, since 1949. The excitement level of having the professionals at Rancho was always high, with so many of the spectators knowing the course from first hand experience, and the tournament having the full support of the community, and the city of Los Angeles, it isn’t hard to imagine that L.A. Open’s at Rancho were a big success!
In 1983, the pro-amateur featured former U.S. President Gerald Ford, Jack Lemmon, Fred MacMurray, Mike Douglas, Robert Stack, Monty Hall, Dick Martin, Johnny Mathis, Foster Brooks, Scatman Crothers, Wayne Rodgers, Tommy Lasorda, and Steve Garvey, who all entertained the fans.
The professional competition included, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, Johnny Miller, Craig Stadler, Dave Stockton, Jim Dent, Lee Trevino, Payne Stewart, Roger Dunn, Charlie Sifford, Jim Thorpe, Bobby Clampett, Roger Maltbie, Larry Mize, Bobbie Wadkins, Fuzzy Zoeller, Mac O’Grady, and others.
53-year old Arnold Palmer opened with a 66, and even led for five holes during the final round! Nowhere on tour has Arnie had more love and support than from his fans at Rancho! And he always deserved it!
Gil Morgan won the title, his second LA Open, scoring 270 over 72 holes.
Previous LA Open winner at Rancho, George Archer, scored a record 61 in the third round, making back to back eagles on No. 8 and 9 (#17 & #18).
Rancho Municipal Golf Course Opening Exhibition, July 3, 1949
Over 2500 fans turned out to see Bob Hope and Johnny Dawson lose their match to George Von Elm and Bruce McCormick at the opening of the city of Los Angeles’s new Rancho Municipal Golf Course on July 3, 1949.
According to the press, Hope was beaten, but not silenced!
Johnny Dawson and George Von Elm were advisors to William “Bill” Johnson and William P. “Billy” Bell in the design and construction of the new championship golf course, and the Nine hole Par 3 course. Both layouts were built on the site of W. Herbert Fowler’s 1921-1944, Hotel Ambassador/Rancho Golf Club course.
The most historic photo ever taken of Southern California legends!
Bell designed and built over 60 golf courses in California, Arizona and Hawaii.
Dawson a 5-time So Cal Amateur champion, course architect, and 1949 U.S. Walker Cup Team.
McCormick was 1937 U.S. Amateur Public Links, twice Cal State, three time So Cal Amateur champion, and 1949 Walker Cup Team.
Luxford was the Father of Celebrity golf, ran Crosby’s Clambake, S.C.G.A. President, L.A. Open fundraiser, and President of the L.A. Recreation and Parks Commission.
Johnson worked for Bell as Greenkeeper at: Royal Palms, L.A. Rec. and Parks Griffith Park, Architect with Bell and Billy Bell Junior.
Von Elm was multiple So Cal, Cal State, Trans Mississippi amateur champion. He beat his 1926 U.S. Walker Cup team mate, Bobby Jones, to win the 1926 U.S. Amateur, while playing for the Rancho Golf Club!
Hunter was the son of Henry Hunter, Royal Cinque Ports Greenkeeper/Professional, and nephew of Ramsey Hunter, designer of Royal St. Georges. He was 1921 British Amateur champion. Rancho Golf Club secretary and Von Elm partner in SCGA Team Play. Founder of the L.A. Open, and Riviera Country Club head professional for decades.
The Recreation and Park Department held their official municipal opening on Friday, July 8, 1949. The next day the new course hosted the 24th U.S.G.A. Public Links Championship ( July 9 to July 16).
The Rancho Golf Course opened to the general public on July 17, 1949.
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Experts Rate Rancho Park Golf Course (1949)
Here is a group of Southern California golf legends posing on the 10th tee of the new Rancho golf course, on that magic day in 1949 when they first rated the course!
An article from the Los Angeles Times from March 24, 1949:
The new Rancho golf course received its baptism of fire yesterday when eight local links expert tested the course for the first time.
The purpose of their play was to give the course a handicap par rating and also to list the holes in order of difficulty for the score cards. The course will not be opened officially until it is the scene of the National Public Links championship July 11-16. The links will be available for public play following that time.
Wille Hunter, pro at Riviera, and Johnny Dawson, Lakeside amateur, scored 70s yesterday. Harold Dawson, executive secretary of the Southern California Golf Association, and a 7-handicap golfer, scored a 77. J.C. Cunningham, a public links official and a 12 handicapper, scored 82 and Bill Johnson, L.A. city golf course manager, a 16 handicapper, had 87.
Others in the group did not play full rounds. They were Maurie Luxford, president of the City Recreation and Park Commission; George Von Elm and Golf Architect Billy Bell.
Course Rated
Johnny Dawson gave the course a par rating of 70.9 and Harold Dawson rated it 70.7. The actual par will be 71. The second hole, 445-yard 4-par, was judged the most difficult and the 16th, a 179-yard 3-par, rated the easiest.
Rancho, at Pico Blvd. and Patricia Ave., is on the site of the old Rancho course, which has been closed for several years.
Transcribed by J.Jones, Rancho Park Golf Club historian.
1949 Rancho Golf Course Opening Score Card
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A New Arnold Palmer Plaque Dedicated at Rancho Park Golf Course
On Wednesday last, a new Arnold Palmer plaque was dedicated, commemorating his score of 12, on Rancho Park’s par-five 18th hole, during the first round of the 1961 L.A. Open. The original plaque was dedicated in 1963, and later stolen. A replacement “stone” was installed by the Recreation and Parks Department.
This beautiful new plaque, designed by graphic artist and Rancho Park golf club champion, Ed Passarelli, is the permanent replacement, being a combination of a re-creation of the original plaque, plus a map of the hole, with a description of the strokes taken by Mr Palmer, plus an embossed photograph.
The idea for replacing the replacement of the original plaque, and the execution of the plan to use it to raise money for junior golf, was all Phil Baugh, of the First Tee of Los Angeles.
Arnold would be proud.
After her speech, golf legend Amy Alcott, tee’d up a ball, and played the 18th hole, with a gallery of supporters and guests, she made some beautiful strokes, easily scoring a par 5, with never an inclination of the “heart warming” 3-woods that Arnold experienced in January 1961!
From left to right in the photo:
- Amy Alcott – LPGA & World Golf Hall of Fame member
- John Jones – Rancho Park GC Historian & Grammy Award winner
- Phil Bough – ED LAJCC Charity Foundation/The First Tee of Los Angeles
- Ed Passarelli – Plaque Designer
- Laura Bauernfiend – Golf Manager, LA City Rec. & Parks
- Paul Koretz – LA Councilmember, 5th District