1941

The Dogwood Invitational Tournament, held annually at Druid Hills from 1941 to 1972 drew many of the finest amateur golfers in the United States to Atlanta. The history of the tournament is both interesting and unique. It was organized by a committee composed of Harry Stephens (Golf Pro), Jimmy Wilson (President), and Dr. Julius Hughes. In Dr. Hughes’ own words, "prior to 1941 the accepted amateur tournament was medal qualifying and match play elimination. It was an accepted fact that the lack of experience in medal play was responsible for many fine amateur golfers failing to qualify in various tournaments; so it was decided to hold the "Dogwood" early in the Spring as a medal competition, and thus better prepare the amateurs for the following qualifying rounds in regularly scheduled sections, state and local tournaments. It was regarded as a method of establishing the best golfer during this particular event. The subsequent trend in amateur tournaments to this type of play could very well be traced to the first "Dogwood".