A Legacy of Outstanding Amateur Golf 

The first Dogwood Invitational, held in April 1941, validated Druid Hills Golf Club as a challenging venue for amateur golf tournaments. Tommy Barnes, the inaugural event’s champion, won with a 72 hole score of 292, winning the first of what would be a total of five Dogwood Invitational championships. 

The next year, Dan Yates, Sr., a member of one of Georgia’s most distinguished golfing families, won the event. The tournament was then suspended for the balance of World War II and resumed in 1946 with winner Gene Dahlbender, Jr. displaying the talent that led to a total of seven victories in the tournament. He bettered Barnes score in 1941 by fourteen shots, coming in with a 278 total. He possibly was inspired by a visit to Druid Hills by Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson for an exhibition match earlier in the year with Hogan beating Nelson 3 and 2.

Ten of the first fifteen Dogwood Invitationals were won by the dominant duo of Barnes or Dahlbender. Charlie Harrison, Vinnie Giles, Jack Penrose and Harvie Ward, Jr. were some of the other early winners. A Walker Cup member, Ward later remembered, “The Dogwood was a classy little tournament played on a great golf course. People at the club were so nice and it was always fun.” He won the British Amateur and the U.S. Amateur in 1952, another indication of the level of talent that participated in the Dogwood.

The Dogwood was discontinued in 1973 and did not return until 1994 when a new tournament format was introduced. The new format included entrance into the tournament by invitation only and added an 18-hole qualifier for five to eight open spots prior to the tournament start. A Senior Division was added in 2005.

The winner of the 1994 tournament was Allen Doyle, who at forty-five was still one of Georgia’s best amateur golfers, having won six Georgia State Amateur titles, still the record. “While this is a new event on the amateur circuit, it clearly is one of the best-run and best-planned tournaments around,” said Doyle after the three-day event. “My congratulations to everyone involved. I’m proud to be the champion of this great tournament.” Doyle went on to a distinguished career as a professional on the Champions Tour, being named Player of the Year in 2001.

Some of the best collegians in recent years have played in the Dogwood, including Charles Howell III, Bryce Molder, Adam Scott, Stewart Cink, Ryuji Imada, Carl Petterson, Justin Bolli, Nick Cassini, James Driscoll, Colt Knost and Dustin Johnson, all of whom have gone on to the professional level of the game. The 2007 winner, Wake Forest’s Webb Simpson also set the standing course record of 60.

In the past decade the golf course at Druid Hills has enjoyed many refinements and enhancements, providing an ever more challenging site for the Dogwood Invitational. It is ranked as having one of the best fields among amateur tournaments in the world. In hosting the Dogwood Invitational, Druid Hills’ members extend their support for amateur golf that reaches back to the best amateur ever to have played the game, Bobby Jones. The next Bobby Jones may someday stroll the fairways at Druid Hills while competing in the Dogwood Invitational.

The tournament has been recognized as one of the United States and the Worlds top amateur events in the country by Scratch Players Amateur Golf Rankings and the R&A World Amateur Golf Rankings. The Dogwood seeks to perpetuate the tradition of competition, celebrate the game of golf and encourage participation among amateur golfers, volunteers, club membership and sponsors.

The Dogwood Invitational is proud to continue as one of the top ranked men's amateur golf tournament s in the world. Please click the following link to view the storied history of The Dogwood -  DOGWOOD HISTORY