A 100 Year History -- Part Two: 1920-1939

Chapter Two -- A Golden Age of Golfers

As was the case with golf courses, the quality of players in Southern California was also increasing rapidly. Many fine golfers continued to winter in Southern California and play in the Southern California Amateur and the California Amateur.

One was H. Chandler Egan, who had won the 1904 and 1905 U.S. Amateurs, captured the 1926 California Amateur and donated the trophy on which medalists' names are inscribed today.

Another was Willie Hunter, the 1921 British Amateur champion (and 1922 runner-up) who arrived at Midwick CC by train on the morning of qualifying for the 1923 SCGA Amateur and went on to defeat home-course hopeful E. S. Armstrong, 2 & 1, to capture the crown.

But more and more, Southern California golfers were being home grown. Some -- like George Von Elm (see page 4) -- migrated here from colder climes. Others -- such as Charles Seaver (right) -- grew up in the area and then went off to college. A few, such as Von Elm and Pat Abbott (see page 10) went on to professional careers, but many elected to remain amateurs and competed for decades in local events.

During the SCGA's first 20 years, tournaments were dominated by what we now call mid-amateur golfers (age 25 and older). In fact, it wasn't until 1922 that the SCGA Amateur was won by a "youngster" (Von Elm).

Increasingly, Southern Californians were making their presences felt on the national scene, as well, none more so than Von Elm, who shocked the golfing world when he defeated Bobby Jones, 2 & 1, to win the 1926 U.S. Amateur at Baltusrol GC in New Jersey. It was Jones' only U.S. Amateur loss in five years.

Perhaps the most stunning example of the emergence of California golfers was in the 1937 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship, which was held at Harding Park GC in San Francisco. Half of the 64-man field was from California and the finals was all-SCGA as Bruce McCormick edged Don Erickson, 1 up, in their 36-hole match.

Chapter Three -- Professional Golf and National Tournaments Arrive

Historical Note: The Many Faces of Max Behr

Charles Seaver: Spanning the century

Few people have had a longer impact on amateur golf in California than Charles Seaver. The SCGA was just 12 years old when he was born in Kansas City (he moved with his family to Los Angeles shortly thereafter) and since 1920, Seaver has been an integral part of golf history in this state.

Seaver's father, Everett, was a fine amateur golfer, winning the 1908 Trans-Mississippi and the 1920 SCGA Amateur Championship; the elder Seaver also served as SCGA president in 1928. Everett was also Charlie's only teacher.

Charlie entered his first tournament at The Los Angeles CC in 1921 with a 30 handicap. When he was 15 in 1926, he won the Los Angeles Invitational and in 1928, while still in high school, reached the finals of the SCGA Amateur, only to lose to Fay Coleman, 6 & 4.

Seaver competed in the 1930 U.S. Amateur, losing to Eugene Homans, 1 up, in their semifinal match. Homans went on to lose to Bobby Jones, who completed his "Grand Slam" with an 8 & 7 victory. "I got to play Bobby Jones three other times," Seaver relates, "but not the most important time."

Seaver went on to play golf and football at Stanford University. While there, he won the 1933 California Amateur and NCGA Amateur titles and when he added the 1934 SCGA Amateur crown, a quirk of the calendar made him just the second person to hold all three titles at the same time (George Von Elm was the first). With his 1934 win, Seaver and his father also became the only father-son combination to both win the SCGA title.

In 1932, Seaver competed on the U.S. Walker Cup team, going 1-0 in foursomes and 1-0 in singles play at The Country Club in Brookline, MA. The U.S. won 8-1 over the Great Britain and Ireland team.

After Seaver moved to Fresno where he continued to play amateur golf, winning the Fresno City title six times in the 1940s and the 1949 Northern California Open. He was also NCGA president in 1980.

One memorable experience for Seaver came in 1928 when Everett and Charlie Seaver joined Alister MacKenzie as the first foursome ever to play MacKenzie's newest creation, Cypress Point Club on the Monterey Peninsula. "Since I was the first person to tee off," says Seaver, "I was literally the first person to play Cypress Point."

Non-golfers know Seaver best as the father of baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Tom Seaver. But for golfers, especially in California, Seaver will forever be known as "Mr. Golf."