Opened to great acclaim in 1912, the Druid Hills Golf Club has hosted southern championships for more than a century and has been validated as one of the most challenging venues in the country. Druid Hills Golf Club is like the sturdy trunk of a steadfast live oak, the history of The Dogwood runs deep through its roots. This rich history of nurturing talented golfers played a key role in The Dogwood’s starting ground. Through the years, The Dogwood’s goal has been to bring golfers together to play the sport’s finest competition and that credo has rang true since the very first tournament in April, 1941. The first Dogwood Invitational was hosted on a beautiful spring day with the course draped in white dogwoods and blooming azaleas. It seems only fitting that a tournament with such a rich history in the sport of golf play host to a thrilling finish in its first year. The 1941 champion, Tommy Barnes, sealed the win in stunning fashion with a powerful comeback on the back nine. Sportswriter Al Sharp said it best, “Needing a 2-under-par 34 on the back nine to beat Gene Galliard, the happy-go-lucky man in the lucky green hat shot exactly that for the victory.”
Since then, the club has hosted eight Georgia State Amateur Championships and can boast having held 90 championships, including The Dogwood, since the club’s establishment.
