by J.I.B. Jones
Washington’s Birthday, February 22, 1919
One Hundred years ago, on Washington’s Birthday 1919, the excitement was high for the long-awaited opening of the new Del Monte Lodge at Pebble Beach.
Lewis Hobart was the Hotel Del Monte’s architect. He also designed the original Pebble Beach Lodge in 1909. Hobart was well known in San Francisco, where he designed many important buildings after the Earthquake and Fire of 1906, including the original California Academy of Sciences buildings in Golden Gate Park, the Grace Episcopal Cathedral, the Bohemian Club, and estates at Burlingame for William Crocker and Richard Tobin.
The new $200,000 Lodge had 55 sleeping rooms, an a-la-carte grill room, special children’s kitchen, tea rooms, lounging areas, parlors, locker rooms, showers, and an open plunge (outdoor swimming pool) for golfers.
The Hotel Del Monte was forced to build the new lodge after the old one was destroyed by fire, just two months before the new Del Monte No. 2 golf course at Pebble Beach was to open in February, 1918. The old log cabin lodge was the club house for the new golf course, which opened without one on March 30, 1918.
The observance of Washington’s birthday began with the planting of a cherry tree near the first tee of the remodeled golf course by 11-year old Edward Simpson, of a prominent Tacoma family, followed by the swearing-in of the golfer’s by Judge Flint, “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Fifty Del Monte Golf and Country Club members turned out for the two day tournament. Douglas Grant won the low gross on day one, with 80, eight strokes over par, which was considered a good score after rain had made conditions slow, in addition to the local rules that were in effect due to the ongoing remodeling of the golf course.
On the second day the golfers played 18 holes of match play against par, and Douglas Grant won again, 2 down.
Jack Neville was conspicuous by his absence.
To be continued…
© 2019 J.I.B. Jones/GolfHistoricalSociety – All rights reserved.
I have a silver mug from the Ceres Lodge Golf Competition in 1925. It was presented by T.A. White Esq and J.G. Cunliffe Esq. Can you give me any info about this. I cannot find anything about them or the competition. Thank you
I am sorry, but I have not come across the Ceres Lodge. I assume they were Masons?