GOLF:

The historic and storied Santa Ana Country Club is preparing for one of the most prestigious tournaments in Southern California, which starts Monday and ends Aug. 9.

The Invitational Golf Tournament at Santa Ana Country Club is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and it is the job of Tournament Chairman Ken Shelton to make sure it runs smoothly.

Shelton, a longtime member of the club, is one of only five tournament chairmen the Invitational has had in six decades.

“This is a great event and 26 to 27% of the teams are from the club,” Shelton said. “We get teams from all over the area, as well as some from out of town.”

This year the Invitational has two-man teams from New Jersey, Montana, Texas, Nevada and Arizona.

The format for the event has remained virtually the same since the first event in 1949. The only change is the number of teams that play in the event. There will be 112 teams this year, but the tournament had double that number in the past.

“It got to be really too much to handle,” said Mike Reehl, director of golf for Santa Ana. “We had to reduce it.”

Partners qualify for flights using a four-ball format. Thirty two teams comprise the championship flight while the remaining teams are grouped into eight-team flights. Teams compete in four-ball match play until winners are determined in each flight.

In every flight, except the championship, it is one loss and elimination. If a team in the championship flight loses its match, it is dropped into a flight called Santa Ana. The winner of the Santa Ana flight is considered the third-place finisher in the Invitational.

Shelton and his committee receive applications from members of country clubs and most of them are referred by teams already in the event.

“This is one of the last match play events of this nature,” Shelton said. “This year we will have 30 players that are new.”

Because the teams refer other teams and they are approved by the committee, there are virtually no abuses of handicaps.

“The teams tend to police themselves,” Reehl said. “There have been a few teams that have not been invited back, but very few.”

The tournament began after World War II, when many Los Angeles residents came down to the beach to escape the summer heat. Many of them were members of country clubs such as Annandale, San Gabriel, Oakmont, Los Angeles, Wilshire, and Hacienda.

Many of the vacationers became regular guests at Santa Ana Country Club throughout July and August.

Inevitably, a competitive event among these visitors was discussed and a Committee of Chairman Lee Metzger, Gerald Ritchie, General Manager Stanley Ridderhof, Manager Riley Huber, and Professional Jay Nunnally was formed to explore an Invitational tournament.

The Board of Directors approved the concept on July 27, 1948 and the inaugural Santa Ana Invitational was scheduled for August 1949. Thus began an annual tradition.

The Invitational is as much a social event as a golf tournament. Monday and Tuesday are qualifying rounds and Wednesday through Saturday, with many of the teams congregating in the lounge after play.

After the championship round on Saturday the club hosts dinner, entertainment and dancing for players and a guest.

“I guarantee you I will get people coming up to me telling me how nice this tournament is,” Shelton said. “It really is one of the best events in the area.”

JOHN REGER’S golf column appears Thursdays.