The Divotees

At the end of the 1st world war as life began to return to normal and peacetime activities resumed, interest in the game of golf grew considerably and requests to join the Ozone far exceeded what it could handle.  It was in response to this interest that the friends, sons, and cousins of the Ozoners decided to form their own organization modeled after the organization with which they were so familiar.  Thus, in the year of our lord 1921, the Divotees began their journey.  

The Leeds - Webster Plate

The Coveted Prize for the winner of the annual battle

Ozone - Divotees Match Results

The Early Years

The Divotee Centennial Cup

Presented by the Ozone to Divotees president Sam Woodworth

A closer look into Divotees History

From Down the Fairway and in the Rough with the Ozone (p194ff)

As the dust settled after the Great War and good times returned, the Ozone Club began its third decade of friendly competitions held over the excellent courses around Philadelphia.  Interest in the game grew considerably and the great architects - Flynn, Tillinghast, Ross, the Findlays, Travis, White, Maxwell, Strong, Colt, Park, Jr., and Thomas - supplied more great courses, many of which saw visits from the Ozoners’ monthly games.  Many of the friends, sons, and cousins of Ozone members were so taken by the attractions of the club as to seek to join its ranks.  But alas, the ranks were full up.  D. Robert Yarnall and Robert Leeds, both cousins of Ozone’s Walter Smedley, were very interested, the latter Bob’s father, Harry Leeds, having been on Ozone charter member.  The solution, which presented itself to these men, was to organize the Divotees, a society patterned after the club with which they were so familiar.  

Once successfully underway, a match between the two societies already connected by family and friendly ties seemed a natural consequence. It occurred almost immediately. The 1922 Ozone report mentions "a special match with the Divotees at Torresdale on the 10th month 26th" but with no mention of any details or a winner. The 1923 report comments on a "particularly pleasant after match dinner – a fine spread at Sunnybrook tendered to us by the Divotees, but adds, "it was our misfortune to get out of a very slim attendance. For details of this encounter reference is made to the records of the rival organization." Apparently we lost. 

The next match was scheduled for 16 December 1923, the day following OZONE's annual meeting at Atlantic City. This report has a different tone. "Snow lay upon the ground that night, enough to make us wonder about this engagement expected with the Divotees next day. With golf balls stained a wicked red we walloped the Divotees to the happy tone of 7 1/2 matches to 2; and that evening we sat in at a very unusual occasion at the Dennis where as guests of Walter, Emily, and Howard Buzby, we took our seats around the boundaries of a golf course in a joint rally with the Divotees and dispatched the most excellent dinner. Many witty speeches were made by Ozone men and some very sad ones by the Divotees.”

Likewise, the next match at Aronimink on 24 October 1924 was celebrated by the comment, "this was staged to meet the wishes of the Divotees who fretted through the entire summer after the affair at Northfield. It did them a world of good for again with impressive tenderness we laid them out in lavender to the score of 7–2. We had a dinner after this; they had no explanations, made no speeches, and it may be assumed felt no hope.”

The last mention in our archives of this earlier rivalry was of the match held on 28 October 1925 at manufacturers. "A match in the 10th month with the Divotees held on a club meeting date very unfortunately was held up in the starting, and the play of certain members handicapped thereby. We suffered a defeat, 6– 2 ½.”  The year-end report goes on, "We again sat down to a glorious banquet at which the Hit or Miss Club and the Divotee Club with their husbands and wives were also present. At this time, Charles, F Jenkins, in an admirable poem now part of our records, fairly exposed the conspiracy, carried out the manufacturers club on the 28th of the 10th month." The parody is entitled, two clubs, and explores the intricacies of the thinly veiled fictional rivals, the "Breezo Club" (Alias Ozone) and the “Turfotees.”  (vol. 1 pp.93-95)

According to the officers of the day, this early series of four matches was played employing handicaps, owing to the differences in skill and ages of the players from the new and old clubs. It became apparent through the games that the handicap systems were not comparable; the USGA had not yet imposed standards, and the Ozone club had the custom of deducting two strokes from the handicap of its most recent winner. Due to these factors the intensity rose and it was agreed to discontinue the competitions. 

During the fall of 1954 OZONE club president John Webster suggested that a renewal of the Ozone-Divotee matches was overdue. Divotees president Bob Leeds agreed. The war was over. John Webster's brothers, Ed and Maurice, we're Divotees and their brothers, clement George, we're Ozoners, too. It was decided to avoid the same mistakes over handicaps and therefore play henceforth at scratch.

In early 1955 President John offered the idea that the resumption of the series should be at Pine Valley. Because of the assumed difficulty in arranging a game for so larger group, he felt the hazards of Pine Valley would cause our turn out to be fairly light and perhaps only attended by our best players," thus leading to a manageable field. Agreeing that Ozone members should pay their own way, treasure Mark Bittle remarked “that the department of finance is happy in the knowledge that the treasury will not be tapped." He also submitted the request that, "if I play, would it be possible for me to start in the morning so I can get around before darkness descends?”

Because of difficulties of one sort or another not recorded in the OZONE store of vital information, arrangements for the long awaited team match with the Divotees were made for 2 June 1955, but at Riverton not at Pine Valley. Golf was followed by dinner. All had to pay their own greens fees at $4.00 and dinners at $3.25. Thus began the modern series of matches between the Ozone Club and the Divotees, which has happily continued through the end of our first century.