1952 Hogan hosts inaugural Champions Dinner.

On this day, Ben Hogan hosts the 1st ever Champions dinner at Augusta Country Club

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ByHonest Golfers Updated on

April 6: In 1952, as the defending champion, Ben Hogan started one of the great traditions at the Masters Tournament, the Past Champions Dinner “to reminisce, swap banter and relax”, held prior to the start of the match. Members of the

Pictured are the attendees at the 1958 Champions Dinner, an event started by Ben Hogan in 1952, in which only past champions of the Masters Tournament are invited, sponsored by the previous year’s winner. Ben Hogan sitting at the left hand of Bobby Jones along with Claude Harmon, Gene Sarazen, Clifford Roberts, Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead, Doug Ford, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Jack Burke, Jr., Craig Wood, Horton Smith, Herman Keiser and Henry Picard at the Champions Dinner during the 1958 Masters Tournament.
Pictured are the attendees at the 1958 Champions Dinner, an event started by Ben Hogan in 1952, in which only past champions of the Masters Tournament are invited, sponsored by the previous year’s winner. Ben Hogan sitting at the left hand of Bobby Jones along with Claude Harmon, Gene Sarazen, Clifford Roberts, Cary Middlecoff, Sam Snead, Doug Ford, Byron Nelson, Jimmy Demaret, Jack Burke, Jr., Craig Wood, Horton Smith, Herman Keiser and Henry Picard at the Champions Dinner during the 1958 Masters Tournament.

Masters Club are the only people invited to attend, an elite group that includes past Masters Champions and the Club Chairman – a very exclusive club that all golfers would love to belong.

The previous year’s champion selects the menu and serves as host for the dinner.

Ben hosted the inaugural dinner by virtue of his victory in 1951. At the dinner, he was presented with an inscribed gold locket as his welcome into the Masters Club. Ben attended the dinner every year from 1952 until 1972.

When asked in 1977 why he wouldn’t be attending he replied from his cluttered desk at the Ben Hogan Golf Company, “I have more things to do than hours to do them in. I just couldn’t make it.”

One of my contemporaries explained, “That’s Ben. He’s very individualistic. He always has been a loner, headstrong, not one to delve into the past. He ducks the limelight. He has intense pride.”

Pictured is the gold locket presented to Ben at the 1952 dinner and the medal he won for winning the Driving Contest.
Pictured is the gold locket presented to Ben at the 1952 dinner and the medal he won for winning the Driving Contest.

Hey, my name is Kolter, and I run Honest Golfers. I’m a Colorado family man who spends my "me-time" on the golf course. I golfed collegiately and was honored to serve as team captain twice.