It was held at Indian Canyon Golf Course, a municipal facility designed in 1930 by Chandler Egan[1][2] on the west end of the city, and opened in 1935.

The ART's emblem was a laughing horse named Esmeralda, which inspired the title of the charity tournament.

The Esmeralda Open was held annually for over a decade, but most editions featured local and regional golfers, and was not part of the PGA Tour.

It was won by Byron Nelson by seven strokes over runner-up Harold "Jug" McSpaden, followed by Ben Hogan and Sam Snead.

Herman Keiser shot a one-under 69 on Sunday to finish at 273 (–7), one stroke ahead of three runners-up: Ben Hogan, Ed Furgol, and Johnny Palmer.