Evening star., 1925-12-13

All six of these courses. the four
Burning Tree, the newer layouts,
older ones and Congressional and
have undergone changes which have
strengthened the quality of golf re-
quired on them and have made them
sllaround better courses in the last
five years. And at the same time inn
provements are in progress at Ban
nockburn, Ma nor, Town and Country.
Argyle and Beaver Dam which will
bring them near the standard re-
Quired of the rather indefinite cham
pionship course"
Columbia's s so-called long course"
which means with the tee plates we'll
back on the long tees, stretches out
to a distance OF $3.50 yards. The
short course with the plates well for
ward, measures Gill yards.
Chevy Chase runs out to q distance
of 6,356 yards. but can be made longer
by a change in the tee plates. In the
face of a westerly wind. the prevail
ing wind around Washington, Chevy
Chase will play around 8 500 yards in
length. for many of the holes run
east and west.
Burning Tree is the only course
which. according to its score card,
does not measure up for length with
the others. 1t rates under 5000
Yards. the exact figures running even
short of $500. Yet Burning Tree is
just as hard to score on as any of the
others. because the holes are all laid
out TO demand the utmost from the
club called for. even though the actual
range of distance may not be so
much judged solely by the card.
Leo Diegel called it the finest
course in America during the play
ing of the recent Middle Atlantic pro
fessional championship. and all the
other professionals testified il was
plenty long enough.
Congressional, with its two 600
yarders. stretches out TO 6.4oo yards,
and facing a westerly wind. plays
much longer for here again the holes
are generally laid out east and west
Changes in the first hole to bring
I. down 10 less than 500 yards in
length are contemplated at Congress
sional.
Indian Spring for Sluggers.
Indian Spring, really one Of the
longest courses in this section. rates
at 6.409 yards from the middle of the
back tees, plenty of length for even
the slugger. and made particularly
hard because many of the second
shots demand full carry to the
green.
Washington. shortest of the cham
pionship" courses. with the excep-
ton of Burning Trees elongated
yardage, measures only 6,222 yards
by the card. Yet Washington from
the long tees is one of the hardest
courses in this section to score on
The long tees have never been used
In competition under normal condi-
tions. Even in the District cham
pionship last October the tee plates
were not as far back as they would
go. although the last two rounds were
played in a rainstorm.
These six courses, with the bunker
ing improvements that have been
made in all Of them during the last
four or five years, rate fully as high
as any similar group around any
other city In the country Although
Columbia and Burning Tree are pop
ularly regarded as the "show courses"
of the city, the others will not take a
back seat to them in difficulty or in
yardage. Congressional especially has
recently undergone. and still Is in
process Of undergoing, an extensive
bunkerng program that will rate 1t
even harder than the slugg!ng course
Of other days.
Working on All Courses.
Columbia is still being improved by
reconstruction of It's fourteenth and
eighteenth green's: Washington has
other construction projects under way
to stiffen the course for the Middle
Atlantic amateur championship next
Spring, and Indian Spring has only re-
Gently been renovating its putting
greens.
Burning Tree IS constantly expert
ment.ng in one form or another. while
Chevy Chase has only recently settled
down after an extensive bunkering
program, which made 1t two or more
shots harder than the course Of three
years ago.
Bannockburn Is nearly ready to open
its new standard length course; Town
and Country Club looks forward to the
tay when II can begin construction OF
"a second nine.hole layout; Argyle Is
undergoing 4 considerable construc-
ton program, involving building OF
many traps, and Manor is hard at
!. work on improvement Of its new nine
holes.
Washington is fortunate in having
so many fine courses within easy
reaching distance.