Evening star., 1926-01-10

Combined with moderately small
putting green's and rugged pitch shots
10 green's surrounded by many difficult
ties, the actual yardage of the Wash
ington layout is not a true measure of
its playing difficulty. For. even though
crack golfers from al over the coun-
try have PLAYED the Washington
course, 20 has only been broken twice
once by Roland Mackenzie and once
by Dave Thomson, the club profess
sional.
VIII Offer Fine Course.
SO the Washington Golf and Coun
try Club course, the Capitals newest
chs. nionship layout in its present
forlI 1t is actually younger than Burn
ing ,iee) will Offer the cream of the
ma-eurs gathered for the Middle At
lant,c a real title layout course on
which skill will maintain supremacy
and on which miscues will be severely
penalized, not alone by manmade bunk
ers. but by the more rigorous eXac-
tions of the natural penalty.
AS to the time of the tournament,
that is matter which is much more
difficult to iiX than the bringing to
physical perfection of the golf course.
II is certain that no course around
Washington els at it's very best much
after the middle of June, and frequent
1y tie early hot spell encountered in
Washington in June takes its toll of
putting green grass long before mid
Jun.,.
A ad it is equally certain that the
lOc;, courses do not fully recover
from the heat of Summer until well
into October This would mean hold
ing the tournament either late in May,
in early June or about the middle of
O.;ober Each date has Objectionable
features.
Golf Calendar Crowded.
IN the first place the District golf
calendar is so crowded. beginning
with the first week in May, that it is
practically impossible to hold a tour
rey outside the regular club affairs
until mid-June or later. The clubs
usually jealousy guard their dates
and do not care for enCroachmentS
upon their allotted time.
If held in late May the present
champion could not defend, as he will
lie away at college. The same objec-
ton would apply in October, and
while the Middle Atlantic Golf Asso-
clation is not bound to consider the
Inability of the champion to defend
his title, it would doubtless look most
favorably on a date on which Mac
kenzie could play in defense of the
championship he won SO brilliantly
at Baltimore last June.
Mackenzie, furthermore, has always
been a prime favorite at Washing
ton. Winner of the last two tourna-
ments there, he has played in two
exhibition mate hes in which such
famous professionals as Gene Sarazen,
John Farrell and Tom Armour have
appeared, always with great credit to
himself. He is the amateur record
n
ular player.
Officials i'm Quandary.
For these reasons and the fact that
the course will not be at its best after
mid-June or before mid. October, club
officials are in a quandary as TO a
proper date for the championship.
And mixed up with the question as
to the date for the Middle Atlantic
is that of whether Washington should
hold its own tournament or combine
all its resources to make the Middle
Atlantic of 1926 the most successful
ever held
The present disposition is to hold
both tournaments. with Washington
opening the season the last three days
of April and the first day of May,
with a possibility that the Middle At
lantic may be held either the last
NSSh III -ldy vi liiC biiAi u "SCh Aii
June. DR. McClenahan, who is slated
to be president of the Middle Atlantic
Association. is not overenthuSiaStic
about the latter date. as he does not
believe the course will be in top
notch condition at that time.
With the Middle Atlantic the Wash
ington course will take it's place as
one of the four courses about the
city to hold this sections premier links
classic. So far only Columbia and
Chevy Chase have held the amateur
championship, while Burning Tree has
staged a professional Middle Atlantic
affair. At Washington this year the
amateurs will be certain of a good
golf course. and from pre-tournament