Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-19
NEW LINKS OFFER
2. VARIETY OF GOLF
Maj. Newman Is Constructor
, of First Air.PIanned Lay
out in U. S.
BY WALTER r. McCALLUM.

the ground the complete golf
layout of the Army Navy and
- Marine Corps Country Club had
been surveyed from the air and
the holes had been plotted out in pros
pect Sites for greens and tees had
been spotted from the air and Maj.
Richard D. Newman constructor of the
layout, who came to Washington to do
the job, knew just what he could do
with the ground at Tvs disposal
The first example Of golf course con-
struction from an airplane by the aid
OF a topographic map, the course Of
the Army. Navy and Marine Corps
Country Club, which was opened only
few months ago. shows plainly the
advantages to be gained by observing
the country from the air over which a
golf course is to be laid out
Maj. Newman Is firm believer in
the airplane approach method of golf
course construction. He holds that
with topographic map Of the country
and single airplane spotting trip over
the land he can lay out golf course
from the air that will be quite as good
as one laid out by laborious walking
over rough and undeveloped country to
observe all the locations for tees, fair
ways and putting green's.
Offers Plenty Of Variety.
n
stones throw away from the wireless
towers of the Navy high frequency
station at Arlington and short dis
lance from Fort Myer have been laid
out 1s fine golf holes. demanding all
that Is best in the golf shot repertoire
OF any player who would hope to ap-
proxinate par. Most of the course has
been constructed along broad valley.
through which meanderS a shallow
B elcpArlu
lied to make the tee shots and ap-
proaches of considerable difficulty
Some Of the land on which the last
few holes of the first nine and the first
three or four holes of the second nine
were built was swampland and major
draining operations were Necessary be-
fore the course could be constructed
Near the sixth tee. when the course
was built, large bootleg still was In
full operation when the course con-
structors went through the swampland
to begin operations and the bottom
land on which the still was located
yielded up more than dozen poisonous
snakes.
Maj. Newman. who has had wide
and varied golf experience extending
over more than three decades, has con-
Structed a golf course which now meas
llres 6.l0a yards. Rather short on the
yardage side Of the equation, but de-
nnanding accurate and lengthy tee shots
II the PLAYER would score low. Most Of
the holes go down through the valley
which lies below the clubhouse. high up
on the hilltop overlooking washington
and. the Potomac River A few OF them
climb the big hill on which the club
house Is situated. among these the pro-
posed ninth and the present eighteenth.
At present the ninth hole Is one
shotter, but later it will be long two
shotter to the green within few yards
of the grillroom and porch on the east
side OF the clubhouse.
The history OF the club Is interesting.
Back in 1863, when a major battle Of
the Civil War was impending at Get
! tysburg, and Washington was being
stripped of its defenders to meet the
Southern thrust in Pennsylvania. a
scouting force OF 5000 Cavalry mask
ing a force of $4,000 Infantry. pushed
ur through the valley where the golf
course Is nov located and we're fired
upon by Union outposts from the ele-
vatsd position where the first tee now
stands The Southern troops reported
to. their commander that the Union
troops we're in force and that an at
tempt TO capture Washington from the
southwest might be disastrous. The
Southern troops retreated down the
valley.
Later developments proved that only
q handful of 600 Union troops were
scattered along the line between the
present golf course and Fort Berry over
near what is now the Chain Bridge. A
strong Southern thrust, Army officers
agree. at this point would have put the |
City of Washington in serious danger |
of capture by the overwhelming South
ern force. for the Capital had been
stripped Of its defenders to meet the
Southern threat at Gettysburg. where |
Lee and his forces reached the high |
tide Of the Confederacy". a few days
later.
The clubhouse now in use was con-
structed in 1914 for the Knights Of |
Columbus for use as a country club. |
Later it. was RACED by the Ku Klux
Khan. and once was used as gambling |
stronghold. Before 1t was taken over
by the present golf organizatio 1t was
used as a stable for horses of the col |
ored people living in that vicinity and |
the land was a rendezvous for automo-
bile thieves operating in Washington to
strip the cars they stole.
Once Was Auto Dump.
Now the erstwhile automobile dump
has been transformed into picturesque
country. club. which sits high on hill
overlooking the Capital. down into the
valley where a dozen or more of the
Putcnis greens CdH NC Vle"eu 1IoH tie
hilltop.
Maj. Newman explained that it is not
the intention of the club to have a
championship golf course. He wants
to make a difficult course, but not q
course that will be so hard to play it
will be a thing of dread rather than
a pleasure for most of the members.
The course at present has not bunker
on 1t. but there is plenty of trouble of
other descriptions, in the form of
bitches. trees and hills to make 1t a
real test Of the game Work on the
layout was not really started until the
was begun, 1t ives rushed through to
completion, and today the service club
has an exceptionally fine golf course.
Here Is the way the holes are built, with
their par:
No. /. 2s5 yards, par a. No. 2, $40
yards. par 5; No. 8. $50 yards, par
4: No. 4. SIS yards. par S: No. S. 1886
yards, par 4; NO. s., 265 yards, par 4:
No. 7. 1T yards, par 3; No. 8, 1885 yards,
par 4; No. Q. $50 yards. par 8.
No. ~. 1914 yards. par 3; Mo. IL. 1926
yards. par 4; No. -, AIT yards; par 4;
No. Is, $40 yards par S; No. Ia. 335
No. l6. 345 yards par 4: No. II. 1875
Total yardage. 6109. Par, 36-35-7l.
The sixteenth hole in our judgment.
Is the best of the two-shotters on the
course, although the eighth and twelfth
are fine examples Of the drive and pitch
hole. The tenth Is flne one-shotter.
ANGLERS
HIGH AND LOW TIDES FOR sATuRl