Evening star., 1932-12-18
EVERY HOLE There
DIFFICULT TOPAZ
Nos. | and 4, in Particular,
Have Proved WreckerS to
Players Hopes.
BY W. r, McCALLUM.

Burning Tree Club. laid back in
1921 by Marshall Whitlatch,
over which so many men high
in official life play their golf, has 50
many outstanding holes along its bunk
cred length that your ordinary golfer
would find himself in a daZe as to
which to choose as the best. Burning
Tree, regarded by many folks as the
leading golf course Of the Capital,
hasn't weak cpot anywhere. Every
hole has been conceived as one OF
championship caliber and any one
would fit nicely into a championship
golf course There are no loafing spots
at Burning Tree, no holes where a par
is easy to attain.
But Of all the two-shot holes on the
course land there are 10 of them, all
Of high rank Walter w. Cunningham.
the red-thatched lad who holds down
the professional job at this most ex-
elusive of Washington's golf clubs,
thinks the fourth takes the cake as
the hardest on the layout. Not so much
from sheer distance, for the fourth hole
is not the longest of the two-shotters,
and is considerably shorter than one or
two holes that can be reached in 2 by
the sluggers. But from the mere mat
ter Of reaching the green in the re-
quired two shots the fourth stands out
in Cunningham'S opinion as the tough
est two-shotter en- the layout. Gun.
ningham and his brothers Gilbert ana
Frank have played as much golf at
Burning Tree as any living men. All
Of them agree that the fourth Is by
far the toughest two-shotter on the
layout.
THEY also agree that the eighth
i stands out as the hardest one
shotter, and they w5re perfectly
willing to stack the eighth up against
any other one-shot hole around Wash
ington as the toughest OF the tough.
The fourth hole plays 43o yards In
length from the back tee. Now 430-
yard hole is not so long from the stand
point of mere yardage. but the trick on
that fourth is to keep both shots on the
line. In the first place the hole is
uphill all the way from the elevated
tee and just where the normally good
tee shot lands, the fairway slopes to the
right But after a screaming tee shot
225 yards up the middle, the hole is only
half played In front of the green,
which sits on hill top, there is a deep
ravine sloping off to The right, with a
bunker tucked just under the right
front corner OF The green ,tself. Tbs
distance ovs- tha. r2Vine 10 the green
is longer than it locks, S-d TIE great
temptation is to unde-cluo on the Sec
ond shot and watch the bal fall short
into the rayine. That ravine is no gocl
place to go, for the shot from below :
blind. The green slopes down fro--I
back to front and sits in perfect poSit!
for a high second shot. But M
second shots are short, and therein lie;
the rub. You could put lot of amate,g
championship contenders on that HI
and there would be far more 5s than {
1t is certainly one of the strongest two
shot holes around Washington
THE eighth hole is probably the only
i onc-shot hole around Washington
that never has been made in one
stroke from the back tee. Most Of the
golfers who play Burning Tree never
have used the back tee, but you can
take Walter Cunningham's word for It
that the eighth is a real one-shotter
from that rear tee, tucked up against
the fence. Even Dick Lunn, the
youngster from Friends School, who Is
one of the longest hitters among the
amateurs about the Capital, uses q
driver on this hole from the back tee.
And there are few one-shCtterS around
Washington that take a driver shot bv
long hitter. The green is of ample
size, but cut there about 100 yards from
the rear tee IS a big bunker cutting
clear across the fairway. This bunker
must be carried from the tee. but be-
| tween the bunker and the edge OF the
| -lr Af fat
At the left side of the green is another
| deep bunker. The eighth is not as
severely trapped as many one-shou
holes. but the trapping of that green
bellies the meek appearance OF the hole.
| It's as tough a one-shotter as there is
anywhere, and one of the merry little
| features about it is that the wind
usually is out Of the right. tending TO
blow the ball into the bunker at the
| left.
CUNNINGHAM rates the eighteenth
~ as one Of the finest two-shotters
anywhere, but he does not think it
quite comes up to the strength of the
! fourth He ranks the eighteenth as
among the strongest finishing holes he
has seen. This hole, again, has not
been severely trapped as are some fin
ishing holes on championship golf
courses, but the trapping has been done
with such cleverness that missed
shot anywhere along the route is pc
nalized In no uncertain fashion.
On the whole. that Burning Tree golf
course is one Of strong golf holes. Trap
it little more. put the tees at the
second and tenth q few yards back and
you would have a golf course as hard
as any on which a championship has
been played in recent years. From the
first tee shot to the Last putt 1t is one
OF Americas outstanding golf courses.