Evening star., 1932-01-17

washington, expert Boll-
" ers have declared that the
classic layout of Chevy
Chase Club, with it's par Of SO and
its length of 6,5o5 yards, probably
comes as close to being a real test
of shot making and difficulty OF
scoring with respect to par as any
course over the bunkered land
scape.
The par of SO is the lowest of
any fulI-length layout about the
Capital and, Judged by the COM
parative altitude of the best scores
which have been made over it, is
one of the hardest to get.
Through the years since 1919, when
the course was rebuilt by Colt Mac
Renzie g. Alison, under the direction OF
John H. Clapp and Morven Thompson,
then prominent members OF the Golf
and Grounds Committee, par has been
equaled only once in competition and
never has the mythically perfect figure
been beaten by any Of the amateur or
professional stars who have competed
in the many Journeys held at Chevy
Chase since the course was rebuilt
Par has been whipped many times in
friendly rounds, but only by those twin
musketeers Of the professional side of
golf at Chevy Chase-Bob Barnett and
Gene Larkin-and Charles M. Mackall,
amateur.
Course Much as in 1919.
Chevy Chase is an old golf course as
golf courses about washington go. First
built back in the last century, repamped
many times, the layout today stands
much as it did when Colt, Mackenzie
q Alison turned it over to the club
more than decade ago. Improvements
have been made from time to time in
the bunkering, several shanges have
been made in tees, one Or two greens
have been rebuilt, but the layout re-
mains essentially the same as that
course which was rebuilt little more
than 10 years back.
The course as it stands today is far
different from the layout over which
william Howard Taft, our first golfing
President, digniied the game by his
espousal of it at Chevy Chase in the
days when the club was a long drive
behind q spanking team of blooded
horses far out in the country.
George j. Voigt, the public -links-bre
fuminary, who blasted his way through
O score Of tournaments to win the finest
record ever set by Capital golfer and
go on to greater things in the national
field, holds the official course record for
the Chevy Chase layout-a score Of SO
(exactly par), made in the qualification
round Of the 1927 invitation tourney for
fhn Taft anA GhArrnHy7 Trnrhtne
Lower scores have been made at
Chevy Chase, but Voigt's record stands
as the only par-equaling performance
made on the layout in medal play COM
petition. Voigt played the first nine in
35 strokes, Just par; went one over at
the eleventh hole, and picked up q
birdie while playing the balance of the
last nine In par TO get home in 81 for
his mark Of SO.
Baked Links Favor Barnett
Two Summers back Gene Larkin, then
Maryland state open champion, scored
q IS over the Chevy Chase layout, and
then scored another e5, both within
the space Of a few days. Bob Barnett,
senior pro at Chevy Chase, not to be
outdone by his assistant, moved out in
1880 and shot himself a GA, which
stands today as the unofficial course
record, a mark Of 5 better than par,
which probably never again will be done
unless the courses get as fast as they
were in that year. For 1880 was the
year Of the big drought and the COM
bination of baked fairways and the old
rabbit ball Of beloved memory made for
low scoring.
That same Summer Mackall, the
husky 1oi u,hn mead YNlpv in the line
on the University Of Virginia foot ball
team and is as long hitter as there is
anywhere among the amateurs, scored
q 66, which is the unofficial amateur
record for the course.
Barnett has had many scores below
SO at Chevy Chase, SO has Larkin, but
so far as the golf shop records show,
no visiting amateur or professional has
been able to equal that tough par OF SO,
with the single exception Of George J.
Voigt or shatter 1t. Barnett had an
unusual round over his home layout not
so long ago when he played the first
nine in 3s strokes-three above par
and then proceeded to blast that last
nine wide open for a 3l-three better
than par. In that last nine he scored
deuces on both short notes.-the tenth
and thirteenth.
Fine Test for Stars.
Chevy Chase may be the scene this
year Of the sectional qualification
rounds for the amateur championship,
with the championship itself to be
PLAYED at Baltimore, over the famous
Five Farms layout Of Baltimore Coun-
try Club Bids have been made on
behalf Of both Columbia and Chevy
Chase for the sectional qualifying
rounds for this section of the land II
the sectional trials are awarded to
Chevy Chase, it will be interesting to
note how close the sharpShooters in
the field will come TO the par Of The
layout. Voigt IS the only amateur who
has tied it. Can his latter day sue
cessors in amateur golf in the Middle
Atlantic area do better?
Changes In the course since 1919 in
clude a new green at the fourth hole,
a change in bunkering at the sixth, a
new ninth green, bunkering changes at
the eleventh, new twelfth green and
new fifteenth green. The seventeenth
hole is acclaimed by many golfers as
one of the finest drive-and-pitch holes
about the Capital OF the true "redan'
type of hole. it probably is not In these
Midwinter days drive-and- pitch hole
hut it is just that in the Summer Well
trapped and beautifully laid out, it de-
mandS unerTing accuracy on both tee
shot and second shot. The man who
makes par on this seventeenth and on
the other testing holes at Chevy Chase
has done a mans sized job.