Evening star., 1932-01-30
CARD Of CO NEXT
LOWEST FOR D. c.
Walter Cunningham Holder
of Records Scene of
Many Fine Matches.
BY w. r. McCALLUM.

TIME course where much of
Washington's official golf
L erS miss puts and flub
their maShie shots has seen
more low scoring than any other
golf layout around Washington,
with one exception. The long
and fine layout Of the Burning
Tree Club, much Of whose men,
bership is made up Of men high
in official circles, has been COM
pletely subdued by the players
who make it their business to bust
par wide open.
Only one other course-that of the
Congressional Country Club-has taken
such beating from the boys who hit
'em far and straight. Congressional
has been played in 63 strokes, 10 better
than par Burning Tree has been
played in 65 strokes, shots below par;
but, notwithstanding this unusual per-
fOrmanCe, every golfer who plays that
rugged course at Burning Tree knows
44t lbs DCtLI III d Tough IuSSlt VIII par.
1t is no secret around Washington
that most folks who have played Burn
ing Tree believe it to be the hardest
golf course around the Capital from the
back tees, even though it is not trapped
as championship course would be
trapped, and as Burning Tree probably
would be trapped if a championship
ever came its way. Down the years
since it was first opened, about decade
ago, Burning Tree has seen only few
big tournaments-three to be exact
and the opportunities for competitive
play over the fine layout have been few
and far between.
THE stories about Burning Tree have
l. become golf legend around Wash
ington, but the best of 'em all
centerS around Leo Diegel, who used to
be the pro at Friendship, and Freddie
Mcleod, the little Columbia mentor.
Leo and Freddie were playing one day
at Burning Tree In one Of those ding
dong matches they used to have and
Leo got around the course from the
back tees in 66 strokes and lost the
match, l down. Freddie burned up the
last three holes to finish something like
4, 3, 3, and win the match on the final
green with a score Of 81. Both DiegeI
and Mcleod had numerous rounds bet
ter than 10 over the Burning Tree lay
out.
The finest score ever made at Burning
Tree was IS. made three years pack
by Walter w. Cunningham, the SOrrel-
topped lad who now holds down the
professional berth at the exclusive club.
On that day Cunningham, always a
fine putter, surpassed himself to score
a 65, which is shots better than the
par of 70. The official professional
record for the course was made during
a Middle Atlantic Professional Golfers
Association tourney, about three years
back, by the late Sidney Moore who
used TO be assistant pro at Congress
SiOnal. Moore shot the course in 81
strokes to win the tourney, And one
Of the strange things about Burning
Tree is that a man who has been play
ing golf only three years has scored the
course in 67 strokes.
That par-Shattering round was done !
by Frank Cunningham, brother of Wal
ter, and the same lad who led the field
with 10 in the opening round of the
National Capital open tourney at Ken |
wood last November. Cunningham |
started playing golf only three years
ago. but in those three years he has |
had more practice than most men who |
have been playing Is years. This lad IS
Ol4C VI J1lC llL4GoJ VI tlIC GlOIJ VI yOUI4SeI
pros around Washington. Watch him
go in the tournaments he enters this
year.
THE official amateur record for the
l. Burning Tree course is 71-made |
by Frank K. ROesCh, then Of the
Washington Golf and Country Cub, in
the second round of the District am
ateur championship of $780, which |
u
made by amateurs over the course |
notably the 50 done by George Voigt |
five years ago, but the official record of |
II remains the property Of the smooth
swinging ROeSCh, one of the best golfers |
ever turned out around the Capital.
There is no question in the minds Of |
those who know golf aud golf courses !
that with a little judiciOus trapping, |
such as is eXemplified by Oakmont and |
Merton, the layout at Burning Tree |
could become one Of the most famous !
courses in America. Designed by Marsh
all Whitlatch back in 1920 and founded |
by a group of 80 men who put $4,000 |
each into the club to finance the Initial .
construction work Burning Tree has |
gone on through the years developing, |
until today, even though the layout |
has not been changed an ICta from the .
original course, it has attained more !
than a sectional reputation rs one Of .
the finest golf courses anywhere.
Drop a few traps onto that golf course |
at such strategic spots as the right side |
of the first and second greens, the right |
side of the eighth and ninth. the left
of the thirteenth and the eft of the
seventeenth. and there would be a golf
course which would challenge the best
of em. Dr. Walter S. FarOan claims
the course is too easy 1Or a champion
ship as its stands at present, but with
q little judiCiOuS trapping it could
easily become one Of americas most
famous championship tests. It's hard
enough as it is, and vet the absence of
those traps has enabled the par shooters
to knock par for ioop. Such scores
as the 65 of Cunningham, the 66 of
Diegel and the 67S by Mcleod and
Moore attest to that.
The Middle Atlantic Association of
Greenkeepers is to meet Monday at the
Hamilton Hotel at pm.
Ralph Beach Of Baltimore is stated
to take office as president at the annual
meeting of the Middle Atlantic Pro-
Golfers Association at Manor
next Monday. Preceding the meeting
an 18-hole sweepstakes tourney will be
played.
WINNING STREAK ENDED