Evening star., 1941-01-12
Holds Courses 0uqht
To Be Planned for
Medium Hitters
D. c. Champion Boeort
And Skinker to Pluy
In Florida Tourney
By WALTER McCALLUM.

w
Probably most golf pros are will
ing to give the duffer a break by
creating courses which the average
man can play without suffering
agonies, but you don't often hear
about it.
Such is not the case with Mel
Shorey at Indian Spring. There
are holes on this course" says
Shorey, that are too hard for the
average player, and we are going to
do something about it. I don't be-
lieve para holes should be so long
and so tough that the average club
member hasn't any hope of reaching
the green with two of his best shots.
Or that par-5 holes really should
be par-6 holes for the average
player"
Shorey and Charley Lettingham,
the Indian Spring greenkeeper, have
talked it over. The greenkeeper,
who has been with Indian Spring
almost since the course was built
land that stretches back to 1929,
also holds that the links buffers
should have a reasonable chance.
Most courses are built only for the
top amateurs and the pros" said
Shorey. That isn't right. After all,
more than 80 per cent of the men,
bership of any club can't break co."
Second First to Be Changed.
First on the list of holes to be
changed will be the second, which
used to be the old eleventh. A new
tee farther down the hill and to
the right of the present tee will
shorten the hole. Next is the seventh,
or the sixteenth of the old layout.
where the shorter hitters will get
more consideration by construction
of a new forward tee, Some OF
our players cannot get over that
cross bunker in the middle of the
fairWay with their second shot,
Shorey said. THAT isn't right"
Final hole listed for a change is
the ninth, or eighteenth. This num-
ber happens to be one of the tough
est finishing stretches around Wash
ington, hole that measures around
42O yards and at all times is real
test. Mel thinks it's too hard a hole
for the 80 shooter and he's going
to build a short tee to make it
easier.
And thousands of buffers will rise
up and give Shorey vote of thanks
for having courage enough to speak
his thoughts on their behalf. Too
many golf courses are being built
nowadays for the experts and not
enough " the men who pay the
bills. 1l.ere should be courses, and |
good ones, for the sluggers, but the
sluggers and the low 10 shooters
are vastly in the minority. The
average pat-ball hitter can't knock
the ball far enough to make the big
carries the experts expect and get
So the valiant gent who swings his
140 pounds into the ball and knocks
it 165 yards down the groove is
going to have his chance at par
at Indian Spring, at least.
Florida Beckons Bogart, Skinker.
District Amateur Champion Ralph
Bogart is scheduled to graduate from
Wilson High School next month and
you have only one guess as to what
he will do after that. Yep, Ralph
will toss his golf clubs in his jail
lopy and point the nose of the craft
toward Florida. Goal of the Bogart
boy will be Miami, but he'll stop off
at st. Augustine on the way South
for whirl at the championship of
club champions. With him may go
Earle Skinker, the Columbia young
ster. Earle and Ralph are insep-
arabic companions.
If both of 'em 60 Ray McCarthy's
tourney at St. Augustine may see
some fur fly, for the Bogart boy
could go a long way in that one,
even though he hasn't played much
golf since Christmas. Skinker would
be eligible by reason of his former
win of the Columbia junior title.
The affair starts February 10 and
runs for five days.
1t isn't often you'll hear of a golf
club being stuck up by an armed
bandit. But it happened at the
washington Golf and Country Club
O &c" ooJo dSO, "llCl G q Qu1ct llldIi
walked into the Office and ordered
the Office force to hand over the
cash. 1t cost the club a few dollars.
The loss was covered by insurance.
Some of the boys on the golf
course thought Joe Kirchner was
doing some banditry on his own
hook when he took on the par 4
third hole and played the course in
II. But Joe just happened to be on
q putting streak. 1t was one of his
best rounds of all time and one of
the best over local course this
winter.
Harry Vardon's golf shop at Gan
ton, England, was demolished by
German bomb which destroyed
many Vardon momentoes.