Evening star., 1941-07-29
Drives by Big S|ugger
Now Carrying Well
Over 300 Yards
Chevy Chase Pro Aims
To Groom IeIverton
For Tourney PIuy
Ry WALTER McCALLUM.

that even fleet footed Joe Dl Maggie
couldn't handle AS golf is played
NOWADAYS. without much trouble
lurking for errant tee shots the
long hitters are having their day
Yet strangely the moderately long
h1tters-the bows who pole EN- out
there around the 240-yard mark
are the lads who win tournaments.
It isn't always going to be so
around Washington, SAYS Bob Bar
nett. who quietly is grooming one OF
the longest Of the long hltters 1or
some devastation among the tourna-
noent PLAYERS within year or two. |
The slugger is big. bulky Yelverton
Garnett, who tried tennis and did all
right and now is prompting a lot OF
chin dropping around the we'll
eroomed precincts of the Chevy
Chase Club, with hefty golf slug
ging.
Garnett has all 1t takes to hit a
golf ball. That means, helght,
weight. strength and the knacK OF
timing the shot. Some of his wal
Ions. according to Barnett, outstrlp
Thomson, who usually is called the
worlds biggest hitter OF golf ball.
Jimmy, of course, is on top and Will
stav there, because he hits them all.
But gents such as Garnett, when
they meet one, can knock EN- very
far piece.
Carried More Than 800 Yards.
"He stood up there on the frst
tee" said Barnett "and knocked
that ball so far he had eyes popping.
That ball still was rising when IT
carried over the hill The hill
on the first hole at Chevy Chase, is
around 260 yards from the middle
tee, and quite piece farther from
the back tee or the Barnett tee
as it is known
He also drove the fifth green on
the carry added Bob. Nope, l
don't mean he drove it from the
back tee. I don't think any one
could do that. I mean he drove 1t
from the spot where the usual tee
markers are placed" That spot
happens to be 315 yards from the
green, so the ball had quite carry,
no matter where the markers were.
Around Chevy Chase the old
timers still talk with awe OF Henry
GassaWay Dixie Davis, the young
man who made Leo Diegel quit
practicing one day The story is
that Leo was knocking wooden club
shots from a spot near the present
first tee down toward the ninth tee.
His wallops were carrying on the
front edge of the ninth tee and roll
ing a few yards. Down walked Davis
with an old iron club in his big
pavs. Mind if hit feW?" he said
to Diegel. Go ahead said Leo.
Made Diegel Pack Up.
Dixie wound up and slugged an
iron shot that carried past the best
hits of Diegel, both carry and roll.
Ee hit another with that iron that
carried into the woods behind the
ninth tee. Leo packed up and quit.
I saw Dixie Davis one day drive 10
the edge of the sixteenth green,
which today is in the same position
of IS wears ago. That happens to be
$40 yards from the tee.
But nowadays those falrways are
vatered. The ball doesn't roll so
far" You'll say. Which is true. But
vatered fairWays have no effect on
the carry of a golf ball. This fel-
low Garnett can carry the ball as
far as Dixie Davis ever hit 1t, says
Barnett. Perhaps Bob has some
thing there. Garnett reaches up
around s feet inches from the turf
and has the weight and reach that
90 with that height,
But there's always that matter
of Charley Malone. Charley is as
long as sny amateur around town.
He is getting into the winning groove
and will win some day soon. A
driving contest between Malone and
Garnett might uncover a real rival
for Jimmy Thomson's crown.
Walper on Comeback Trail.
Leo Walper, the walloping West
Virginian, who blows hot and cold on
the golf course, bounced back today
into the winning picture with a
challenge for the top spot in the
Washington open tourney next week.
done little by way of winning links
affairs. He used to be the man to
whip. in the~ ~days when he was
winning the Middle Atlantic P. G. A
title. But lately Leo hasn't been
winning. The tipoff is that couple
of weeks ago he started on rigid
practicing schedule, determined to
bring his golf game back to the
heights again.
It proved once more that practice
Is the stunt that wins. for Leo fin
ished second in the Bedford Springs
open Yesterday. with rounds of Il
7O-141. The winner was youthful
Mike Pavella of Wavnesburg. Pa.
who scored 70-69 for a three-un-
der-par 139.-
Far down the list, tied for 18th
place at Isl with Sam Parks, former
National Open king, Mel Shorey of
Indian Spring and Rut Coffey,
Middle Atlantic pro champ from
Hagerstown, Md, was Defending
Champion Al Houghton. Ais putter
was something less than red hot as
he took rounds of IS and 73 to wind
up out of the money in tourney
he has considered for quite a few
years his personal affair. Levi Yoder
of Annapolis got slice of coin with
his 73-70-l43. Cliff Spencer Of
East Potomac Park had 73-76-l49.
Ralph Beach of Baltimore sprung
mild sensation with an afternoon
round of 66. following first-round
rs. 1t enabled him to finish third
with 142. Ralph Bogart, District
amateur champion, finished second
an1opp the simon pllreS with a