Evening star., 1941-05-06
Wonderful Job Done
By Architect Who
Died Recently
Nolan, Amoteur, Gets 73
To Top Mixed Tourney;
Coffey Next With u
BY WALTER McCALLUM.

The golf course of the Burning
Tree Club, accepted everywhere as
one of the great tests of the game,
will remain as it now is, teSti-
monial to the intelligent work of the
late Marshall Whitlatch. Plans for
changing the course, not entirely
agreed upon. probably will develop
into nothing more radical than con-
struction of a few more sets of tees
and rebuilding of some of those 18-
year-old putting green's.
Walter R. Tuckerman, veteran
Greens Committee chairman at
Burning Tree, and one of the re-
manning founder members of the
club, sat on the club porch and dis
cuSsed the prospect of changes at
Burning Tree. Marshall Whitlatch
was here few days before he died" )"
said Walter. I'VE went all over the
course from every possible angle,
discussed the proposed changes and
Improvements and talked over every
angle of it. OF course we haven't
yet decided whether any changes
will be made but as it stands now
don't believe we will make any seri-
GUS changes in the course.
There was talk for a while of
changing the eleventh into a long
par 4, Of cutting out the present
thirteenth and of cutting up the
present sixteenth into two holes
Those changes might work out, but
Marshall didn't particularly like
them and I am not sure they would
be for the best. Right now it seems
that we will do some work on the
green's and make some tee improve
mentS and let it go at that"
Built Model Golf Course.
Whitlatch was the links designing
genius who, in 1922 and 1928 armed
with ample funds, set out on a fine
piece of golf land northwest of
Cabin John and west of Bethesda
TO build model golf course-a play
ground for Washington officialdom
Those were the DAYS when golf
courses were springing up every
where around town in a Veritable
orgy of links expansion. Indian
Spring, Argyle, Congressional, Burn
ing Tree, and later Manor and Army
Navy were built in those days when
the game of golf expanded so there
were not enough clubs to house the
people who wanted to play. But
Whitlatch wanted the best and only
that. He built, at considerable ex-
pense. golf course that today. l8
years later. stands as a monument
to him. 1t is refreshing to note
that there will not be any radical
changes in the good work Marshall
accomplished.
A few days ago Marshall was
found dead in Charlottesville. His
death came only a few days after
the death of his son.
I'm sure Marshall was despond-
ent," said Walter Tuckerman. He
was great architect and in his day
great player Today Burning
Tree is the home club of more
highly placed Government officials
than any other club in town. Mar
shall Whitlatch's dream has come
true.
Burning Tree truly is the play
ground of officialdom.
Top Pros Couldn't Lick It,
Twenty of the top golf pros of the
Middle Atlantic sector couldn't do
much with it in a Middle Atlantic
P. C. A pro-amateur and sweep
score on the windsWept course was
a one -over-par 73 turned in by M.
Parker Nolan, the slow swinging
Maryland State amateur champ who
had just been honored by being
given the top place on the handicap
list of the Old Line State Golf As
sociation. Parker. in case the first
tee handicap dickering boys are in
terested. has a State handicap of q
single stroke.
Parker outScored good field with
that 73, leading all the tWo-score
contestants in the tourney. Next to
him was "a by Rut Coffey, the Mid
die Atlantic P. G. A. champ from
Hagerstown. Md. Lew Worsham,
Burning Tree pro, ana Al Hougnton
of Beaver Dam, broke all even in
their personal feud with scores of Is,
which was matched by Ralph Beach,
who used to be the Burning Tree
professional.
Nolan Wins in Two Divisions.
Nolan made a shambles of the
amateur sweepstakes, winning by
three shots Next we're the 76s reg
istered by District Champion Ralph
Bogart, and District municipal
Champ Leroy Smith. Parker also
came in for cut of the pro-amateur
purse.
Nolan and Witty Cox had a best
ball of 10, to deadlock with Hough-
ton and Fireman Volney Burnett.
At that big Parker had brace of IS
on par 4 holes. He took at the
fourth and again at the 18th. All
in all it was Nolan field day. Tied
for third in the pro-am were Bogart
and Allan Burton of Army Navy. and
John S. Brookes and Lew Worsham
Of Burning Tree, with cards of II