Augusta, GA 30909 (803) 278-1212; WRDW Public Inspection File. Longtime Augusta Chronicle scribe Scott Michaux says hes heard the building may function as some sort of facility for members to take advantage of during tournament week perhaps a restaurant. Though the eleventh circa 1935 was an inventive sort of hole, it would unquestionably have required modification in the modern era, both in terms of length and bringing the greenside water hazard more prominently into play. According to Twitter user Ken Brown, the tee on the Par 5 15th at Augusta will be moved back for the 2022 Masters. A demanding two-shotter then, a demanding two-shotter now. From above, its clear the fairway has been dug up, with a pipe trench extending through the middle of it toward the 14th tee. An additional change has substantially altered the holes aesthetics but done little to affect the play of the competent ball-striker: the removal of a large, impressively shaped MacKenzie bunker that sat just off the fairways left edge, some 50 yards shy of the green. All Players. The club's co-founder Cliff Roberts told the Olmsted Brothers, the firm charged with Augusta National's landscaping . Hole No. AUGUSTA, Ga. The long-awaited change to one of the most famous holes at Augusta National Golf Club is not yet on the schedule. By the new millennium, however, the club deemed that version too easy as well, leading Tom Fazio to extend the hole to 445 yards and narrow its fairway with the addition of both trees and rough. Perhaps because it was soon being judged as a mid-round hole instead of kinder, gentler opener (indeed, MacKenzie initially described it as a comparatively easy downhill hole), the tenth was deemed not to be challenging enough soon after opening, prompting Perry Maxwell to build the present, longer green in 1937. White Dogwood has also undergone a dramatic renovation in the fairway, returning . To put it in perspective, Rory McIlroy hit 3-wood off the . That such changes have managed to result in far less exciting Masters finishes, however, isnt. Michaux and hawk-eyed Twitter user Alexander Gough point out that a bridge has been added over Raes Creek as part of a maintenance road addition that loops behind the current 13th tee. Augusta National has finally extended the 13th hole. The long par-3 fourth is the first of two front nine one-shotters to have begun life bearing more than a passing resemblance to a famous Old Country standard, in this case the Eden eleventh (more properly known as High In) at St. Andrews. Theoretically, save for the moving of the old centerline bunker, the present eighth plays very much like the original, with the additional 70 yards of length helping to retain the go-for-it-or-not balance of the 1933 version. Admittedly, and Ive said this before, the 13th hole does not have the same challenges that it has historically, and, I mean, I can just remember as a young guy watching the Masters, you know, some of the triumphs and tragedies. it is hardly surprising that the sixth green was among Perry Maxwell's initial 1937 renovations, a reconstruction that removed the mound, left much of the Redan-like left-side contour intact, and added a prominent right-side shelf. Also altered is the teeing ground, which was moved leftward and forward in 1972 (to create space relative to the thirteenth green), then extended back to its current 440 yards during Tom Fazios 2002 reworking. (The sand is largely comprised of quartz, a waste product of the feldspar mining process, which gives it that bright white coloration.) 13. 9, which appears to be in the midst of some major top-dressing (you can see the contrast with No. The present three-level green, with its enormous back-to-front fall, requires the deftest of touches on both approaches and chips, and inevitably provides those tragic moments when a second shot, apparently well-struck, spins back just a yard too farthen agonizingly trickles some thirty yards back off the putting surface. The main turfgrass at Augusta is bermuda, which stops growing at the end of the summer, as the nights get cooler, growing dormant and brown or it would, except that Augusta pre-empts part of that process by scalping the bermuda, cutting it down to nearly nothing. The momentous decision that Ive spoken about and that Bobby Jones often spoke about, of going for the green in two, is to a large extent, no longer relevant. ( 10JUN2021 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth) #EurekaEarth #NotDrone #DiscoverThePresent pic.twitter.com/6XO3ruBuTq, Eureka Earth (@EurekaEarthPlus) June 15, 2021. MacKenzie, however, had a purpose for his lost fairway bunker: tee shots which carried it were left with a clear view of the putting surface for their second, while balls played safely left stuck the golfer with a semi-blind approach over the now-deceased frontal mounding. Sibley Mill - In 2016, two businessmen purchased Sibley Mill with a . During the clubs much-chronicled construction, Jones was careful to point out that Augustas holes would only demonstrate certain salient qualities of these great British holes and not include straight, Charles Blair Macdonald-like replicas. It is, however, at least partially defendable if one accepts the notion that Joness word represents the Augusta gospel, for he clearly endorsed the narrowing concept (at least if accomplished via flora) back in 1959, when he wrote: The tee shot on this hole becomes tighter year by year as the pine trees on either side of the fairway continue to spread. Graduate of the University of Maine - Augusta with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. In 2004, then-ANGC chairman Hootie Johnson had trees planted in the righthand landing area, severely narrowing the fairway and limiting strategic options while making the hole much more difficult. So, if Augusta National wanted to push the 13th tee back it would have to purchase land from its neighboring club. Both Bobby Jones, 13-time Major champion and the greatest amateur golfer of all-time, and Dr. Alister MacKenzie, frequently considered the greatest course designer in history, believed in creating strategic holes whose challenge was as much mental as physical, with multiple angles of play generally allowing golfers of all abilities a chance to effectively navigate their way along. Well, it appears the club is now doing something about it. The Eisenhower Cabin - some call it Ike's Cabin, others refer to it as Mamie's Cabin - is near the 10th tee and the practice putting green at Augusta National Golf Club. Its unclear if the pipe had just been laid down or dug up. 4 tee. Statement Regarding the 2023 Masters Tournament. Or it could be much ado about nothing. . Like the hallowed original, MacKenzies replica featured a pair of fronting bunkers modeled afterthe legendary Hill and Strath, as well as a green with so much back-to-front slope that the Doctors own sketches indicate an eight-foot rise from front apron to back collar. The range of shotmaking skills originally required for the better player to reach the second green in two was enviable: a drawn tee ball (to carry/avoid the bunker, and follow the general turn of the fairway), then a long, controlled fade to the narrow, left-to-right bending green. The 13th hole at Augusta National is getting a facelift. T3. Todays re-shaped putting surface, however, is a bit more neutral in which angle of approach it favors, varying daily with potential far-left and far-right pin placements. 3 min read. In recent years, powerful players have been able to blast balls over the trees that protect the dogleg-left hole, sometimes hitting it far enough around the corner to leave a short iron or even a wedge for the second shot to the green. Save perhaps for Ikes tree, this has largely become just another longish, uninspiring par 4 and a far less interesting hole than it was in 1933. It is also tempting to consider unearthing the long-buried creek that Dr. MacKenzie originally planned to have crossing the second-shot landing area +/- 70 yards shy of the putting surface but from a traditionalist perspective, that might well represent pushing the envelope a bit too bar. Track. Further, how about reducing the size of the first greenside bunker and re-establishing the lost section of putting surface that extended forward along the creek bank, creating a really dramatic pin placement whose slightly shorter carry might tempt even more players to have a go? This strategy, however, is no longer an option. It is also worth noting that the tee was moved slightly right in 1953 and has twice been modestly lengthened a curious development given that the hole is listed at the same yardage today as it was in 1933. And those practicing for this year's Masters Tournament are commenting on how tree removal that was part of the Augusta CC . Holes have been lengthened, ponds have been added to Nos. While Roberts' plan faced initial pushback from membership, the course opened in the fall of '58 to rave reviews. The 13th hole at Augusta National has long been a place of possibility for players looking to make a move up the leaderboard at the 11th hour. I dont know another quite like it.. The course was such a hit that it was incorporated into the Masters Tournament, with the inaugural Par 3 Contest taking place in 1960, won by Sam Sneed. . More recently, as part of Tom Fazios new millennium makeover, even more neighboring land was purchased, allowing the hole to now measure a full 510 yards. The failings of this concept were trumpeted far and wide (including, we are told, by Bobby Jones just as the project was getting started), ultimately resulting in the hiring of Byron Nelson and Joe Finger to rebuild the original green complex, complete with restored mounds and a back left quadrant nearly invisible from the front edge, in 1979. June 16, 2021. . Were it still in existence, this hazard would surely draw parallels to the huge, wildly shaped bunker that sits in a similar no-mans land along the 10th fairway though as we shall soon see, that bunker initially served rather a different purpose. 15 that lengthens the hole. The pre-Fazio postage stamp version, on the other hand, was still manageable for the members and quirky/fun for the pros. Some homeowners have become instant millionaires. Few holes at Augusta National have been altered to the extent that the par-4 seventh has; indeed, aside from remaining in its original playing corridor, it is today an entirely different hole from that which Jones and MacKenzie created in 1933. The par-4 seventeenth was originally built as the last of Augustas bunkerless holes, its shallow, swale-fronted putting surface leading Dr. MacKenzie to opine that It will be necessary to attack the green from the right and it will be essential to play a run-up shot if par figures are desired. Somewhere early on, however, this strategy was rejected by the club when it chose to add three bunkers, the two which presently front the putting surface and a third long since removed well short and left, the net result being that no modern run-up shot is played intentionally. But regardless of such glaring stylistic differences, the substance of the hole remains among the least-altered at Augusta, particularly the putting surface which, save for some adjacent mounding added during the 1950s and 60s, has been little bothered. Instead, at the suggestion of Gene Sarazen, a right-side hazard was added, theoretically narrowing the primary driving area but also leaving the shorter left-side route more open for attack. With a nudge from Roberts, Cobb made sure the pond was very much in play, creating a more alluring backdrop to the course. ( 19NOV2022 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth)#EurekaEarth #NotDrone #Tetelestai #IYKYI pic.twitter.com/K229zPGtNX, Eureka Earth (@EurekaEarthPlus) November 22, 2022. Now guys cant go left. Both putting surface and greenside bunkering have been modestly re-shaped over the decades (including some initial 1938 work by Perry Maxwell) but as a whole, the green complex is at least conceptually consistent with the Jones and MacKenzie original. Further, fully nine of its 14 non-par 3s offered no sand along their generous fairways, and an impressive four holes (the 7th, 11th, 15th and 17th) included no bunkers whatsoever. Back in mid-July aerial photos showed that the Par 5 13th hole at Augusta National was undergoing major renovations. 2022 Masters Official Film. 2 on Golfweeks Best Classic Courses list play the way they want. The purpose of this piece is to examine, on a hole-by-hole basis, the full scope of these changes, and to reach some conclusions as to how Jones and MacKenzies original 1933 design might measure up against the layout shortly to be on display once again at the 2009 Masters. The par-4 fourteenth could stake a claim as Augustas least-altered hole, save for one significant change: the 1952 removal of a huge, wildly shaped MacKenzie bunker protecting the preferred right side of the fairway. Though, at a glance, things may not look too different today relative to the early years, the hole has seen its fair share of changes. Just a couple months ago, at his annual press conference, Ridley was asked if the club had a timetable for changing the hole. short and right of the holes present putting surface) to a green occupying essentially the same spot as at present. 14 Chinese FirPar 41933: 425 yards2009: 440 yards. Yet despite its great stature, it remains far more menacing to members than to the professionals, who can generally carry it with ease, even from the new-millennium, 440-yard tee. Hole No.12 Could it hurt to once again have the right half of the green just slightly smaller than the left, and perhaps just a little bit elevated? Published: Feb. 16, 2022 at 3:30 PM PST. Initially featuring the first of an original eight bunkerless greens, the opener was designed to encourage a run-up approach, though the precise configuration of the elevated putting surface (which included a protruding front-left section) made such a play considerably easier from the right side of the fairway. Also noteworthy was the 2002 addition of trees and rough down the right side of the landing area, an attempt at minimizing the longer hitters ability to simply bomb it down the preferred side without a care in the world. To the extent that this has largely been sacrificed with an eye towards The Masters might, depending upon ones priorities, be forgivable. One particularly radical change Augusta could make would be going with dark bunkers full-time, like the black coal slag sand favored by some courses in the northern U.S. (like Hawktree Golf Club in Bismarck, N.D.). Connor Lindeman. Recognizing this, we are then faced with the question that forever dogs any then-versus-now or restorative course discussion: which older version, exactly, are we comparing the present layout to? Nice find! A single, rear bunker was added sometime after opening (its creation is sometimes dated to 1956, but it is clearly visible in prewar aerial photos) though it surely represented more of a charitable donation than an added danger, for it prevents overly aggressive shots from tumbling even further down a rear hillside. For the membership, however, the old sixteenth might have held more charm (and obviously more MacKenzie flavor), particularly as there was room to lengthen at least its left-side tee considerably. 13. Top 100 Courses in the U.S.: GOLFs all-new 2022-23 ranking is here! The club makes a habit of sharing course adjustments in its media guides each spring. And the precise positioning of this hazard is key, for as Bobby Jones noted shortly after its initial move: It is important that the ball be kept a bit to the right of center of the fairway Should [the golfer] play left to avoid the bunker, the player must skirt the trees on the left with his second shot in order to get very near the green., During his 2002 work, Fazio also added a tee in close proximity to the 17th green, extending to 570 yards what began life as a semi-reachable 500-yarder upon which those trying to get home in two will, to quote Dr. MacKenzie, be able to define the position of the green owing to the size of the surrounding hillock.. In a useful explainer from the knowledgable Michaux, who has covered all things Masters for decades, he points back to chairman Fred Ridleys press conference before the 2019 Masters. According to The Wall Street Journal, Augusta National spent over $200 million purchasing over 100 properties covering 270 acres since 1999. Golf Club Atlas There has been a critical error on this website. Thats something that certainly we have considered and will continue to consider. There's no bunker at Augusta quite like the (typically) bright-white expanse guarding the 10th green. And while it looks as if several holes might feature new tees or fewer trees, its also possible the club has other plans. On the one hand, this can be viewed as more strategic that is, one might be inclined to flirt with the fairway bunker to open up a back-left pin one day, then skirt the treeline to get a better angle on a back-right target the next. New photos reveal dormant Augusta National like youve never seen it before, Pro waits 12 hours to make first cut and it made more than his family happy, What Rory McIlroy may be lacking, according to Jack Nicklaus, Sponsors exemption disqualified from Arnold Palmer Invitational after signing incorrect scorecard, 2023 Arnold Palmer Invitational: How to watch, TV schedule, streaming, tee times, Meet the new GOLF Top 100 Teachers of America, Gimme that: Arnold Palmer umbrella logo hats for every style, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. At a glance, this might be decried as removing a strategic option but an equally valid argument might be made that in this era of unchecked equipment, injecting some measure of accountability in this particular location was important in retaining the holes fundamental balance of play. Hole No. Augusta National may be one of the most exclusive clubs in the world, but as the only venue to host a major on an annual basis, much of it feels familiar to golf . The present version is simply brutal unless one favors the sort of stilted, hit-it-here-or-else style of play incumbent to a modern U.S. Open, in which case we have a winner. The No. The changes increase the overall distance of the course from 7,475 yards to a record 7,510 yards. Why does it matter if trees are planted behind the tee? Once upon a time, the plain that encompasses parts of the second, third, seventh, fifteenth and seventeenth fairways was largely a wide open stretch, dotted only with the occasional pine tree. Thus Robert Trent Jones was brought aboard in 1947 to construct the present, highly dramatic sixteenth, reportedly executing a concept laid out by Bobby Jones himself. THE MATERIAL ON THIS SITE MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED, DISTRIBUTED, TRANSMITTED, CACHED OR OTHERWISE USED, EXCEPT WITH THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. 2023 DISCOVERY GOLF, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, Masters 2023: Photo shows dramatic makeover to Augusta National Par 3 Course complete. The only exception is No. This same small hazard which was an extension of the creek-turned-pond which fronts the fifteenth green was also slated to cross the first, third, seventh, eighth and seventeenth fairways, though generally in far less invasive ways. Hole No. Todays re-shaped putting surface, however, is a bit more neutral in which angle of approach it favors, varying daily with potential far-left and far-right pin placements. First, whereas North Berwicks Redan is played semi-blind over a short rise in its fairway, Augustas rendition is played downhill, affording a much greater sense of the holes angles and challenges. This configuration naturally favored a second shot played from the far left side of the fairway an area made harder to access off the tee by Jones and MacKenzies placement of a vast, left-side carry bunker, and by the tree-lined turn of the dogleg. The new No. Todays hole is an entirely different beast from the Eden redux of yesteryear, playing far longer, to a green of different shape and contour.