Admittedly, that hole does not play as it was intended to play by [Bobby] Jones and [course designer Alister] MacKenzie. The changes increase the overall distance of the course from 7,475 yards to a record 7,510 yards. All that meant was that players could not squeeze past the trees that jut into the left side of the fairway, nor could they sting iron shots between them for an approach that would hold the green. Luke Donald threw some cold water on the idea that a new tee is already under construction. Perhaps more significant are the changes that have overtaken the green itself, for todays flattish, almost symmetrical putting surface belies a far more colorful past. 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. The new upload was first spotted by Lou Stagner (a worthwhile Twitter follow) and quickly made the rounds among golf fans, most of whom live in a constant state of thirst for any behind-the scenes peek at Augusta. eagles recorded in 2008, and helping to restore the sort of Sunday afternoon drama so plainly absent in recent Masters. An early 1950s version, which incorporated the above-referenced major changes but not, for example, the decimation of the eighth green? There's no bunker at Augusta quite like the (typically) bright-white expanse guarding the 10th green. Advantage: 1933 but only just. 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. Designs were drawn up by Alister MacKenzie, who initially turned in plans for a 500-yard course but ultimately presented a blueprint for an 18-hole track sprawling over 2,400 yards. Tiger Woods, who has played a practice round at . The now-famous and ultra-speedy bent grass on the greens wasnt introduced until 1980. Hole No. Augusta National made no comment on the work being done - early privacy in such matters of course renovation is customary for the exclusive club. Hole No.15 Remove the right-side trees, and thin the left-side copse down to its original two pines. True, Jones and MacKenzies favored run-up approach shot largely disappeared, but the move injected number one with a new strategic component, truly making the right fairway bunker the focal point and the subsequent decision whether to attempt to carry it or bail out left a fine strategic proposition. But at the same time, can there be even the faintest doubt that the present course, despite its myriad imperfections, is infinitely better suited to hosting a modern Major championship than even a realistically lengthened version of the 1933 track? Hole No. The club originally listed it at 480 yards, but that number has been revised both upwards and downwards over the decades, ranging from a shortish 465 (its 1980s Masters yardage) to as much as 485 during the 1970s, when the tee was extended onto a bit of land purchased from the adjoining Augusta Country Club. Until then, follow Eureka Earth for those long-range airplane shots. Bryson DeChambeau on the 3rd tee in the 2020 Masters (photo by Getty Images) No hole has been spared the touch of renovation or modernization. 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. Virtually every rumored change to the Nationals course layout tends to set tongues wagging in the pro-golf world, especially since the privateclub typically doesnt disclose details of its pending development plans. Beyond the long-forgotten fact that the nines were originally played in reverse order (the change was made in 1934 after the occasional Amen Corner frost delayed early rounds) todays Augusta is a vastly different golf course. For those that may not know, Augusta Country Club borders the 11th and 12th holes along with the 13th tee at Augusta National. Hole No. #Update | A closer look at the Significant Changes to No. But the original version was considerably more strategic and, for anyone above a single-digit handicap, surely more fun. 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. Not a flower in sight. And it would appear that these potential problems were not lost on Bobby Jones and his right hand man (and longtime club operations majordomo) Clifford Roberts from the very beginning, for several of the more dramatic putting surfaces were softened considerably by one-time MacKenzie partner Perry Maxwell before the close of the 1930s. Those remarks come with the important context that Augusta spent tens of millions of dollars buying the adjacent 9th hole at Augusta Country Club, establishing complete ownership of the perimeter of the games most famous stretch of holes (and avoiding the possibility of a mid-tournament shank from play at ACC onto the 13th tee at ANGC). With the Masters less than two months away, Augusta National's renovated Par 3 Course appears ready to shine. There is no reason to take driver out of the bag, especially with the trees and pine straw out in the distance. The now-famous and ultra-speedy bent grass on the greens wasn't . And one final point: While MacKenzies bunkering at Augusta was fairly tame relative to his 1930s aesthetic norm, the original hazards were still considerably more adventurous than the bland, cookie cutter-like ovals that inhabit the course today. The Augusta National Golf Clubs Par-3 Course will sport a new look for the 2023 Masters Tournament. GOLF.com and GOLF Magazine are published by EB GOLF MEDIA LLC, a division of 8AM GOLF. Tweaks to Augusta National: The hottest post-War architect had already earned the respect of Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones, making him the logical choice to replace Perry Maxwell as Augusta . What does this mean for the 2023 Masters? Its likely that nobody except the members will know for sure until after the work is done. And while we still have those, the fact that players are hitting middle to short irons into that hole, you know, is not really how it was designed.. Maxwells initial version, by the way, featured four left greenside bunkers, but the two that have survived would likely be the only ones relevant to modern Masters participants. How about somewhere in between? T3. Augusta National Golf Club is the most famous golf course in the world and hardly needs an introduction. This downhill par-3 usually requires no more than a medium iron to the large, undulating green. Early drawings indicate the presence of a centerline mound within the driving zone, presumably to help distribute drives leftward or rightward, but this hazard was replaced by an invisible, St. Andrews-inspired bunker prior to the first playing of The Masters. Other changes have been limited primarily to the teeing ground, which has been moved and elevated on multiple occasions, enhancing both the holes length and the angle of its dogleg. On Tuesday the Twitter account Eureka Earth posted an aerial picture of the nearly-completed makeover to the short course, and the transformation is dramatic. Barren brown fairways. Thanks to the flyover folks at Eureka Earth, we have new photos of the 13th, taken earlier this week, that show dirt being moved in the fairway and the shaping of a potential new tee box much . To begin with, though a set of published drawings showed both this and the thirteenth greens as having been planned bunker-free (It will be noted there is not a single bunker at either of these holes MacKenzie), the evidence is clear that the front bunker was indeed included during initial construction. The net result is a golf course which still retains roughly 90% of its original routing but, with the addition of rough, the planting of trees, the alteration of nearly every green complex and sundry other changes, is, by any definition, a far cry from Jones and MacKenzies utterly unique original. To put it in perspective, Rory McIlroy hit 3-wood off the . To receive GOLFs all-new newsletters,subscribe for free here. Why does it matter if trees are planted behind the tee? There are three more greens in the short game area adjacent the driving range (33) plus five additional greens on the range itself, although Im not sure if theyre kept in the same condition (38). MacKenzies original green, on the other hand, still featured the false front along its front-right edge (by most accounts, it was even more pronounced than at present), but also offered numerous exciting pin positions all around the boomerang. For the most part, however, this creek was piped underground during construction, though at the first and seventeenth, it remained in front of the tees until 1951, when it was finally buried in its entirety. 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. Plans titled Northeast Pond Grading and Drainage Revisions Phase I, labeled with a March 2022 revision date, show proposed updated locations for tee boxes, greens, and other Par-3 Course features near the northern shore of the Nationals largest body of water. County . Hole No.13 A modest shortening (say 10-15 yards) might shift the balance back towards going for the green in two, making one of golfs most uniquely dramatic shots a more regular occurrence and leading to more than the eight eagles recorded for the entire 2008 event. The putting surface itself has also been altered, being slightly re-contoured during the 1950s, then entirely rebuilt by George Cobb in 1975. 11 and 16 and tees have shifted. Start the Golf Season off right with InsideGOLF ($100 value - just $20). An aerial image taken by Eureka Earth in June showed work being done throughout the 13 th hole, including to the teeing ground. Yet as the game has changed immeasurably over the last 110 years, St. Andrews, a golf course built with virtually no plan whatsoever, has remained largely constant. Interactive: 360-degree panoramic view of the 6th tee. What has changed, however, is the removal (during the late 1940s) of a largely decorative crossbunker that filled the fairway some 60 yards shy of the green another aesthetically imposing hazard that would not be in play for the modern golfer. Beyond this, the lone obvious alteration was Jack Nicklauss 1982 division/expansion of a large, left-side fairway bunker into four smaller ones (thus creating an aesthetic anomaly on a course otherwise devoid of such clusters) and adding some adjacent mounds. 2, instead of playing west-to-east, points northwest. Thus a fairway might measure a full 60 yards in width, but only the player skilled enough to position their tee ball within, say, a particular 10-yard section (generally far right or left) would be rewarded with an ideal angle from which to attack. Also, a small creek, which sat in the valley some 75 yards shy of the green (and which was at one time dammed into a pond) was permanently buried in 1959. This strategy, however, is no longer an option. They are also accredited by the BBB and . But on balance, it would be hard to suggest that the modern hole doesnt better suit the clubs all-around purposes, the staleness of Trent Joness aesthetics (at least relative to Dr. MacKenzie) notwithstanding. White Dogwood has also undergone a dramatic renovation in the fairway, returning . 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. 12 Golden BellPar 31933: 150 yards2009: 155 yards. Of course, this hazard also served at least cosmetically to enhance the right third of the fairways optimum status, which in turn placed a greater emphasis on the large right-side fairway bunker, an invasive hazard which has existed since 1933, but which has been moved and/or expanded multiple times since World War II. Like the twelfth, MacKenzies plan for the thirteenth green indicated a complete absence of sand, but again, things seem to have evolved quickly, as three flashy bunkers were carved into the back hillside either during construction or in preparation for the inaugural Masters. Get details on each hole, along with par and yardage information. 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 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. Hole No. The engineering drawings depict the locations of Cabin 1, a 6,284-square-foot structure, and Cabin 2, measuring 5,556 square feet, bordering the Par-3 Course. The event was established to inspire greater interest and participation in the women's game by creating a new, exciting and rewarding pathway for these players . 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. ( 10JUN2021 David Dobbins/EurekaEarth) #EurekaEarth #NotDrone #DiscoverThePresent pic.twitter.com/6XO3ruBuTq, Eureka Earth (@EurekaEarthPlus) June 15, 2021. The club was acting ahead of the curve by making such early changes, but there can be no doubt that agronomical advances would have eventually mandated most such alterations, regardless. In this light, the tinkering with the bunkers size and position though anathema to purists has certainly served to strengthen the hole as well. BREAKING- The Augusta National Par-3 Course is undergoing drastic changes! The National did not immediately respond to queries Tuesday from The Augusta Chronicle about the changes. Last fall word spread that the Par 3 Course was in line for serious changes, and photos emerged in the spring that those changes were no joke. Just working on the new road, he wrote on Twitter. Also evolving over the decades has been number thirteens length. Engineering documents filed with the city of Augustas Planning and Development Department outline several expected changes at one of the worlds iconic professional golf venues, including the construction of two new guest cabins. Since a hole built at 420 uphill yards in 1933 was clearly never intended to be easy, todays long and strong version of the eighteenth may not play so very much harder than what Jones and MacKenzie had in mind. The club has not commented on what work is underway. The Augusta National Women's Amateur was announced on Wednesday, April 4, 2018, by Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley during his annual press conference at the Masters Tournament. Extensive renovations to the entire Par 3 Course. Length is not a premium here, but the narrow fairway seems to have an added impact because it suddenly confronts the player when he has become accustomed to the broad expanses of the preceding holes.. Sibley Mill - In 2016, two businessmen purchased Sibley Mill with a . 1930 Four years before completion. When Augusta National opened for play in 1933, four of the holes were completely devoid of sand and 14 of Augusta's expansive fairway corridors were without bunkers. Unfortunately, always proved to be less than 20 years, for in 1950, the hole was substantially reconfigured, with a new tee constructed to the left of the tenth green, turning the eleventh into a nearly straight 445-yarder that began with a semi-blind drive to a cresting, wooded fairway. Originally built with a uniquely bunkerless, mound-flanked green similar to that in play today, the eighth was emasculated in 1956 when, concerned over spectator viewing and congestion, the club had George Cobb build a new, moundless putting surface which would eventually come to be guarded by bland, strategically insignificant bunkers.

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