Augusta National Golf Club, Course Preview – 2022 The Masters

With the best players in the world descending on the immaculate grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club, “A Tradition Unlike Any Other” arrives once again for the 86th edition of The Masters. Played at one of the most private golf clubs anywhere, Augusta National is also the most recognizable golf course in the world. Built at the height of the Great Depression on one of the Southeast’s most popular plant nurseries, each hole on the course is named after the tree or flower that it has become associated with.

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Whether it’s driving down “Magnolia Lane” or surviving “Amen Corner”, the brilliant “azaleas and dogwoods” or wearing the “Green Jacket”, so many words and phrases have become legendary over the years thanks to the tradition of this hallowed ground. Whether in person or watching from afar, the sensory overload and the absolute beauty of the course are something to behold.

Featuring generous fairways, demanding approach shots, and severely sloped and ultra-fast green complexes, Augusta National is a course that will test every club in the bag and each player’s fortitude along with it.

The Masters is the only major golf event that is played at the same course every year. Players competing here receive their opportunity by invitation only, and thus the field is usually only around 90 total golfers with the cut on Friday being determined by the top-50 and ties making it through to the weekend.

The greatest legends in the history of the sport have graced these grounds over the years. Jack Nicklaus has won the most Masters events with six. Tiger Woods has won five green jackets while Arnold Palmer has been champion four times. That brings us to the seemingly biggest question on everyone’s mind. Will Tiger Woods tee off on Thursday morning? Whether he does or not, the field here is among the strongest ever assembled. Every single player ranked in the current top-50 in the world will be here with the exception of Harris English and Phil Mickelson.

Augusta National Overview

History

Augusta National Golf Club was born thanks to the combined brilliance of two of the legendary figures in the history of golf. One of the best players in the game, Bobby Jones, teamed up with one of the sport’s greatest architects in Alister MacKenzie. Built on an ideal tract of meadowland property full of rolling hills, creeks, and all types of flowering plants and trees, the two men worked together to build a masterpiece that opened for members in December of 1932.

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One thing both men agreed on when designing the course was that they wanted a layout that was not penal, but strategic and full of options for players of all levels. Even to this day, Augusta National has one of the shortest rough lengths out of any course played on Tour.

Perhaps no course has been altered more over time than Augusta National. With the goal of keeping the tournament challenging and competitive, numerous redesigns have occurred over the years. The likes of Robert Trent Jones, Perry Maxwell, George Cobb, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Fazio among others have all helped with redesign efforts.

The tinkering has continued over the past year in preparation for this year’s Masters. Two of the biggest changes were to holes 11 and 15. While the par-4 11th hole (the second-toughest hole in Masters history) was lengthened 15 yards, it was completely changed to encourage players to aim down the right side of the fairway as had been the original intention. The changes return the risk-reward factor back to the hole and give the players multiple strategic options which should allow for more challenge and excitement.

The second-easiest hole in Masters history, the par-5 15th, will now play 20 yards longer at 550 yards. Tee boxes were adjusted, and the fairway was reformed by replacing the first cut of rough with more short grass. This change also gives players more options off the tee and, like the 11th hole, adds a risk-reward factor. As The Fried Egg’s Andy Johnson said regarding these updates, “The general theme of these changes is a step back from penal golf and a greater embrace of the strategic principles represented by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones’s original design.”

Perhaps the player whose opinion carries more weight than any other, Tiger Woods, had this to say about all the changes to the course over the years. “Augusta National has been at the forefront of trying to keep it competitive, keep it fair, keep it fun, and they have been at the forefront of lengthening the golf course. But also, they have been at the forefront of trying to keep it exciting. As the game has evolved, we have has gotten longer, equipment’s changed, and they are trying to keep it so that the winning score is right around that 12- to 18-under par mark, and they have.”

The Course

From the towering Georgia pines and flowering magnolia trees to the luscious green fairways and immaculately manicured white-sanded bunkers, Augusta National is a pristine wonder to behold. There are countless characteristics that make the course both timeless and impressive at the same time including the elevation changes, the routing of the holes, the risk-reward options, the genius of Amen Corner, and the treacherous slopes of the green complexes.

Augusta National Golf Club is a par-72 course that will stretch out to its longest distance ever for this year’s event at 7,510 yards. At that length, it measures as the 10th longest course in the annual Tour rotation. With a premium on thoughtful strategic play, every hole offers players bail-out options if the goal is to survive with par. Yet birdie opportunities abound for those who wish to be more aggressive and take on the risk that most holes provide.

Over the past five events, the average score has been 1.23 strokes over par, which ranks as the third-toughest annual course on Tour. Only one of the par-3 holes plays over 180 yards, yet due to the bunkering and difficult green complexes, they rank as the second-toughest group of par-3s, averaging 0.15 strokes over par.

The four par-5s are the holes that bring the most excitement to the course each year. One of the shortest groups of par-5s on Tour averaging only 551 yards per hole, each is reachable in two shots and averages a birdie or better rate at 39.2%. With eagle chances possible on each one, they are the essence of risk-reward holes. This is especially true on the 13th and 15th where stray approaches will be eaten up by the water hazards. Since 2017, Masters champions are a combined 50-under on the par-5s. Patrick Reed was 13-under when he won back in 2018, and the past two champions, Dustin Johnson and Hideki Matsuyama, were each 11-under par. Matsuyama’s number included three eagles.

As important as it is for players to score on the par-5s, it is just as vital for them to survive the par-4s. This is demonstrated by the fact that the past nine winners of this event have ranked an average of second in the field for par-4 scoring. Rated as the toughest set of par-4s on Tour, they play to an average of 0.19 strokes over par. For a great resource on every hole at Augusta explained by a different Masters champion, read this informative article.

The course definitely lines up to be a strategic game of two styles. Attack each of the par-5s and the shorter par-4 third hole while surviving the remaining holes with patience and conservative play. The back nine holes, led by Amen Corner (holes 11-13) are among the most exciting in golf and offer plenty of the risk-reward opportunity that has been highlighted thus far.

Grasses and Greens

Even though it is located in the heart of Bermudagrass country in Augusta, Georgia, due to the timing of the event early in the spring, the Bermuda here is still somewhat dormant. In order to have the best turf possible, ryegrass is used on the fairways and rough, and bentgrass, a cool-season turfgrass, is used on the greens.

Most professional golfers will tell you that bent greens provide the smoothest and most consistent putting surface. They are meticulously groomed to provide a firm and fast surface and are among the most undulated in the world. According to noted professional agronomist David Marcucilli, each green at Augusta National receives personalized treatment and conditioning that best reflects its slope, pin location, and shot-making values. The greens are also brushed before they are mowed. This promotes an upright blade orientation on the grass to ensure a uniform cut. Doing this also eliminates any grain on the greens, allowing them to run even purer.

Back in 2010, an unofficial rating of the course was conducted and green speeds ranged from an average 12′ to an ultra-fast 15′ on the stimpmeter. The variance in speed is meant to protect golfers on the holes that have the most contours and sloping. For more information on these unique greens, along with which players have performed the best on similar green styles, here is a much more detailed article on that subject.

The course is also equipped with an underground irrigation and ventilation system known as SubAir which allows the maintenance staff almost complete control over the playing style of the greens.

Course Defense

Along with the aforementioned treacherous green complexes, Augusta National’s primary defense includes its length, dramatic elevation changes, uneven lies, swirling crosswinds, and tight runoff areas around the greens. Contrasting with other difficult courses, Augusta National is unique in terms of its absence of hazards off the tee and lack of penal rough.

It has been said that the only flat areas on the course are the tee boxes. Former champion, Bob Goalby often remarked at how tired his legs would be after walking the course. From the first tee to the last, it is an absolute brute of a track. The changes in elevation are nowhere more exemplified than the walk from the highest point on the course, the 10th tee, to the lowest point, the 11th green, which is over a 100-foot drop.

While Augusta has the fourth-fewest bunkers on Tour, they are deep and have a par save percentage of only 46.7% which makes them the fifth toughest on Tour. Players who leave their approach shots in the numerous runoff areas around the greens fare even worse on average. According to Data Golf, Augusta National is the toughest course to gain strokes from around the green. Water comes into play much more on the back nine but ranks far down the list of dangers players will face.

Finally, one of the biggest challenges of Augusta National that cannot be measured is what the course does to players mentally. An anonymous player was quoted as saying, “One of the best things Augusta does is mess with you. And the way they mess with you is they give you options. Pros don’t like options because then they have to make decisions.”

Weather Effects – Augusta, Georgia – April 7-10

It’s still very early, but it appears wind could have a big impact on scoring at this year’s Masters with winds gusting over 20 mph on three different days. The wind can be very difficult to judge as it swirls amidst the trees that line the course. Elevated tee boxes on most holes also add to the impact of gusts on tee shots.

Over the past month, the area has received close to four inches of rainfall. This should soften up the fairways making the course play even longer and giving an advantage to players with more carry distance off the tee. And with cooler temperatures in the 45-65 degree range along with westerly winds, the ball will not travel as far. This emphasizes even more of a need for distance. Combine that with the greens being ultra-firm, and the setup is there for a potentially difficult scoring Masters.

Strokes Gained Analysis

When Bobby Jones was designing Augusta National he wanted golfers to “have an unrestricted feeling of being able to swing away amid a wide swath of parkland”. He believed that good drives would be rewarded, not by staying out of penalty areas, but by “making the second (shot) simpler in proportion to the excellence of the first.” When analyzing the numbers off the tee, the data most definitely bears that out. Players are free to bomb away with driver without any fear of thick rough or water hazards of any kind. Driving distance is one of the highest on Tour at 295 yards. With the fourth-widest fairways at 46 feet on average, driving accuracy by percentile range is also 15% easier.

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With easy-to-hit fairways and no harsh penalty from being in the minimal “second-cut”, bombers have a distinct advantage. In fact, 12 of the past 13 winners have ranked 47th or better in driving distance for the season leading up to their Masters’ win. More than half of the driving holes also lack fairway bunkers. Added distance also helps on ensuring players can reach each of the par-5s in two shots by hitting longer irons into the greens instead of fairway woods. One caveat to the “bomber” advantage goes back to the quote by Bobby Jones. Most hole locations on the greens do offer a better angle to tee shots that have been hit to the proper location of the fairway. So total driving still matters from that perspective.

It has been said that Augusta National is one of the few courses that present two challenges on almost every hole. The first is a challenge to reach the green on approach and the second is a challenge to solve the tricky undulating contours after reaching the green. While length is important, this is definitely a second-shot course. With so many approach shots being hit from uneven lies combined with firm sloping greens, ball-striking is paramount for success. The course ranks as the sixth-toughest course to gain shots on approach. Over the past seven tournaments the winner has finished 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 5th, and 4th in Strokes Gained: Approach for the week.

Key Course Stats Compared to Tour Average

*Green = easier, *Red = more difficult

As previously mentioned, while being in position to approach the tough hole locations from the proper angle is important, it is only half the battle. When greens as firm as the ones at Augusta come into play, even great approaches are often unrewarded as balls will bounce far from the hole or roll off the green entirely.

Elite iron players such as Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa who have amazing distance control and can get the ball to spin and stop have a distinct advantage. But with 67% of approach shots coming from the 150-250 yard range, trying to control trajectory, location, and spin with longer clubs is not an easy task, even for the elites. Also related to the firm greens is that players with higher ball flights and those who are approaching from shorter distances with more lofted clubs have an edge as well. It’s basic physics. Balls landing from a higher trajectory will stop closer to their intended location than those on a lower plane angle.

And here’s another thing to consider which makes the approach game even more tricky. Most of the greens are either elevated or protected by bunkers or water on the short side. This naturally forces players to hit more conservative shots that carry onto the back sections of the greens well past the trouble areas. The problem with this is that most of the greens slope from front to back. If golfers can’t spin the ball back toward the hole they will be faced with long downhill putts. This is also why playing experience and course history matter so much at Augusta. The Spieths and Koepkas and Simpsons of the field – who have built up a great deal of knowledge here – know exactly where they can and can’t miss on each hole.

With only 61% of greens being hit in regulation, every player’s around-the-green game will be tested. Without much of the preferrable thicker rough to chip from, the majority of shots come from extremely tight lies being hit into slopes on the greens. Another trait of this course that makes chipping so tough is how the grass is cut. On each hole, the turf is mowed from the green back towards the tee. Thus, many chips (and approach shots) have the grain of the turf going against them, making it tougher to be precise on many of those delicate shots. On a percentile-range basis, scrambling is 29% tougher than the average Tour course. While approach play is king, we have seen numerous short-game specialists thrive at the Masters, including most recently Patrick Reed and Jordan Spieth.

Approach play at Augusta National is directly related to short-game play. According to a study done by Golf Magazine a few years ago, “3-10 foot putts are made at a higher rate than an average PGA Tour stop, perhaps because the greens are so pure. But move outside 10 feet and that advantage disintegrates.” The reason? The undulations combined with the speed of the greens mean that every foot further the ball is away from the hole the more tricky the putt becomes. Precise iron players who can stick their approaches within 10 feet have a huge advantage.

The “difficult” angle sounds like a broken record at this point, but putting is the second toughest compared to the average PGA Tour course. A 4.6% on 3-putts is the highest percentage anywhere making 3-putt avoidance a key stat for this week. These greens definitely favor quality lag putters who can cozy their long putts to the hole and save par.

With so many putts being missed by everyone, the playing field levels very quickly on the greens. Though the winner of the Masters does typically putt well for the week, the data shows that you do not need to be a great historical putter to win. Over the past 14 editions of the Masters, the winner has ranked 105th in Strokes Gained: Putting in the year leading up to their victory.

Featured Image Credit: The Masters