Golf Blog

This week will see The Masters Tournament kick off for the 73rd time so all this week on the Golfbuyitonline blog we’ll be looking at the course, the favourites and of course, the equipment.

Scheduled for the first full week of April, it is the first of the majors to be played each year. Unlike the other major championships, the Masters is held each year at the same location, Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in the city of Augusta, Georgia, USA.

The Masters has the smallest field out of the major championships at around ninety players. It is an invitational event, with invitations largely issued on an automatic basis to players who meet published criteria. The top fifty players in the Official World Golf Rankings are all invited.

As with many other courses, Augusta National’s championship setup has been lengthened in recent years. In 1998, the course measured approximately 6925 yards (6332 m) from the Masters tees. It was lengthened to 7270 yards (6648 m) for 2002, and again in 2006 to 7445 yards; 520 yards (475 m) longer than the 1998 course.

The Holes:

1. Tea Olive – Par 4, 445 YardsThe one change to the scorecard comes right off the bat, as the tee was adjusted to improve patron traffic, leaving the hole 10 yards shorter. This slight dogleg right plays uphill with a yawning bunker 317 yards off the tee. Drives to the left may catch the trees.2008 Average Score: 4.24 – 2008 Difficulty: 4th

2. Pink Dogwood – Par 5, 575 Yards
This dogleg left should be reachable in two for the longer hitters. Large, deep greenside bunkers can catch errant second shots. 2008 Average Score: 4.82 – 2008 Difficulty: 16th

3. Flowering Peach – Par 4, 350 Yards
The shortest par 4 on the course. Golfers usually hit short of the four fairway bunkers, resulting in a full club to an L-shaped green where it is better to be long than short. The tricky green slopes right to left. 2008 Average Score: 4.03 – 2008 Difficulty: 14th

4. Flowering Crabapple – Par 3, 240 Yards
A long par 3 that got a whole lot longer with the most recent round of changes. The hole is made even tougher by changing winds. Two greenside bunkers guard the wide, sloping green. 2008 Average Score: 3.23 – 2008 Difficulty: 5th

5. Magnolia – Par 4, 455 Yards
An uphill dogleg left hole with a sloping green. The deep fairway bunkers make accuracy off the tee essential. It is a 315-yard carry over the bunkers. The pin is always on the upper level of the two-tiered green, which slopes down to the front. 2008 Average Score: 4.23 – 2008 Difficulty: 6th

6. Juniper – Par 3, 180 Yards
Fans often gather on the hillside beneath this elevated tee, which looks down to a large target. The green features a big hump on its right, making pin position the key. Three-putts are not uncommon. 2008 Average Score: 3.10 – 2008 Difficulty: 11th

7. Pampas – Par 4, 450 yards
This hole is straight but extremely tight. Drives are often played to the left-center of the fairway, leaving a short to mid-iron from a level lie. Players will need to avoid the three bunkers in front of the green and the two behind. 2008 Average Score: 4.25 – 2008 Difficulty: 3rd

8. Yellow Jasmine – Par 5, 570 yards
Tiger and the long knockers can get home in two, but there’s a fairway bunker in play on the right, placing a premium on accuracy. This uphill hole features trouble left of the green. This played as the second-easiest hole on the course in 2008. 2008 Average Score: 4.80 – 2008 Difficulty: 17th

9. Carolina Cherry – Par 4, 460 yards
This hole is best known for a green that slopes from back to front. Players often hit their tee shots down the right side to take away the two greenside bunkers on the left. 2008 Average Score: 4.20 – 2008 Difficulty: 7th

10. Camellia – Par 4, 495 yards
The famous downhill fairway of this long par 4 can produce some long drives, although tee shots that stray to the right can leave an awkward stance off a slanted lie. The green slopes right to left. Historically, this is the toughest hole at Augusta National. 2008 Average Score: 4.30 – 2008 Difficulty: 2nd

11. White Dogwood – Par 4, 505 yards
The hardest hole on the course once again in 2008, this hole is the start of Amen Corner, and wind is often a factor. A pond guards the green to the left, and a bunker is strategically placed right-center. This hole has decided all but three of the Masters sudden death playoffs, and may be best remembered for Larry Mize’s incredible chip-in in 1987. 2008 Average Score: 4.35 – 2008 Difficulty: 1st

12. Golden Bell – Par 3, 155 yards
One of the most famous holes in golf, this is the shortest par 3 on the course. With swirling winds, club selection for a knee-knocking tee shot can range from a 6-iron to a 9-iron. Rae’s Creek and three bunkers guard the impossibly narrow green. 2008 Average Score: 3.09 – 2008 Difficulty: 13th

13. Azalea – Par 5, 510 yards
A delightful risk/reward hole where both 3 and 7 are possibilities. An accurate shot to the center of the fairway allows a player to go for the green in two. A tributary of Rae’s Creek guards the green, and behind the putting surface are a deep swale and four bunkers. From tee to green there are approximately 1,600 azaleas. 2008 Average Score: 4.84 – 2008 Difficulty: 15th

14. Chinese Fir – Par 4, 440
The only hole on the course with no bunkers, No. 14 is made tough by a green that terraces down sharply, with significant contours. From a well-struck drive, the second shot will usually be a short-to-middle iron.  2008 Average Score: 4.10 – 2008 Difficulty: 12th

15. Firethorn – Par 5, 530 yards
Accuracy is critical off the tee of this par 5. Still, it’s reachable in two shots when the winds are favorable. A well-hit second shot must carry the pond and avoid the right-hand bunker. Gene Sarazen’s double eagle here in 1935 helped him win his only Masters and is one of the most famous shots in golf. 2008 Average Score: 4.78 – 2008 Difficulty: 18th

16. Redbud – Par 3, 170 yards
This tee shot is all carry over a pond to a green secured by three bunkers. The famous Sunday pin placement tucks the hole behind the pond and front bunker. 2008 Average Score: 3.13 – 2008 Difficulty: 10th

17. Nandina – Par 4, 440 yards
The famous Eisenhower Pine at the left-center of the fairway is approximately 210 yards from the tee. Again, an accurate tee shot is a must. The green slopes dramatically off toward the back; players need to leave their approach shots below the hole. 2008 Average Score: 4.15 – 2008 Difficulty: 9th

18. Holly – Par 4, 465 yards
A rugged finisher, this uphill dogleg right is protected off the tee by two bunkers at the left elbow. The uphill second shot will likely require a middle iron to a green guarded by two bunkers. Par is a good score, especially under the crushing Sunday pressure. 2008 Average Score: 4.16 – 2008 Difficulty: 8th

Comments are closed.