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Hello friends!
From the Augusta National Golf Club and places far and wide, THP presents a tour of Augusta National Golf Club. We have an opportunity to do something we've never formally done before, in this tradition unlike any other. While we wait for worldwide health conditions to improve and better news to be in our morning papers, @ddec and I will spend the next 6 days giving you our unique perspective and tips on how to get around Augusta National's famed hallowed as only we know how. So grab your favorite shade of green, a pimento cheese sandwich, and fire up the music that we probably can't play due to copyright reasons and let's step onto the first tee. Our pin sheet this year will be the 2019 Sunday pins, because they're the latest we could find.
The yardage. To quote Verne Lundquist, "OH. MY. GOODNESS." With the lengthening of hole 5, the course has the ability to play at a mere 7,475 yds. Child's play right? Yeah, not so much. So to make it fun for all of us, chime in with how you would play it. But, you'll be playing from the members tees, at 6,365. Little more THP friendly yardages there. The first post in my 9 holes of breakdown will be how the pros should play it, and then sometime during the day, I'll throw in how I would play it based on the shorter yardage. All yardage carries are given from the back of the tee markers, because it only gets easier as the tees move forward. We're off to the first tee!
Hole 1: Tea Olive. 445yds tournament, 365 member
It's funny, even in video games and photos, it doesn't do this hole justice with the elevation change from tee to the low spot, and then back up the fairway. For the first 165 yards or so off the tee, it is a downhill drop of roughly 31 feet before the steep rise UP the fairway, as you approach the fairway bunker there on the right. In 2019, it plays as the 13th hardest hole on the course with that Sunday pin placement at 3.95 scoring average. The touring professional has a few options: Choice A: Hit something that leaves you short of the uphill bunker that begins at 284. Choice B: Attempt to fly that bunker at 319yds uphill. Choice C: thread the needle and hope you hit the fairway between the bunker and the left tree line, at most 30 yards wide. From there, you face a short to possible mid iron approach into this difficult yet receptive green.
Hole 2: Pink Dogwood. 575yds professional, 515 member
This par 5 in two can be reachable by the long hitters, provided they can turn their tee shot over right to left and catch a slope in the fairway that can turn this daunting second into an easier, yet still challenging second shot. The tee shot here is critical though through the chute of trees. Too far pulled or pushed offline can knock your tee shot anywhere but where you want it. Overhook it into the trees on the left, and you could bring double bogey or higher into play obscenely quickly. Right doesn't look much fun either. 303yds from the back of the tee box to the lone fairway bunker on this hole, and the tee shot plays 52ft downhill just to the bunker, making it much more in play than one can realize. The perfect drive that turns over enough to keep the fairway bunker out of play, can catch that slope in this fairway and give some extra distance. The professional is now left with the decision of lay up and hope for a well struck wedge shot, or try and hit a long club that can potentially reach even just the front of this green and let the slope and contours bring the ball closer to the traditional back right pin placement. This hole played the 15th toughest in 2019, averaging 4.69 for the players. 310yds off the tee will roughly give the professional 252 yards to the front edge, playing downhill another near 18yds downhill. If they have the firepower, many will try and give this par 5 a chance in two knowing that they really just have to land it a few yards into this green, and the landing trajectory of a long club alone will have it bound forward enough to catch the large slope in this green. It may not bring it to reasonable eagle chances, but it's a lot easier to make birdie with a two putt than it is trying to flag it close and do it in one.
Hole 3: Flowering Peach. 350yds professional, 340 member
The third hole at Augusta National is Flowering Peach. This hole was deemed so near perfect by Dr Alister Mackenzie and Bobby Jones, that it's the least touched hole on Augusta National. Traditionally, players will take a mid iron or so and make sure they take those fairway bunkers out of play. Over, short, whatever. Don't even look at them. From there, it's just a delicate wedge shot into a green that slopes severely from right to left. Depending on wind and course firmness, the longer players have been electing to hit driver as close to the green as possible, thinking that a flip wedge from the low spot to this elevated green is easier than a full shot. It was tied for the 8th toughest hole in 2019 on Sunday, after days of being near the bottom third of difficult holes on the course. It may have been the pin location raising its difficulty, as anything right of the hole on 3 is going to leave you with a severe downhill putt that can easily get away from the player if they just misjudge their pace a little too firm.
@ddec will be walking you through holes 4, 5, and 6 on Wednesday. Until then, let's hear how you would play them.
From the Augusta National Golf Club and places far and wide, THP presents a tour of Augusta National Golf Club. We have an opportunity to do something we've never formally done before, in this tradition unlike any other. While we wait for worldwide health conditions to improve and better news to be in our morning papers, @ddec and I will spend the next 6 days giving you our unique perspective and tips on how to get around Augusta National's famed hallowed as only we know how. So grab your favorite shade of green, a pimento cheese sandwich, and fire up the music that we probably can't play due to copyright reasons and let's step onto the first tee. Our pin sheet this year will be the 2019 Sunday pins, because they're the latest we could find.
The yardage. To quote Verne Lundquist, "OH. MY. GOODNESS." With the lengthening of hole 5, the course has the ability to play at a mere 7,475 yds. Child's play right? Yeah, not so much. So to make it fun for all of us, chime in with how you would play it. But, you'll be playing from the members tees, at 6,365. Little more THP friendly yardages there. The first post in my 9 holes of breakdown will be how the pros should play it, and then sometime during the day, I'll throw in how I would play it based on the shorter yardage. All yardage carries are given from the back of the tee markers, because it only gets easier as the tees move forward. We're off to the first tee!
Hole 1: Tea Olive. 445yds tournament, 365 member
It's funny, even in video games and photos, it doesn't do this hole justice with the elevation change from tee to the low spot, and then back up the fairway. For the first 165 yards or so off the tee, it is a downhill drop of roughly 31 feet before the steep rise UP the fairway, as you approach the fairway bunker there on the right. In 2019, it plays as the 13th hardest hole on the course with that Sunday pin placement at 3.95 scoring average. The touring professional has a few options: Choice A: Hit something that leaves you short of the uphill bunker that begins at 284. Choice B: Attempt to fly that bunker at 319yds uphill. Choice C: thread the needle and hope you hit the fairway between the bunker and the left tree line, at most 30 yards wide. From there, you face a short to possible mid iron approach into this difficult yet receptive green.
Hole 2: Pink Dogwood. 575yds professional, 515 member
This par 5 in two can be reachable by the long hitters, provided they can turn their tee shot over right to left and catch a slope in the fairway that can turn this daunting second into an easier, yet still challenging second shot. The tee shot here is critical though through the chute of trees. Too far pulled or pushed offline can knock your tee shot anywhere but where you want it. Overhook it into the trees on the left, and you could bring double bogey or higher into play obscenely quickly. Right doesn't look much fun either. 303yds from the back of the tee box to the lone fairway bunker on this hole, and the tee shot plays 52ft downhill just to the bunker, making it much more in play than one can realize. The perfect drive that turns over enough to keep the fairway bunker out of play, can catch that slope in this fairway and give some extra distance. The professional is now left with the decision of lay up and hope for a well struck wedge shot, or try and hit a long club that can potentially reach even just the front of this green and let the slope and contours bring the ball closer to the traditional back right pin placement. This hole played the 15th toughest in 2019, averaging 4.69 for the players. 310yds off the tee will roughly give the professional 252 yards to the front edge, playing downhill another near 18yds downhill. If they have the firepower, many will try and give this par 5 a chance in two knowing that they really just have to land it a few yards into this green, and the landing trajectory of a long club alone will have it bound forward enough to catch the large slope in this green. It may not bring it to reasonable eagle chances, but it's a lot easier to make birdie with a two putt than it is trying to flag it close and do it in one.
Hole 3: Flowering Peach. 350yds professional, 340 member
The third hole at Augusta National is Flowering Peach. This hole was deemed so near perfect by Dr Alister Mackenzie and Bobby Jones, that it's the least touched hole on Augusta National. Traditionally, players will take a mid iron or so and make sure they take those fairway bunkers out of play. Over, short, whatever. Don't even look at them. From there, it's just a delicate wedge shot into a green that slopes severely from right to left. Depending on wind and course firmness, the longer players have been electing to hit driver as close to the green as possible, thinking that a flip wedge from the low spot to this elevated green is easier than a full shot. It was tied for the 8th toughest hole in 2019 on Sunday, after days of being near the bottom third of difficult holes on the course. It may have been the pin location raising its difficulty, as anything right of the hole on 3 is going to leave you with a severe downhill putt that can easily get away from the player if they just misjudge their pace a little too firm.
@ddec will be walking you through holes 4, 5, and 6 on Wednesday. Until then, let's hear how you would play them.
