AUGUSTA, Ga. – The 88th Masters is here, and with it comes the reintroduction of one of golf’s greatest and most historic courses: Augusta National Golf Club. What makes this event so iconic is not just its history, but the crucial role the course plays every April. It’s a major that returns to the same location every year, which means players and spectators alike know the course, its most famous holes and all the epic moments of greatness and failure that have occurred over the past nearly nine decades.
But which holes actually decide the outcome of the Masters? Competitor Five holes were chosen that were both aesthetically pleasing and strategic. Holes where spectators camp out to watch, and holes where players spend all week thinking and planning. Now it’s Augusta National, a course with 18 scenic holes designed by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones with challenge, risk and reward in mind, so we All 18 holes can be selected. But these are the five holes that best tell the story of the Masters.
Third place: Peach Blossom
Legend has it that one year golf guru Gary Player sat next to Bobby Jones at the Masters Champions Dinner and cornered him on the third hole – an impossible catch Birdie’s. Jones smiled, leaned forward and said, “You’re not supposed to birdie No. 3. This hole was designed for No. 4.”
This hole was so perfectly conceived and constructed that it remains one of the holes that has changed least over time. If the first and second holes are relatively simple starts, the third hole is when Augusta National starts playing mind games with its players. This is a short 350 yard par 4 with a small green located on a steep slope from the fairway. If you miss short, the ball will roll all the way down the hill, leaving you with a brutal short uphill shot. This is where the challenge comes from. Nowadays, players drive the ball far, many hit it to the short left slope, accept that the ball will sit uphill, and do their best on the tiny, right-to-left sloping green. Move up and down. Many who try this fail to stay on the green on their second shot. Sometimes it rolls downhill. Sometimes it bounces off the back. According to DataGolf, a player hitting the short left side of the fairway has only a 40% chance of landing on the green.
Some golfers will hit the ball closer to the fairway bunker to give themselves a comfortable full club position on the green. But you won’t feel comfortable hitting this small green.
View of the par-4 third hole during the third round of the 2013 Masters (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
No. 11: White Dogwood
Welcome to the famous Amen Corner, a downhill 520-yard par 4 that tees off in a beautiful narrow clearing surrounded by trees. The fairway eventually opens up, but the green is well below the fairway and guarded by a large pond on the front left, making attacking the pin a dangerous pursuit.
Like many holes at Augusta National, No. 11 is a good strategy hole. The best angle to approach the hole is of course on the right side of the fairway. This is done to avoid hitting the water hazard, but there are three tall trees on the right side of the fairway, making the tee shot and shot a little more complicated. Augusta National removed many of the trees on the right side to simplify it, but it’s still something players must consider.
The real decision comes in how you approach the green. Historically, players have often erred on the side of caution and left the ball in the right fairway near the green. However, recent changes to the course have lowered the turf on the right side of the green, creating a small valley to stop the ball and make recovery more challenging. In theory, this makes players want to attack the green more, but there’s a risk that the round could be derailed if the shot ends up in the water.
That was the beginning of Greg Norman’s 1996 meltdown, when he birdied 12 feet and ended up with a three-putt bogey. In 2023, the hole was the third hardest hole on the course, with 60 bogeys and 15 birdies for the week.
Panoramic view of the green on the par-4 11th hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2024 (David Cannon/Getty Images)
No. 12: Admiralty
One of the most stunning par 3s in golf, No. 12 is a short 155-yard hole that looks simple to the naked eye, but is actually one of the trickiest holes on the course. From the wind to the stream to the perfectly placed bunkers, nothing comes easy. The trees surrounding the hole create strange wind vortices that can change on any given day or moment. If a player hits the ball too high from the trees, the ball will be exposed to more wind. Bob Rosburg famously tells the story of hitting a 4-iron into strong winds in 1956, only for the wind to stop during his backswing, causing Rosburg to not only hit the ball over the green, but Also hit the green. Climb over trees and fences to enter the nearby Augusta Country Club.
If players go too short, they’ll have to worry about the famous Rae’s Creek. The grass in front of the green is tightly mowed and the slope is steep, meaning short shots can roll right into the creek. It was the key to Tiger Woods’ epic victory at the 2019 Masters, as Francesco Molinari and Tony Finau both rolled the ball into the creek and Woods Then safely hit the ball to the center of the green away from the flagstick.
Panoramic view of the par-3 12th hole during the 1996 Masters. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
No. 13: Rhododendron
This is a par 5 dogleg left on a steep slope. Hole 13 is surrounded by a creek that runs along the entire left side of the fairway. Tall trees guard the entire left corner, and the fairway is so sloped that if you hit a perfect long tee shot along the left side for a short shot, you’re hitting a long shot on a huge slope. At the same time, if you err on the side of caution and go further to the right, the distance to the green will be longer and you risk going into the woods. That approach shot was played on a raised green above a tributary of the River Rey.
Over time, the hole lost some of its charm as players traveled further and further away from the tee. Jack Nicklaus said in 2017: “Golf balls have changed everything. If you’re not going to roll golf balls back, you really need to test players today by extending the holes 30 or 40 yards.” Well What did Augusta National do? To host the 2023 Masters, the company spent millions to purchase more land behind the 13th tee box and extend it 35 yards.
These changes will certainly add more nuance and decision-making on such a critical hole in a round. The key is that attacking the green is a choice, not a given for every player on the field. Still, the hole remains the fourth-easiest in 2023, with eight eagles and 108 birdies compared to just 30 bogeys. But this is the most difficult par 5 hole.
South Africa’s Branden Grace hits a shot on the 13th hole during a practice round before the 2018 Masters. (David Cannon/Getty Images)
No. 16: Bauhinia
The 16th hole, the most climatic hole in the final stages of Augusta National, is often where the tension of the Masters reaches its peak. The 170-yard par-3 is surrounded by water in front and has a sloping green that keeps everything positioned. It’s one of the reasons for so many famous Masters moments, the most famous of which was Tiger Woods’ 2005 chip from a brutal spot in the rough, rolled to the edge, came to a stop, and then fell for an epic win victory. CBS’s Verne Lundquist once shouted, “Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?”
It is the highest-scoring non-par hole on the course, with the average score at the 2023 Masters being 2.9. Just don’t think it’s risk-free. Many found water ahead, or set themselves up for a brutal second shot from the right back bunker. In 2021, Xander Schauffele had a chance to catch leader Hideki Matsuyama but instead hit the ball into the water, ending his chances of winning the green jacket. The flagstick on Sunday is usually located in the back left area, and a shot from the right side of the hole hits the slope and funnels to the pin.
Spectators watch on the 16th hole during the second round of the 2015 Masters. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(Illustration: John Bradford; Photo: Google Earth; Focus On Sport, David Cannon, Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
