Masters Golf Course Thoughts

[David_Tepper]

Good column here on the use of fescue in the rough or to grow in areas where trees used to be. As noted above, it can grow and get out of hand quickly on rich/non-links soils.

https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/fescue-fine-or-foe

[Jason Topp]

I did not think 15 was too long.  Weather and the trees on the left took away a fair amount of temptation. 


Is the tee shot on thirteen still a good one?  When I saw it in person I was surprised at how pinched it looked off the tee.  However, I do like a tee shot that rewards the ability to curve the ball and control it. 


I also enjoyed that low spinning chip that Scheffler used to great advantage.  My experience with overseeded rye grass is that it is so sticky you have to hit the ball hard if you are going to land it short of the putting surface but he seemed to have the formula down.  The course gave him the opportunity to showcase that shot. 

[Buck Wolter]

I did not think 15 was too long.  Weather and the trees on the left took away a fair amount of temptation. 


Is the tee shot on thirteen still a good one?  When I saw it in person I was surprised at how pinched it looked off the tee.  However, I do like a tee shot that rewards the ability to curve the ball and control it. 


I also enjoyed that low spinning chip that Scheffler used to great advantage.  My experience with overseeded rye grass is that it is so sticky you have to hit the ball hard if you are going to land it short of the putting surface but he seemed to have the formula down.  The course gave him the opportunity to showcase that shot.

I think 15 is great now -- Scheffler said somewhere that he wanted no part of that chip into 15 so he went for it on Sunday.


I was there Friday and watched quite a few groups go through 15 and nobody looked comfortable hitting their third into that green.


 

[cary lichtenstein]

I dumped my wedge into the pond on the 15th green, you have to stay down with the shot, I came out of it too quickly. I still remember this 14 years later

[Garland Bayley]

I think on some holes like 7 yes the trees are the primary defense.

But if I was ranking the deterrents to scoring at Augusta, it would be something like this:

1)  Undulating greens
2)  Undulating property in general with sidehill, uphill, downhill lies
3)  The length from the back tees.
4)  Hitting shots from the pine straw
5) Ponds/water
.
.
.
6)  Trees

Ask Jordan and Rory about your putting trees at a distant 6th. Length and pine straw may be a bugaboo for you, but it causes very little concern for tour pros. Length only becomes a problem when the tee ball hits a tree and gets stopped well short of where it was headed.