FUTURE AUGUSTA NATIONAL CHANGES??

[Tom Roewer]

THERE IS A VERY INTERESTING ARTICLE IN THE NEW (APRIL 2007) ISSUE OF LINKS MAGAZINE.  IT INCLUDES DIAGRAMS FROM SEVERAL YOUNG ARCHITECTS(Michael Benkusky, Mike DeVries, Kelly Blake Moran, and David Esler)  Check it out and tell me what you all think.  A very telling quote from the article is - "Technology's greatest impact is felt by the best players, and the gap between good and bad players is wider than ever.  No course in the world must address that issue as directly as Augusta"

[JESII]

Interested to read it Tom, thanks for the heads up.

About that passage you quoted...why, in your opinion, would Augusta need to remain usable/viable for the bad player?

[BCrosby]

About that passage you quoted...why, in your opinion, would Augusta need to remain usable/viable for the bad player?

Because 97% of the rounds played at Augusta are played by bad players whose club it is.

[PThomas]

I wonder if anyone has resigned from the club due to the changes?

[JESII]

I would wager that it was not a member making the comment though...

Does anyone have an educated guess how many rounds Augusta does per year?

How about the breakdown, by handicap? Let's say everyone below a 5 is good, and everyone above is bad...



5 handicaps are average...for the sake of this argument only.

[BCrosby]

JES II -

Going with your 5 handicap cut-off, I will shift my percentage to 95%.

Augusta gets a surprising amount of play, though less than a typical private club.

Bob

[Ken Moum]

I wonder if anyone has resigned from the club due to the changes?

I can't imagine why they would, even with the changes, it's a big, wide golf course compared to almost any of the older tree-lined courses I've played.

I finally got to go there for the 2005 Masters, and when I could I looked at the difference between the member's tees and the Masters tees. Remember, they only have two set of teeing areas, and I don't think the Masters tees are in play most of the time.

At 18, spectators can actually stand on the back of the member's tee. I was amazed at how different the view is from the one we're used to seeing on TV.

From the tournament tee, I'd be hard pressed to get a drive out of the chute of trees and in play. But from the member tee, it's really nothing to be concerned about--at least compared to other tree-lined courses I've played.

As long as the greens speed is within reason, it looks like a fun course to play. At Masters speed, most of the guys I play with would putt off the green several times in their first round.

Ken

[cary lichtenstein]

Probably nobody iin the history of Augusta has ever resigned

[Scott Szabo]

As long as the greens speed is within reason, it looks like a fun course to play. At Masters speed, most of the guys I play with would putt off the green several times in their first round.

Ken

I bet most of the guys would be grinning from ear to ear while putting off those greens!

All of us dream about playing there one day, only a few actually get to experience it.

[JESII]

JES II -

Going with your 5 handicap cut-off, I will shift my percentage to 95%.

Augusta gets a surprising amount of play, though less than a typical private club.

Bob

Bob,

-100 Masters participants at an average of 5 rounds each that week (just a guess, but a safe one).
-Another 200 - 300 rounds through the year from that same group gets us to 750
-750 is 5% of 15,000
-In a six month season, that's 2500 a month or about 85 a day (assuming they are open 7 days during that 6 months.
-You know much better than I, but are you sure the number is that far below 50%?


Not looking for answers, but rather trying to illustrate my position that the course is the tournament these days.

[Glenn Spencer]

JES II -

Going with your 5 handicap cut-off, I will shift my percentage to 95%.

Augusta gets a surprising amount of play, though less than a typical private club.

Bob

Bob,

-100 Masters participants at an average of 5 rounds each that week (just a guess, but a safe one).
-Another 200 - 300 rounds through the year from that same group gets us to 750
-750 is 5% of 15,000
-In a six month season, that's 2500 a month or about 85 a day (assuming they are open 7 days during that 6 months.
-You know much better than I, but are you sure the number is that far below 50%?


Not looking for answers, but rather trying to illustrate my position that the course is the tournament these days.

JES,

I think you math and figuring are pretty damn close. IF anything, they could be a little low. Also, my grandfather played with a member, a mutual friend and their professional from Long Island. I imagine this practice takes place quite a bit. The pro going with a group.

[JESII]

I am actually very curious to see the article. I just hope the suggestions are not limited to removing the trees that have been planted in recent years.

Bobby Jones was around for a hell of alot of changes to the golf course. Identifying the single iteration that best represents his intentions would be a losing proposition if you ask me.

I cannot agree with any change they have made, as I have never been there. I do, however, understand their goal and cannot think (from 1000 miles away) of a great way to evolve that course under the single premise of "make it easy for the bogey golfer and difficult for the scratch". Hopefully this article offers some real strong ideas.


Tom,

Care to share any while we're talking about it?

[Tom Roewer]

JES - Esler talks of restoring key hole locations, of interest both to normal and tournament play.  He cites the front left location on #12 and thefront right location on #15.

while DeVries states: "By returning some of the irregularly shaped greens of the original design, say the bunkerless, L-shaped 7th or the boomerang 9th to their eccentric shapes, it would require more accuracy with a wedgeby the pros and will be fun for the members by reintroducing anglesof play for themon their longer approaches to tighter, more remoteflagstick locations."  

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

Does ANGC grow the rough only for the toonament, or is this the way the membership now plays it?

[JESII]

Cool!

I would imagine many on here that have played the course (especially over a long time frame) would love those suggestions...the changes to #7 have been lambasted, and that sort of restoration might work as a comprimise.

When did the first bunker go in at the greens edge on #7?


As to restoring those lost pin positions, are those places usable for standard member play? Is it just the tournament speed that make them unusable?

[BCrosby]

I like DeVries' suggestions. Made 'em myself a couple of times.

The 7th green was originally at fw level with a serious Valley of Sin. In '39 Maxwell raised the green 20 feet or so and built the current bunker configuration.

The 9th was a wild boomerang. If you drink a couple of beers, lie on your side and look at it on TV, you can still see a bit of that. The 4th was also a boomerang and almost as wild. It was The Eden on acid.

Bob

[wsmorrison]

"Probably nobody iin the history of Augusta has ever resigned"

Cary,

I know of at least three men that have resigned.

[Greg Tallman]

"Probably nobody iin the history of Augusta has ever resigned"

Cary,

I know of at least three men that have resigned.

Far fewer than Martha would have hoped!