Augusta's 5th Hole Plans

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I think they will continue to go the route of lengthening and tweaking the design to combat the distance issue. That said they could come up with their own ball specs with none of the problems that would arise from doing it with the other Majors or on the PGA or European Tours. Additionally they could select one manufacturer for said tournament ball and nobody is going to have any say. If players and or ball sponsors and other manufacturers don’t like it well too bad. I don’t see a lot of players passing on the Masters so ANGC is holding all the cards regardless of the direction they go in. Omnipotence is a nice down card.

If they come up with "their own ball specs" then that's the day the tournament ceases to be a major, IMO. May as well just play it in December with the rest of the silly season crap. Players shouldn't have to adjust for one week, and you're bound to get some funky results. Who wants to see a bunch of the game's top players playing with equipment that's completely unfamiliar to them? Not I.

Again, I think more and more this is simply a move not to lengthen the course or make it more difficult, but to ease traffic and flow by the 4th green and 5th tee.

[JJShanley]

You'd give them the ball far enough in advance that they could prepare.  It would need an adjustment, but I don't think it comes close to silly season.

I think they will continue to go the route of lengthening and tweaking the design to combat the distance issue. That said they could come up with their own ball specs with none of the problems that would arise from doing it with the other Majors or on the PGA or European Tours. Additionally they could select one manufacturer for said tournament ball and nobody is going to have any say. If players and or ball sponsors and other manufacturers don’t like it well too bad. I don’t see a lot of players passing on the Masters so ANGC is holding all the cards regardless of the direction they go in. Omnipotence is a nice down card.

If they come up with "their own ball specs" then that's the day the tournament ceases to be a major, IMO. May as well just play it in December with the rest of the silly season crap. Players shouldn't have to adjust for one week, and you're bound to get some funky results. Who wants to see a bunch of the game's top players playing with equipment that's completely unfamiliar to them? Not I.

Again, I think more and more this is simply a move not to lengthen the course or make it more difficult, but to ease traffic and flow by the 4th green and 5th tee.

[Jim Nugent]

I think they will continue to go the route of lengthening and tweaking the design to combat the distance issue. That said they could come up with their own ball specs with none of the problems that would arise from doing it with the other Majors or on the PGA or European Tours. Additionally they could select one manufacturer for said tournament ball and nobody is going to have any say. If players and or ball sponsors and other manufacturers don’t like it well too bad. I don’t see a lot of players passing on the Masters so ANGC is holding all the cards regardless of the direction they go in. Omnipotence is a nice down card.

If they come up with "their own ball specs" then that's the day the tournament ceases to be a major, IMO. May as well just play it in December with the rest of the silly season crap. Players shouldn't have to adjust for one week, and you're bound to get some funky results. Who wants to see a bunch of the game's top players playing with equipment that's completely unfamiliar to them? Not I.

My guess is that ANGC agrees with Eric, and doesn't want to take the risk of endangering the Masters brand. 

[Matthew Essig]

Work on 5 is now underway...

https://golfweek.com/2018/05/02/the-forecaddie-work-begins-around-augusta-national-fifth-hole/

[jeffwarne]

They may be doing it just to make traffic flow better on the course.

I think this is true.
there are quite a few minor spectator bottlenecks out there due to the lengthening.
They even "reshortened" #1 to reduce that bottleneck.


#5 is the worst and one of the reason most savvy fans don't go that way during the event.


2/9 has gotten worse as has #7/6 green
11 tee on the other hand has become hidden gem as no on ewants to walk back and up there

[Andrew Buck]

If there was ever a course that should lengthen to accommodate tour pros, it's ANGC, no?  Yes, there is member play to consider but those tees are still in place, no?


If not dedicated to being a tournament host like ANGC, I can't see other courses doing this, but don't object too much there.

It’s a tough dilemma in my mind.  Your statement is obviously correct from the standpoint that I doubt there are any Augusta members today who aren’t members of other clubs and probably not more than a handful of members who play the majority of their rounds there (and probably consist of members who play golf the least).


That said, they are also stewards of one of the finest golf courses in the world with the resources and influence to use that property for the betterment of the game that their founder clearly loved.  I personally don’t believe the changes of the last 20 years have improved the tournament or the game.

[Matt MacIver]

RE the traffic flow, a lot of people havne’t historically gone that way because it’s in a corner and not as well-known as the back 9.  And now that Berkman’s Place is a thing, a lot of people are going that way, to either see it from the outside...or from the inside and never leave. 

[Jeff_Brauer]

If there was ever a course that should lengthen to accommodate tour pros, it's ANGC, no?  Yes, there is member play to consider but those tees are still in place, no?


If not dedicated to being a tournament host like ANGC, I can't see other courses doing this, but don't object too much there.

It’s a tough dilemma in my mind.  Your statement is obviously correct from the standpoint that I doubt there are any Augusta members today who aren’t members of other clubs and probably not more than a handful of members who play the majority of their rounds there (and probably consist of members who play golf the least).


That said, they are also stewards of one of the finest golf courses in the world with the resources and influence to use that property for the betterment of the game that their founder clearly loved.  I personally don’t believe the changes of the last 20 years have improved the tournament or the game.

Regarding paragraph 2, I guess we can never replay and know what would have happened had they not changed the course.  Would the Masters still be the premier major if scores were typically 25 under par, a la some of the old early season AZ tournaments on lesser courses?


Also, while it is easy in a short term perspective to criticize ANGC for its "bad influences" in maintenance, at the time, it helped golf because it was so beautiful, and still does, even if some environmentalists point out the (sometimes false) facts that it must take a ton of chemicals to get it like that.


Extending beyond paragraph 2 a bit, to assumptions made by those who favor restorations.......It is obvious Jones never respected Mac's contributions to the design enough to save them, so if the course sticks true to its mission, which from nearly the start was hosting the Masters, and we take Bobby Jones as the senior partner in that design (that is another discussion, but he stayed there and Mac went back to CA so it was destined that he would be in charge of tweaks) isn't changing the course continually part of its architectural heritage?  (Could say the same for Pinehurst perhaps)


So many here presume original intent is the gospel. ANGC did probably pioneer the idea that renovations can improve a course, at least for a particular function, and it did hold sway for a long time, until the Ross Society came along and challenged it.  Doesn't mean its wrong, however.