[Phil Benedict]

Leak to the right is being a bit kind.

As memory serves it was about 50 yards right.  And I thought it was a 6 iron he hit on that shot?

By the time we get through with thread it'll be a 9-iron!  Actually, I think you may be referring to the 6-iron he fanned on the 72-nd hole in the 1984 US Open at Winged Foot.

Patrick,

Having played the course, how sharp are those doglegs on 10, 13 and 14?  My impression is they reward a pretty hard right to left turn.  I once read an article by some first time Masters participant who was paired with Nicklaus in a practice round.  The article was in the form of a diary as I recall.  He described Jack's drive on 10 as a snap-hook that was perfect for the shot.

[Kalen Braley]

It was definitely Augusta I'm thinking of, just was unclear on the iron...but not a biggie.  

[PThomas]

..  I once read an article by some first time Masters participant who was paired with Nicklaus in a practice round.  The article was in the form of a diary as I recall.  He described Jack's drive on 10 as a snap-hook that was perfect for the shot.

might have been David Ogrin

[Phil Benedict]

I think it was David Ogrin who, oddly enough for a Tour player, has a personality.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Phil, my memory is that Norman hit an iron off the last tee.  It wasn't 1986, though.  Happened later.  Was an overcast day, and the course may have been wet.  I remember almost screaming out loud when I saw him pull the iron out of the bag.  He blew so many tournaments with poor mental decisions.  

In 1986 Norman hit a 3-wood off the tee, not an iron.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Leak to the right is being a bit kind.

As memory serves it was about 50 yards right.  And I thought it was a 6 iron he hit on that shot?

No,

It was a 4-iron.

[Kalen Braley]

Leak to the right is being a bit kind.

As memory serves it was about 50 yards right.  And I thought it was a 6 iron he hit on that shot?

No,

It was a 4-iron.

Indeed you are right, I should have never questioned that fact.    

[Patrick_Mucci]

Patrick,

Having played the course, how sharp are those doglegs on 10, 13 and 14?  

# 10 isn't so much of a dogleg as it is a crescent shaped hole with topography that lends itself to a draw.

# 13 is a sharp dogleg.
Tee shots hit straight will end up in the pine trees/straw.

# 14 turns slightly from right to left.
I wouldn't classify it as a dogleg.

# 5 also favors a draw.

For me, the drives on # 11 and # 18 are very uncomfortable on the set up.  # 11 is blind and you get an awkward feeling on the tee because the DZ is not defined.

On # 18 you can't draw or fade the ball too much or you'll be in trouble and unable to see or reach the green with your approach.

My impression is they reward a pretty hard right to left turn.  


# 10 and # 13 do, but, not so much for # 14.
A soft draw would probably be the prefered shot.

Remember, these guys hit the ball pretty high and there's not as much movement in their shots when compared to decades and decades ago.

I once read an article by some first time Masters participant who was paired with Nicklaus in a practice round.  The article was in the form of a diary as I recall.  He described Jack's drive on 10 as a snap-hook that was perfect for the shot.


Nicklaus had high trajectory on almost every shot, so, that seems like a bit of embellishment, and, golfers don't want to overcook their teeshot on # 10 as it can find the woods left.

But, a low draw/hook hit to the right of center usually ends up in good shape.

[PThomas]

interesting that Jack, at age 46, hit 3wood/5iron on 18..which means he was hitting it about the length as the much younger Norman

[Patrick_Mucci]

interesting that Jack, at age 46, hit 3wood/5iron on 18..which means he was hitting it about the length as the much younger Norman

Paul,

1986 was pre-metal woods and PV1's.

Persimmon clubs combined with those balls could produce inaccurate shots easily.

And, if you're hitting a 3-wood on # 18, you're not looking for distance, it's secondary to finding the prefered DZ in the fairway, short or just right of the bunker.

Nicklaus and Norman's distance with the 3-wood is immaterial because you don't know if either one of them choked up or hit an off-speed shot in order to end up in the DZ they were seeking.

In addition, the hole was so much shorter than it is today at approximately 405.

On that tee, from that distance, one has to factor in the bunker, the elbow in the dogleg, the slope of the DZ, etc., etc..  Position would be paramount, not distance with a 3-wood.

[Tom Zeni]

Leak to the right is being a bit kind.

As memory serves it was about 50 yards right.  And I thought it was a 6 iron he hit on that shot?

No,

It was a 4-iron.

Correct Patrick. The Video backs you up.  Norman fanned on a 4 iron.

[Jim Nugent]

In 1986 Norman hit a 3-wood off the tee, not an iron.

Yes, the year he hit iron was later.  Maybe around 1989?  Jack was in the announcers booth.  

Just read some interesting things about the 1986 Masters, from the April 2006 GD...

Jack about his 2nd shot and the resulting putt at the 72nd hole: "On 18 I just wanted the ball in the fairway. A 3-wood left me with a straightforward shot. I still remember the yardage: 175 to the hole. It was a 5-iron, and I needed to get all of it to get the ball on the top level. I hit the ball really well, but just as it left the clubface I felt a little breeze in my face. The hole was all the way in the back of the green, and when the ball stopped on the lower tier I thought, Great, now I've got this darned putt.

It was a good 40 feet, but fortunately I knew what the putt did because our company had rebuilt that green, and I'd practiced that approach putt earlier in the week. Some of the greens had become too severe, and the back part of 18 was contoured too steeply from back to front. We'd leveled it out, and I knew that after the ball climbed the tier it would coast."

That part about his company rebuilding the green is really interesting.  Did that give him some key local knowledge few others had?  

Seve about his 4-iron into the water at 15:  "The problem was not pressure. The problem was that I had to wait for Watson and Nakajima to putt out. While I was there, Nicklaus holed a birdie on the 16th. I had to wait a number of minutes. I was talking to my brother and decided to hit a 5-iron. Then I changed to a 4-iron. It was better to be long than short. All I had to do was put the ball out of the water, and the tournament was mine. Maybe overconfidence was the problem."

Tom Kite: "Seve's shot was not as easy as it looked. His ball was slightly on the downslope of one of those mounds in the fairway."

Seve: "I tried to hit a soft 4-iron. I hit a little behind the ball and, you know, I hit it in the water. Then everything went wrong for me."

Seve, looking back 20 years, on how HE might have won 6 Masters: "No question, that Masters really hurt my confidence a lot. If I had won there, instead of Nicklaus holding the record of six green jackets, it probably would have been Seve Ballesteros who would have had six."

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jim Nugent,

Seve's take is interesting.

I don't recall the shot being that difficult in terms of the lie and position, but, I do recall that it was an awful shot, not even marginal.

I can understand the wait unsettling him, but, those guys were used to waiting at almost every tournament.

Under pressure, it appears that these golfers would have been better off taking less club and trying to hit it hard, rather than finessing a lesser club.

[Jim Nugent]

On drama, what memorable Masters moments have occurred at #18?  Not Tiger winning his first major or Mickelson doing same... those don't count.  But what on the order of (from my own memory and history).. Crenshaw's putt at 10.. Mize's chip at 11.. Weiskopf's meltdown at 12 .. Billy Joe Patton at 13.. Sarazan at 15 .. Nicklaus , Tiger , Norman at 16.. Nicklaus's '86 putt at 17 (and what the heck, "body bags")?

Here are a few that come to mind...

*  Mark O'Meara sinking a 20 foot putt in 1998 for birdie and the win.

*  Sandy Lyle nailing his 7 iron out of the fairway bunker, watching it land on the ridge, then crawl back to ten feet.  He holed the birdie putt and won by a stroke.

*  Mike Weir sinking a 7-foot putt to tie Len Mattiace, and go on to win the playoff.

*  TW hitting a perfect 3 wood, then perfect 8 iron, then sinking a 15 foot putt to win the playoff with DiMarco in 2005.

*  Doug Ford holing his greenside bunker shot for birdie, to win back in 1957.

*  Nicklaus two-putting from 40 feet and the lower tier in 1986, nearly holing out for birdie, preserving his lead.

*  Bob Goalby hitting into the trees, then slicing a long iron (or was it wood) onto the green, and two-putting from around 50 feet to (apparently) maintain his tie with DeVicenzo.

*  Arnie sinking a six foot putt for birdie in 1960 to win by a stroke over Ken Venturi.

And some memorable misses:

*  Arnie doubling in 1961 by picking his sand shot clean, after his drive split the fairway and he only needed par to win, bogey to tie.

*  Jack hitting the 2nd-best pressure putt I ever saw that did NOT go in, back around 1966.  He was on the upper tier, the pin in its lower-tier Sunday position.  Looked like it was heading in for the win, but veered left in the last foot or so.  He went on to win the playoff the next day anyway.  

*  Watson starting the 72nd in 1991 tied for the lead, but doubling 18 to lose by two.  Olazabal also was tied, but bogeyed 18, and Woosnam won.

*  Norman half-shanking his approach from the middle of the fairway in 1986, taking bogey and losing to JN by a stroke.

[James Bennett]

It's always been known as a hookers' course.

Interesting that Nicklaus generally faded the ball.  Did he change his strategy at the Masters?    

Jim Nugent (and Phil Benedict, and Sports Illustrated)

from Golf My Way, IIRC, Jack had an attack of bursitis in his hip in about 1967 (I'm guessing/recalling here - was this 1967? did he win in 1967?) which meant he couldn't swing like he normally did.  He said that he had to play a draw because of this physical predicament, and resulted in better opportunities on ?2, obvioulsly 10 and also 13.

According to his book in that year, he didn't amend his swing for the Masters, it was the only way he could swing.

James B

[Jim Nugent]

James, JN did not win in 1967.  He won 1963, 65 and 66.  Next victory didn't come till 1972.  

[James Bennett]

Jim

then it was either 1965 or 1966 when he had hip bursitis.  Sorry, but it is well over 30 years since I read his book.  And it was a library copy.

James B

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()