Observations on a first time Masters visitor

[James Brown]

This was my first time to visit the Masters and see ANGC.  Still processing the experience. 


Even with it being a historically wet and soft tournament, I still think the course had a lot more strategic merit than most of the posts I have seen here would indicate for the past 10+ years.


Approach angles matter there, much more so than I expected.  There is ample room from the tee, but the fairway bunkering is so interesting and shapes the strategy choices in meaningful ways.  With a few exceptions (#7 most notably) the green side bunkering seemed totally proportional and of great interest. 


And it seemed to me that the course rewarded good decisionmaking and punished foolhardy actions. 

[Dan Herrmann]

Well said.   I agree 100%.


The strategic importance of angles are very understated at ANGC.  With those greens, I don't think it's likely to get to the correct part of the green if you don't come in from the correct angle.


And I love the look.  It's awesome landscape architecture with a world-class golf course.   It's certainly NOT St. Andrews.  Not Pine Valley.   Not Pebble Beach.  And not anything that'd be built today by Hanse/Doak/C&C/etc.   


But that's what makes golf so wonderful.   If you want the same thing everywhere you go, stick to tennis.   Golf has the fortune of the charm that each and every place you plan is different and unique.    It's almost like that Bible quote, "My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?"   

[Derek_Duncan]

Good post, Dan.