The Three Iterations of Mackenzie's Augusta Plans

[Neil_Crafter]

Up until the other day I knew of two different versions of Mackenzie's routing plan for ANGC, as follows:

1. A black and white line drawing, dated June 1932, and reproduced in Doak et als "The Life and Times of Alister Mackenzie". This plan has the holes numbered in reverse to how they are today.




2. A coloured plan, included in partial form in David Owen's "The Making of the Masters", which is unfortunately undated. The holes are numbered as they are today, which likely makes this plan earlier than the June 1932 plan as Mackenzie apparently decided to reverse the nines later in the design process. UPDATE: This plan is dated July 1931, and is the earliest of all three plans (courtesy Tom MacWood)




And then while trawling websites I found an augusta.com website on the Masters that had another version of Mackenzie's plan that I had never seen before. It is a lovely looking drawing, coloured with watercolours, and is dated November 1931. Like the black and white plan, this one has the nines reversed from today. From this I could conclude that this plan lies between the other two plans in terms of dates. The website also featured an enlargement of the area around the clubhouse showing the 9th and 18th greens and the 19th hole Mac designed. And for those with good eyes it appears a nice little painting of the clubhouse building in elevation lies where the clubhouse should be on the plan.

I just thought I'd bring this to people's attention and I'd like to hear if anyone has seen this plan before. And any comments on the differences between the plans might elicit an interesting discussion. I hope  

[Ben Voelker]

Neil,

Thanks for posting these!

It's amazing to me how similar the current 12 and 16 look in the first and third plan.  Both greens angled short left to long right over the creek.  Also, I can't quite tell because it is at the end of the page, but 16 looks significantly different in the second plan.

Also, in Spirit of St. Andrew's, AM talks about originally having 36 bunkers and through discussions with Bobby Jones reduced down to 22.  In the third map I count 28.  The other two are much harder go gauge.  It would be very interesting to know when that second map was put together.

[john_stiles]

I don't see the planned 19th in the latest drawing (June 1932).

Interesting,  they all show the very large, and very long fairway bunker (NLE) initially in place along the present no. 14.

Also, the present 16th looks positioned much closer to the creek than I recall from the early photos.

[RSLivingston_III]

I find the differences, and similarities, in the bottom right signatures very interesting.

Thanks for posting these.

[Neil_Crafter]

Thanks Ben, hopefully some people will find these of interest. I too would like to know the date of the second map.

John, yes it appears the 19th hole had gone off the radar by June 1932.

RSL, all look like genuine Mac signatures to me. Would be a tragedy if ANGC had forgeries in their archives!!

[Tom MacWood]

Neil
There is a larger version of the David Owen map in Charles Price's Augusta book, and it is dated July 1931.

[BCrosby]

Neil -

I haven't seen it in a number of years, but it's possible that the original of the last plan you posted is hanging in a conference room at the Alston & Bird law firm, where I once worked. A&B is the successor to Jones' old firm Jones, Bird & Howell.

Interesting that that plan does not appear in Stan Byrdy's book. The first two you posted do.

I will visit A&B in the next week or so and try to confirm. I'll also try to find out what I can about the provenance of the A&B plan. I never dug into it, but always assumed that the plan must have orignally been Jones'. Unfortunately Mr. Bird, who knew Jones well and would know about the plan, passed away several years ago.

Bob  

[Neil_Crafter]

Tom
Thanks for supplying the date of July 1931. So this places this colour plan as the first, then comes the other colour plan of November 1931 and finally the black and white plan of June 1932. Interesting.

Bob, thanks, just checked my copy of the Byrdy book, I had not looked there and it does show the date of the coloured plan, although they reproduce it in B&W. Would be great if you can confirm the last plan I posted is indeed the one in Alston and Bird. Thanks.

[erichunter]

Does anyone have a map of Mackenzie's planned 18 hole short course for ANGC?  What part of the property was it planned for, the location of the existing par 3 course?

[Neil_Crafter]

Would love to see one if anyone does! I suspect if Mackenzie did ever draw a plan for it it is well hidden in the ANGC archives.

[Jim Nugent]

It's amazing to me how similar the current 12 and 16 look in the first and third plan.  Both greens angled short left to long right over the creek.  Also, I can't quite tell because it is at the end of the page, but 16 looks significantly different in the second plan.

One question is, did RTJ make the course better by changing 16?

Also, in Spirit of St. Andrew's, AM talks about originally having 36 bunkers and through discussions with Bobby Jones reduced down to 22.  In the third map I count 28.  The other two are much harder go gauge.  It would be very interesting to know when that second map was put together.

Not only a small number of bunkers, but it looks to me like several are mostly out of play for the better golfer.  Fairway bunkers on (current numbering) 14 and 18.  Maybe 1, 4 and 17 as well. 

[Ben Voelker]

It's amazing to me how similar the current 12 and 16 look in the first and third plan.  Both greens angled short left to long right over the creek.  Also, I can't quite tell because it is at the end of the page, but 16 looks significantly different in the second plan.

One question is, did RTJ make the course better by changing 16?

Not sure if this is a question for me or the DG generally, but I'll go ahead and throw my two cents in...

I have always known 16 as 16 is today, so I can only comment based on the old hole based on the maps posted above.  I say yes he did because the angle of the green has been switched and offers a shot that asks for a different shape than 12.  Granted the lengths are different, but 3 and 7 on the third map look frightening similar.

[Tom MacWood]

Neil
On a related front, I do not believe Mackenzie's original green sketches for ANGC are dated, but what is interesting about them is they were originally numbered correctly (with the holes numbered as they are today), but then crossed off and renumbered when the nines were reversed. My guess is they were drawn sometime before or around July 1931.

[Ian Andrew]

Anyone have a copy of the Robert Trent Jones  plan form the hall in the clubhouse.

I was sure I took a photo of it, but I looked through my files and found nothing.

The plans are really cool Neil. Thanks.

[Adam Clayman]

I have always known 16 as 16 is today, so I can only comment based on the old hole based on the maps posted above.  I say yes he did because the angle of the green has been switched and offers a shot that asks for a different shape than 12.  Granted the lengths are different, but 3 and 7 on the third map look frightening similar.

Couple of thoughts Ben;

There has been posted in the past a picture of 16 pre-RTJ's changes. The green in that picture is on the other side of the creek and literally bleeds into the creek. The shot shape differences you bring up are beyond me, but, I never knew The Good Doctor designed with specific shot shapes in mind, the way some of the other ODG's did. Now, it is possible that the old picture posted was somehow a reverse image, because, as best as I can read these diagrams (implies not at all) the 16th green never appears on the left side of the creek. Someone please show me where I'm wrong?

[JESII]

Adam,

The first and third picture do have the current 16th green positioned on the opposite side of the creek than the current version, don't you think? Or is that not what you were asking?

[Ben Voelker]

There has been posted in the past a picture of 16 pre-RTJ's changes. The green in that picture is on the other side of the creek and literally bleeds into the creek. The shot shape differences you bring up are beyond me, but, I never knew The Good Doctor designed with specific shot shapes in mind, the way some of the other ODG's did. Now, it is possible that the old picture posted was somehow a reverse image, because, as best as I can read these diagrams (implies not at all) the 16th green never appears on the right side of the creek. Someone please show me where I'm wrong?

Adam,

I will do a search to see if I can come up with the photo.  I would be curious to see how 16 looks pre-RTJ.

What I talk about shot shape, I am just referring to the angle of the green and creek from the tee.  It is especially apparent in the third map.  The creek cuts across the hole on 12 and 16 from front left to back right, with the creek hugging the front of the green on both holes.  They look EXACTLY the same. I don't know that they were because I haven't seen photos of the original 16, or 12 for that matter, which doesn't look much the same today as it does in the map either.  But, if they really were both originally built as shown on the first and third maps, it seems that more variety is provided by the two holes that exist today.

[john_stiles]

What is interesting is to look back at the older Alwoody plan in Doak's book and see how his style is similar in some regards to the Ohio State and ANGC plan style.    Like always spotting the tee, with a line forming a  'T' at the tee location.


Bob,

Byrdy does credit one of the plans to Alston and Bird in his book.

[john_stiles]

My recollection from other discussions is that the present 16th was on the other side of the creek. 

Today after the 15th,  you move to the left of 15th green to go to the 16th tee.  All the above 1930s plans had the 16th tee to the right of the 15th green.  My Byrdy book is not in my hands but remember it explained the evolution of the 16th very well.

[Neil_Crafter]

John
Yes you are right, Byrdy does the credit the plan he shows to Alston & Bird LLP. However, that plan is the July 1931 plan. So what then is the provenance of the third plan I showed, ie the Nov 1931 plan? Presumably ANGC themselves?

[john_stiles]

Neil,

I was thinking Byrdy probably used everything available from A&B.  So where did the 3rd come from.  Was it from A&B and Byrdy used only one of the two A&B had. Doubtful.  Maybe Bob's trip will tell, but probably ANGC as you mention.


16th

Absent Byrdy's book from my formerly ale stained lap,   the ANGC website states .... " Alister Mackenzie's original 16th hole resembled the 12th, but it was too easy for Masters competitors. In 1947 a pond was built and the green moved right. "

[BCrosby]

John/Neil -

Thanks. I missed that in Byrdy.

Having worked at A&B for a couple of years, I'm pretty sure they don't have a second drawing.

Catherine Lewis at the Atlanta History Center might know something about its provenance. I'll ask next time I see her. The drawing has been around. I have seen it before in various places. The inclusion of a sketch of the clubhouse is interesting. Makes me wonder who the audience for the drawing might have been.

About the 16th tee, it was originally to the right of the 15th green. After opening an alternate tee was put to the left of the 15th green, which suggests that there were second thoughts about the hole from early on. As I recall, Bob Jones first had the idea for the modern version of the 16th that RTJ build it in '48.

Bob       

[Jim Nugent]

Bob, do you know if Bobby designed the 16th green, as it is now? 

Also, my memory is that 16 used to play to around 190 yards back in the 1960s.  Anyone know when/why they shortened it?  With today's technology, seems like about a 2 to 3 club difference. 

[BCrosby]

Jim -

RTJ designed the current 16th. Based on a suggestion from Bob Jones. The hole was changed along with a number of other changes RTJ made to ANGC in '48.

You are correct about it playing at 190 yards at one time. My guess is that it was shortened to accommodate the stands now located directly behind the tee. A very cool place to watch play into the green. You are sitting on top of the players. Almost a Merion first tee feel to it.

Bob

[Matthew Mollica]

Thanks for posting these Neil.

The first iteration of Augusta never ceases to amaze me.

Does the 14th of today (5th on the 1931 plan) feature a small creek wandering down the right of the hole? If so, the drive with ample room left yeilding a tough approach, with a centreline hazard and small right side landing area, guarded by the creek, looks fantastic.

The green shapes look brilliant and so much more interesting than the uniform ovoid shapes so prevalent there today.

MM