The Genius of The Masters, By Design

[Alex Miller]

It's nearly impossible to imagine the 9's reversed, but I do think hole 9 would play very differently as the final hole to a championship. If the pin is in a similar spot to where it was sunday, the nerves make a putt from behind the hole very dangerous. I don't mean to take away anything from 18, and obviously it serves its purpose VERY well.

The water on the back nine is also an essential element to the course that really might be what separates it from the front nine in terms of score volatility. I hated how the banks were set up this year because a ball hung up on the bank wouldn't have cause a roar anyway. Keeping the balls out of the water doesn't do anything for the roars that are wanted from The Masters.

[V. Kmetz]

Alex,

For what its worth, I agree with the balance of your remarks, especially regarding the turf preparation on the banks this year.

I was not so much disappointed by the absence of groans/cheers, but that I think it was a little bit of cheat  to history and previous competitors who have been gobbled by the unabated gravity of the shaved appearance.  Plus, it was spoken that previous weather had left the turf healthy and lush this season, with dampening in the weeks before the tournament.

If there was ever a time not to have those startling "guard rails"  of first-cut, in front of 12 and 15, it was this season, as I understand it. 

cheers

vk

[mike_beene]

if 13 and 15 were par 4s would that affect the feel of the lead changes and the roars? I know the course would play the same although in the back of my mind I want to think there might be a few less layups.But my question is more with the feel to a TV viewer.

[Malcolm Mckinnon]

Tom,

I agree, exactly, and was explaining the tournament to my wife in these terms after the third round on Saturday.

I must be pretty smart like you.

QED

[Chris Flamion]

Tom,

Thank you for sharing this information, I have never thought of the course like this, even though it makes perfect sense.

My wife caught the momentum(however perceived) this year.  She even called out how Scott was well in front of Tiger after 13 despite he had another "easy" birdie ahead at 15. 

I would like to see more championship courses set up with such a punishing/rewarding stretch.  The excitement is worth the lower numbers.

Chris

[David_Elvins]

Tom Doak,

Interesting post.

How would you rate the flow of the routing, with regard to hole type and dificulty, without consideration for the tournament drama.

I always thought as a course, that the flow of the course seemed to work really well.  That 4-6 was a good place to have a stretch of long tough holes.  That 12-16 was a good place to have a stretch of risk reward holes (and 14 worked brilliantly in between 12 and 15).  17 and 18 were the perfect type of holes to end a round, 1 and 2 the perfect type to start a round.  

I always thought that routing was similar in pacing to the original RM Composite routing which also seemed to work well (1W 2W 1E 2E 5W 6W 7W 10W 11W 12W 17W 18W 3W 4W 3E 4E 17E 18E).  

How close is the pacing of the routing at Augusta to what you would consider ideal, tournements aside?  Or do you think that courses find their own rythym and they only look great by back analysing them?

[William_G]

This year they also had 99 players start the tournament which is the most they've had in 45 years or so.

With that many players who all just can just smash the ball, combined with relatively soft greens, the men in green jackets at Augusta created a perfect drama at at well layed out theater.

The combination of the best players out of 99 bubbling to the top, after a cut of under par, under the pressure of Sunday at the Masters this year, was the best show they've had in years. Trying to hold a lead while the cheers of everyone playiing in front of you is hitting 6 or 7 irons into par 5's on their 2nd shots, including someone whose won 14 majors...

It was a practical decision of morning sunlight to originally reverse the nines, but now, who could imagine it any other way.

Well said Mr. Doak, and let's keep about 99 players each year....should be great.

Thanks

[Tom_Doak]

Tom Doak,

Interesting post.

How would you rate the flow of the routing, with regard to hole type and dificulty, without consideration for the tournament drama.

I always thought as a course, that the flow of the course seemed to work really well.  That 4-6 was a good place to have a stretch of long tough holes.  That 12-16 was a good place to have a stretch of risk reward holes (and 14 worked brilliantly in between 12 and 15).  17 and 18 were the perfect type of holes to end a round, 1 and 2 the perfect type to start a round.  

I always thought that routing was similar in pacing to the original RM Composite routing which also seemed to work well (1W 2W 1E 2E 5W 6W 7W 10W 11W 12W 17W 18W 3W 4W 3E 4E 17E 18E).  

How close is the pacing of the routing at Augusta to what you would consider ideal, tournements aside?  Or do you think that courses find their own rythym and they only look great by back analysing them?

David:

I think that most courses find their own rhythm.  I had never thought about it for Royal Melbourne -- and maybe I should, though they keep changing the order for the Composite course.

I detest the U.S. Open venues which strive to be 18 hard pars in a row.  Merion is interestingly different in that regard.  The first five holes are really tough, the middle stretch offers many birdie chances, and then the last five holes are as tough as can be.  That's enough to give the members a thrill ride, but it's not enough change of pace to create the drama in a big tournament that Augusta does, and Merion has never really done so ... most of its epic encounters have been head to head.

[Tim_Cronin]

Frost was indeed the reason for the switch. It was made in 1935, for the second Masters. Curiously, this was a switch back to what MacKenzie wanted originally.

And the first few Masters were in late March, not the second week of April, when frost is much less likely. If the tournament was played in April from the start, maybe there's no switch, Sarazen's double-eagle 2 comes on the par-5 sixth, and everybody wonders why the back nine on Sunday isn't all that interesting compared to the front nine!

[Ben Sims]

Tom,

Stepping away from the pacing of the golf holes; you stated somewhere in the past few days that there are two ways to promote scoring and "roars" and that "...this wasn't it."  

I am in the camp that believes that Augusta can control its setup with more intention of precision than any other course on the planet.  Unless the wind howls or it rains an inch a day for a week, I think they have the means to get whatever setup they want.  Which is why I think the setup was no fluke, especially on the weekend after the course had 5 days to dry.  

What setup do you think would have promoted the excitement we saw without being so soft?

My personal opinion is that they nailed it.  I forgot who said it, but at The Masters, "the golf course refuses to be ignored."   I agree wholly with that premise.  I can't think of a major venue that plays as unforgiving as Augusta, yet yields so many birdies.  14 under wins the tourney but the cut was +2.  Pretty compelling stuff.  It was my favorite Masters in years, and I hope they continue to walk the fine line between too soft and too hard.  But hopefully members at clubs around the nation can ignore everything they see at ANGC.

[Don_Mahaffey]

The water on the back nine is also an essential element to the course that really might be what separates it from the front nine in terms of score volatility. I hated how the banks were set up this year because a ball hung up on the bank wouldn't have cause a roar anyway. Keeping the balls out of the water doesn't do anything for the roars that are wanted from The Masters.

Obviously they wanted more roars and fewer groans and that is what they got with more receptive greens and thicker collars that held the balls in place. I like the idea of players hearing the roars while they are struggling to get through 10-11-12. But, I also think hearing a few groans and seeing a few balls trundle into a watery death tests the mental toughness of the players. Its the roars and the groans that make it special. Take either out and its just not as good. 

[Rick Shefchik]

I agree. My biggest complaint this year was the fuzzy bank on 15; I also saw shots that came up short on 9 and 10 that did not roll back 30 yards, but essential stayed just off the green. Even Luke Donald's bad bounce off the flagstick on 18 Sunday didn't roll back as far as it might have in other years.

It appeared to be a deliberate set-up decision, and while I don't think the slower aprons on 9, 10 and 18 had that much effect, growing the grass longer on the bank in front of 15 significantly altered that hole. It played more like a par 4 than ever - plenty of reward for going for the green in two, very little risk.

[John Shimony]

Frost was indeed the reason for the switch. It was made in 1935, for the second Masters. Curiously, this was a switch back to what MacKenzie wanted originally.

I just read Bob Jones' Golf is My Game and some where in his chapters on the Masters and Augusta National he mentions the frost issue.  I do not recall any mention of what routing MacKenzie wanted originally. 

[Richard Choi]

Oh boy, Rick, you are so ignorant. Don't you know that this year's setup was PERFECT!!??? Perfect, I tell you! Did you even walk the course???

[Peter Pallotta]

Tom-

on one of the other threads, I wrote that when I turned off the set after the Masters, my first thought was "I guess 14 under is the new minus 9" -- as this tournament sunday felt much like it did 25 years ago.  No one seemed to agree with that view, and I guess I'd be hard pressed to defend it other than saying again that this it how if felt to me -- and now I think that what you've raised is the real explanation, ie. that this 'design' overrides all other changes in technology and maintenance, at least in a tournament setting.

Peter

[Dan Kelly]

I agree. My biggest complaint this year was the fuzzy bank on 15; I also saw shots that came up short on 9 and 10 that did not roll back 30 yards, but essential stayed just off the green. Even Luke Donald's bad bounce off the flagstick on 18 Sunday didn't roll back as far as it might have in other years.

It appeared to be a deliberate set-up decision, and while I don't think the slower aprons on 9, 10 and 18 had that much effect, growing the grass longer on the bank in front of 15 significantly altered that hole. It played more like a par 4 than ever - plenty of reward for going for the green in two, very little risk.

Once again: Right on, brother!

The long-enough-to-stop-slowly-rolling-balls grass in front of 15 took (it seemed to me) the terror out of going EITHER slightly long or slightly short with a long second -- AND took the terror out of the wedge-shot thirds.

If I had my way (fat chance of that), I'd let the grass grow long enough behind 15 to stop balls from rolling all the way to the hazard on 16 -- but I'd bikini-wax the front.

I also saw balls fail to roll back into Rae's Creek on 12 -- like Couples's shot in 1992, where the greenkeeper failed to shave that morning.

[Jason Topp]

Pebble Beach has a different flow with a similar effect with the opportunity for birdies front loaded into the first 7 holes allowing a rally to make the tournament more exciting.

I like stretches that provide scoring opportunities for every day play as well.  It allows the drama of a round to increase and decrease like a good book, a good movie or good music. 

[Patrick_Mucci]

I agree. My biggest complaint this year was the fuzzy bank on 15; I also saw shots that came up short on 9 and 10 that did not roll back 30 yards, but essential stayed just off the green. Even Luke Donald's bad bounce off the flagstick on 18 Sunday didn't roll back as far as it might have in other years.

Rick, I think the front of # 15 will be open to debate and change for some time.

Should a ball that would back up off the green be doomed to a watery grave ?
Should it be suspended on the bank, allowing for recovery ?

Perhaps a reasonable solution would be for the bank to be firm, with balls that don't reach the green hitting it and backing up into the water, while balls that hit the green that back up would have some sort of agronomic/feature safety net.

It's really a delicate balance.

It appeared to be a deliberate set-up decision, and while I don't think the slower aprons on 9, 10 and 18 had that much effect, growing the grass longer on the bank in front of 15 significantly altered that hole. It played more like a par 4 than ever - plenty of reward for going for the green in two, very little risk.

I don't know about that, I saw a lot of shots hit long and right.

[jeffwarne]

I agree. My biggest complaint this year was the fuzzy bank on 15; I also saw shots that came up short on 9 and 10 that did not roll back 30 yards, but essential stayed just off the green. Even Luke Donald's bad bounce off the flagstick on 18 Sunday didn't roll back as far as it might have in other years.

It appeared to be a deliberate set-up decision, and while I don't think the slower aprons on 9, 10 and 18 had that much effect, growing the grass longer on the bank in front of 15 significantly altered that hole. It played more like a par 4 than ever - plenty of reward for going for the green in two, very little risk.

This just in.

Augusta,GA.
The Augusta National Golf Club has installed a dome to contol winter  temperatures , but the rub is they will air condition it to insure winterlike conditions from Dec-February so that the underlying bermuda does not come out of dormancy prematurely(as it did this year with 75 degree temeratures in Jan-Feb) and provide too thick of a playing surface, thus slowing down balls retreating from greens.
additionally, the dome will keep the 5 inches of rain that fell in late march and the pesky 1/2 inch that fell masters week causing 39 pages of discussion on GCA about soft greens  and slow turf conditions.

members have been asked to don sweaters to support the cause.


I guess what amazes me is 3 ongoing threads criticizing the course following one of the best majors ever, and very few threads following last year's boring joke of a US Open on plinko greens that would get any super fired if he presented the course that way for a member-guest.

[Rick Shefchik]

Jeff, seriously -- the bank on 15 was mowed differently this year. If the club had wanted balls to roll into the water, they would have. For some reason, they didn't want that to happen.

Personally, I'd have preferred to see the front of 15 shaved the way it usually is. I also really enjoyed the tournament.

[jeffwarne]

Jeff, seriously -- the bank on 15 was mowed differently this year. If the club had wanted balls to roll into the water, they would have. For some reason, they didn't want that to happen.

Personally, I'd have preferred to see the front of 15 shaved the way it usually is. I also really enjoyed the tournament.

agreed
couldn't resist

[Ben Sims]

Jeff,

Is Augusta National a victim--on this site--of its own agronomic supremacy?  Seems like people expect them to be able to handle the issues you mention as if there were a dome overhead. 

Count me as one who thinks that they do have an ability to control their conditions--despite outside variables--on the orders of magnitude more than any other course in the world.  How many volunteers does the greens' staff get every March/April?  Sub-air, soil moisture sensors, vibratory rollers of differing diameters and weights, echelon formations of a dozen 50K John Deere fairway units.  The list goes on and on.  I think they carefully planned and executed a plan enacted at the top level of the club to garner renewed interest in their tournament.  It worked.  I'm pretty impressed with their ability to control each variable to a degree that they can produce exactly what they want for the patrons and viewers. 

[Sean_A]

It was disappointing to see that bank shaggy on 15.  It really took away from the risk reward aspect of the hole.   I saw at least three shots that should have been wet.  I am not buying the spin argument because pros should know how not to spin a 200+ yard approach.  Sure, you can say its a par 5 and some layup, but these guys should know how to keep the spin off a wee approach as well.  

The premise of this thread has me confused - well for the back nine anyway.  Its no secret that Amen Corner was the area to hang on, 13-16 the place to attack on Sunday and 17-18 the holes to hold your nerve if need be or take your chances with aggression if need be.  Same for the roars - this has long been part of Augusta's appeal - wondering what is going thru golfers' minds when they hear cheers from ahead or behind.  The front nine if you will recall was for ages not shown on tv so the 7-9 stretch will take more time to sink as to its importance in recovering a poor score so far or catapulting a player into the back 9.  

Ciao    

[Adam Lawrence]

It was disappointing to see that bank shaggy on 15.  It really took away from the risk reward aspect of the hole.   I saw at least three shots that should have been wet.  I am not buying the spin argument because pros should know how not to spin a 200+ yard approach.  Sure, you can say its a par 5 and some layup, but these guys should know how to keep the spin off a wee approach as well.  

I do agree with that. One of the (many) things that hacks me off about Peter Alliss is his constantly going 'Oh, that's so unlucky' or 'Oh, that's almost crazy golf' when a ball lands close to a hole and sucks back down a slope into trouble. No it isn't! If you are hitting with that much spin you need to land it somewhere else!

[Matthew Mollica]

Last thing, open to anyone...Is there any decisive - even shared, decisive - provenance on the early reversal of the nines?  I have heard that it was frequent frost in the part of the course now known as Amen Corner at the hour of the day when it was the second and third and fourth hole.  A warming sun does not get down there until roughly 9-9:30.  Yet I have also heard it attributed to just a recognition of tournament values that we experience today.  Is there one that is more true, and if it is the latter - just realizing its better - how much did Sarazen's heroics cement the current routing of the nines?

From p 88 of Clifford Roberts' book - "The Story of The Augusta National Golf Club" (1976).
For those who don't know, Roberts was the founding Chairman of Augusta National.

During the first three years the course was open, the nines were reversed from their present order, the original first tee beeing the tenth tee and vice versa. The change was made because we learned through experience that play could begin earlier after a frost on what is now the first nine, due to its being on higher ground. The first Masters Tournament, held in March 1934, was played uner the original arrangement. The switch was made in time for the fall season club opening of the same year.

MM