The Ins & Outs of Augusta National Golf Club, Host of The Masters Tournament
The Masters golf tournament is one of the most famous in the world, rich with tradition and bountiful natural beauty. But what keeps Georgia on our minds is the history of the tournament and all that make it special. From its humble beginnings as a gathering of friends to the ecological splendor of the former nursery upon which the course is built, the tradition that accompanies golf’s first major of the year is worthy of celebration. So in anticipation of the 2023 Masters (the 87th playing), let’s take a look at what makes this tournament so special: it’s host, the Augusta National Golf Club.
The Augusta National Golf Club Origin Story
One of the most striking features of Augusta National is the botanical diversity that provides a colorful backdrop to the lush green fairways and rich brown pine needles that surround them. This land did not begin as a golf course, but as a functioning commercial nursery in the late 18th century that operated as one of the most successful horticultural sites of its time in the South. The property first belonged to a local Augusta judge until a man named Dennis Redmond purchased the 315-acre lot and transformed it into Fruitland Nurseries, complete with a residence named Fruitland Manor that would later become the Augusta National clubhouse.
Redmond operated Fruitland Nurseries from 1853 to 1857 until two Belgian immigrants, a father and son named Louis and Prosper Berckman, acquired the property and much of the surrounding land. The Berckman’s were talented horticulturalists and agronomists who developed three of the five main varieties of Georgia Peach and imported plants from all over the world, introducing America to some of its favorite flowering shrubs, trees, and bushes. Legend has it that when Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie found the site in the 1930s, Jones pronounced, “Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it.”
Azaleas at Augusta National. Photo Credit: Ryan Schreiber, CC BY 2.0
Augusta National’s Hole Naming Tradition
As the only major golf tournament played at the same course every year, fans and players have a particular reverence for the hallowed grounds of Augusta. Watching the best in the world contest the Masters at Augusta National each April delivers a high degree of familiarity, and people really get to know the course and remember the names of each hole. While plenty of golf holes have names, few are intertwined with the landscape quite like the Masters, where each hole takes its namesake from a plant, tree, or shrub featured on its layout. Long time fans and enthusiasts refer to them adoringly with names like Magnolia, Golden Bell, and Azalea. Here are some of our favorites.
Hole #5 - Magnolia
A hole that doesn’t get enough credit, in our opinion, is this 495 yard par 4 featuring two deep fairway bunkers and a large, sloping green. If you ever have a chance to attend the Masters (or the more accessible and equally impressive Augusta National Women’s Amateur final round), the fifth hole at Augusta will give you a real appreciation for the deceptive undulations and significant sloping of the course and its greens.
The hole's namesake is the Magnolia tree (Magnolia grandiflora), one of several native-to-Augusta plants in the former Fruitland Nursery. This large evergreen shows off its spectacular white flowers in May and June, producing a pleasant scent that signals the arrival of summer. Magnolias are great climbing trees, and in the old days before Masters tournament television coverage expanded, you’d have to climb one to get a good look at this hole. It is one of the more underrated holes on the course, but a local favorite.
Hole #6 - Juniper
Juniper is the second par 3 on the front side, playing close to par (historical average of 3.14) for players able to place their 180 yard tee shot onto the appropriate level of the green, whose slope creates two tiers and makes pin placement of critical importance. Imperfect tee shots leave a challenging second putt and a real possibility of the dreaded 3 putt.
The 6th is named for another native-to-Augusta evergreen tree, Juniperus virginiana, whose fragrant wood is a popular choice for artisan furniture makers and a favorite Christmas tree choice across the southeastern United States. Hole 6 at the Masters also offers a unique vantage point for spectators seated on the hill beneath the elevated tee box.
Hole #11 - White Dogwood
There's a reason why people say The Masters doesn't start until the back nine on Sunday, and the first hole of Amen Corner is a big reason why. A player’s approach shot must navigate tricky winds to avoid the greenside pond and bunker which is easier said than done, considering the lore and power this triad of holes has over modern golf.
The 11th hole at Augusta takes its name from the White Dogwood, a magnificent and widely popular flowering tree found throughout the Eastern United States. The white flowers, which bloom in March and early April, signal the onset of spring and are adored in the fall when they turn a dark rouge and produce brilliant red seeds. Patrons will enjoy spectacular views of White Dogwood all over the course at Augusta National.
Hole #12 - Golden Bell
The middle hole of Amen Corner, a par 3 named after a shrub from the Forsythia Intermedia family, produces richly yellow flowers during its March and April blooming season.
A popular vantage point for spectators, behind the 12th tee with sight lines of Golden Bell and the tee box of No. 13 Azalea. Photo Credit: Ryan Schreiber
Hole 12 at Augusta National, Golden Bell, is a stealer of Green Jacket dreams, most recently ending Cam Smith's bid for his first Masters championship in 2022. While not a long hole, the 155 yard 12th punches far above its weight class due to swirling winds and a sloping green that feeds balls into Rae’s Creek. With a historical scoring average of over-par 3.27, Golden Bell rewards pin point accuracy with one of golf’s most iconic walks over the Ben Hogan Bridge.
Hole #13 - Azalea
The final hole of Amen Corner is the first of two back nine par 5s, which a champion needs to master to clear a field of eager challengers on Sunday’s back nine. With an historical under-par scoring average of 4.77, players in contention for the Green Jacket will need to score well, and often try to reach the green in two for the chance at an eagle.
The hole's namesake is the azalea bush, a Rhododendron whose full blooms are a splendid sight behind the four bunkers that flank the green at Augusta’s 13th hole.
Hole #16 - Redbud
Redbud is a short par 3 that plays entirely over water and features the most exciting pin location of Sunday's final round. A hole-in-one is not out of the question for players who take advantage of a sloping leftward break, funneling well placed tee shots right down towards the cup.
The Redbud tree is a native of the eastern United States whose distinctive pink blooms are on full display throughout March and April. Augusta National’s 16th hole is famous for many reasons, but the memory that will stand out for generations to come is Tiger Woods’ impossible chip-in during the 2005 Masters that seemed destined for glory from the moment he lifted it from the rough. It is a story unto itself and worth further reading; we recommend this Sports Illustrated recap of the 2005 Masters.
Hole 16 Redbud, a short par 3 at Augusta National, pictured here during a practice round. Photo Credit: Ryan Schreiber, CC BY 2.0
Hole #17 - Nandina
Hole #17, Nandina, a par 4 named after a species of flowering plant commonly known as heavenly or sacred bamboo, once featured the most famous tree in golf: the Eisenhower Tree, lost in a 2014 ice storm. Nandina’s native land is eastern Asia, the Himalayas and Japan and it produces dark red berries during the winter. These berries contain cyanide, making it toxic for birds and animals and some botanists consider it an invasive plant.
Uphill at 440 yards and protected by two frontside bunkers, the all-time scoring average at the Masters hole 17 is nearly level par. Not as deadly as the berries its namesake produces, but certainly not a hole that any champion wants to take for granted on their way to the Green Jacket.
Masters Tournament Traditions
The Masters is one of golf’s most revered tournaments, and its longevity and consistency is a primary reason why. Far from the oldest tournament in golf, its permanent residence at Augusta National Golf Club gives its adoring fans a deep appreciation for everything about the course and its traditions. And Augusta returns the favor, thanks to Clifford Roberts and his original vision for a “patron experience” that would be unrivaled in the golf world. This is seen today through their control of Masters food prices, offering their patrons $1.50 pimento cheese sandwiches and reasonably priced libations.
And the course isn’t the only thing consistent about the Masters; past champions receive a lifetime invitation to play every year, until they decline. This results in a gathering of golf greats for one week in April, where past winners meet at the Masters Club and enjoy the Champions Dinner on Tuesday night. This ultra-exclusive event, with a menu selected by last year’s victor, makes winning a Green Jacket even more desirable by golf’s elite.
The entire week is a celebration of golf and a rite of spring for even the most casual of golf fans. Another unique tradition is the Par 3 tournament, where players enjoy a spirited afternoon with friends and family who are invited into the action. Tune into Wednesday’s Par 3 contest and you’ll see player’s children and grandchildren hit tee shots and roll putts to the delight of the patrons.
Official play begins the following Thursday morning with an “honorary start,” where four legends of the game (who are no longer competing in the tournament) hit a tee shot on Hole 1, Tea Olive, to officially begin the Masters.
Players and their families enjoying the Masters Par 3 Tournament. Photo Credit: Ryan Schreiber, CC BY 2.0
And no discussion of the Masters is complete without mention of the Green Jacket, a handsome green sports coat embroidered with the Masters logo and given to the winner to keep until next year’s tournament, at which point their Green Jacket may only be worn on grounds and must be kept in the locker at the Champions Club. The first Green Jacket was awarded to Sam Snead in 1949, and has been made by a small tailoring company in Cincinnati, Ohio since 1967. File that one away for your next game of Masters Trivia.
Enjoy The Masters
It’s no secret that we adore golf’s greatest Invitational tournament, and we hope this article has given you more appreciation for the Masters. Should you ever have an opportunity to attend, you should move heaven and earth to make it happen. And while tickets are by no means easy to find, the Masters does host a ticket lottery every year, and people really win! Even if you can’t get down to Augusta, you can purchase authentic Masters merchandise from Great Golf Memories or through our Amazon store!
To walk among golf’s greats is an experience that is made for television, so you know where you’ll find us in early April. Just us and millions of our friends.
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Featured Image Credit: pocketwiley, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons