2nd Hole at Augusta

[stinger_gc]

Just saw that the 2nd hole is going to be 10 yards longer and the tee pushed to the left. Hopefully these changes bring the right fairway bunker more into play. I wonder which hole could see some changes next. I think 7 as a driveable par 4 would be super interesting especially with a front pin

 

 

https://www.si.com/golf/2024/02/20/masters-2024-augusta-national-course-changes-lengthening-second-hole-par-5

[m d g]

 

I love driveable par 4s.

 

I call them long par 3s.

[jt2gt]

Rory calls them three and a half’s. 😂

[DoughBack18]

1 hour ago, stinger_gc said:

Just saw that the 2nd hole is going to be 10 yards longer and the tee pushed to the left. Hopefully these changes bring the right fairway bunker more into play. I wonder which hole could see some changes next. I think 7 as a driveable par 4 would be super interesting especially with a front pin

 

 

https://www.si.com/golf/2024/02/20/masters-2024-augusta-national-course-changes-lengthening-second-hole-par-5

7 was drivable at one point. I think it was Byron Nelson who drove it and they ended up adding in the front bunkers and lengthening it shortly after. 

[stinger_gc]

9 minutes ago, DoughBack18 said:

7 was drivable at one point. I think it was Byron Nelson who drove it and they ended up adding in the front bunkers and lengthening it shortly after. 

I’ve heard that as well.

[StoutKing]

I think 7 was modelled on #18 at the Old Course which can be driven on occasion.

[Hawkeye77]

2 hours ago, stinger_gc said:

Just saw that the 2nd hole is going to be 10 yards longer and the tee pushed to the left. Hopefully these changes bring the right fairway bunker more into play. I wonder which hole could see some changes next. I think 7 as a driveable par 4 would be super interesting especially with a front pin

 

 

https://www.si.com/golf/2024/02/20/masters-2024-augusta-national-course-changes-lengthening-second-hole-par-5

Interesting on 2.

 

7 a driveable 4? Never. One of the most interesting second shots in golf. 

[stinger_gc]

2 hours ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Interesting on 2.

 

7 a driveable 4? Never. One of the most interesting second shots in golf. 

I mean not permanently. Put a forward tee and use it one of the days

[stinger_gc]

3 hours ago, StoutKing said:

I think 7 was modelled on #18 at the Old Course which can be driven on occasion.

I see a lot of similarities between the 2 courses: 4 at Augusta/11 at the OC for example. Tiger has said on multiple occasions that those are his 2 favorite courses 

[kmbean]

So change the angle so it’s harder to sling a driver around the corner and make it longer so the bunker is in play when hitting 3 wood off the tee.  I like it.

[Hawkeye77]

7 hours ago, stinger_gc said:

I mean not permanently. Put a forward tee and use it one of the days

Gimmick, and that nothing about that hole suggests hitting driver into it - not as simple as measuring “x” yardage and setting a couple tee markers. 

[Hawkeye77]

11 hours ago, StoutKing said:

I think 7 was modelled on #18 at the Old Course which can be driven on occasion.

Originally, yes. And in a very short time because players thought it was too shot and a gimmicky hole it was redone 90 years ago. Green moved up the hill and changed, mounds, so forth. Later changes were to increase the challenge on the second shot.  Again, more to it that moving up a box, especially since nothing about the green or its location has been receptive to being a short par 4 for almost 100 years.  

[stinger_gc]

27 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Originally, yes. And in a very short time because players thought it was too shot and a gimmicky hole it was redone 90 years ago. Green moved up the hill and changed, mounds, so forth. Later changes were to increase the challenge on the second shot.  Again, more to it that moving up a box, especially since nothing about the green or its location has been receptive to being a short par 4 for almost 100 years.  

True. I think some work would need to be done on the green but it’d be cool to see

[Ferguson]

 

 

 

 

Back and to the left. 

 

 

 

Edited February 22 by Ferguson

[mark m]

It can’t be much to the left. The back tee box for #9 (460 par 4) is close by. It may mean you have to wait to play. 
 

#2 and #9 tee boxes 

 

 

[TLUBulldogGolf]

3 is already one of the great short par 4s in the world and is almost drivable. I's curious how this will affect the faders, they seemed unbothered with the old tee. 

[rogolf]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye77 said:

Originally, yes. And in a very short time because players thought it was too shot and a gimmicky hole it was redone 90 years ago. Green moved up the hill and changed, mounds, so forth. Later changes were to increase the challenge on the second shot.  Again, more to it that moving up a box, especially since nothing about the green or its location has been receptive to being a short par 4 for almost 100 years.  

What's this 90-100 years, Augusta opened in 1932.

[Ferguson]

That green mimics # 1 at the Camp David 9-holer.

 

 

 

 

 

[grm24]

10 hours ago, stinger_gc said:

I mean not permanently. Put a forward tee and use it one of the days

No need to put a new forward tee on number 7. The members tee on the 7th at Augusta plays 330 yards. While short it would be difficult to drive due to 3 large bunkers fronting the green. ANGC would never play from that tee during the Masters.

[StoutKing]

The right fairway bunker on #2 I do not believe is original either.

Edited February 22 by StoutKing

[ChipNRun]

Here is matrix of selected holes that have been altered at course. No. 7 has been stretched, while two par 3 holes have been trimmed.

 

Yardage Changes on Selected Holes at Augusta National GC
Hole	World Golf Atlas (1986)	AP Master’s Preview 2002*	Master’s Program 2008	2024 Master’s Course Poster √
No. 6 Juniper	190	180	180	180
No. 7 Pampas	365	410	450	450
No. 16 Red Bud	190	170	170	170
* Nine holes lengthened that year to stretch the course from 6,985 to 7,270 yards. √   https://www.ebay.com/itm/275631273296

 

Here is current layout of No. 7 Pampas hole. To right is suggested alteration into drivable par 4.

 

 

Green sets at top of hill. Has slight center ridge (front to back), and balls drain off to both left and right. Overall green drains from back to front, allowing spin-backs.

 

No. 7 as a drivable would be interesting. Five bunkers ring the green, so anyone holding green with tee shot could pick up almost +2 strokes on the field.

 

[jonsnow]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

That green mimics # 1 at the Camp David 9-holer.

 

 

 

 

 

Well, they both have grass on them...

[rogolf]

1 hour ago, ChipNRun said:

Here is matrix of selected holes that have been altered at course. No. 7 has been stretched, while two par 3 holes have been trimmed.

 

Yardage Changes on Selected Holes at Augusta National GC
Hole	World Golf Atlas (1986)	AP Master’s Preview 2002*	Master’s Program 2008	2024 Master’s Course Poster √
No. 6 Juniper	190	180	180	180
No. 7 Pampas	365	410	450	450
No. 16 Red Bud	190	170	170	170
* Nine holes lengthened that year to stretch the course from 6,985 to 7,270 yards. √   https://www.ebay.com/itm/275631273296

 

Here is current layout of No. 7 Pampas hole. To right is suggested alteration into drivable par 4.

 

 

Green sets at top of hill. Has slight center ridge (front to back), and balls drain off to both left and right. Overall green drains from back to front, allowing spin-backs.

 

No. 7 as a drivable would be interesting. Five bunkers ring the green, so anyone holding green with tee shot could pick up almost +2 strokes on the field.

 

I'm sure that The Masters or Augusta National have an email address.  Perhaps you could send your suggestions to them.

[Hawkeye77]

8 hours ago, rogolf said:

What's this 90-100 years, Augusta opened in 1932.

 

Maxwell's redesign of 7 started in 1937, completed in 1938 --- I'm so sorry, it was 86-87 years, lol, not “90” - you thought it was redesigned much more recently?

Edited February 22 by Hawkeye77

[Hawkeye77]

2 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

Here is matrix of selected holes that have been altered at course. No. 7 has been stretched, while two par 3 holes have been trimmed.

 

Yardage Changes on Selected Holes at Augusta National GC
Hole	World Golf Atlas (1986)	AP Master’s Preview 2002*	Master’s Program 2008	2024 Master’s Course Poster √
No. 6 Juniper	190	180	180	180
No. 7 Pampas	365	410	450	450
No. 16 Red Bud	190	170	170	170
* Nine holes lengthened that year to stretch the course from 6,985 to 7,270 yards. √   https://www.ebay.com/itm/275631273296

 

Here is current layout of No. 7 Pampas hole. To right is suggested alteration into drivable par 4.

 

 

Green sets at top of hill. Has slight center ridge (front to back), and balls drain off to both left and right. Overall green drains from back to front, allowing spin-backs.

 

No. 7 as a drivable would be interesting. Five bunkers ring the green, so anyone holding green with tee shot could pick up almost +2 strokes on the field.

 

You know the elevation and are aware of the green design - nobody is holding that green with a driver. 

[rblmp32]

13 hours ago, kmbean said:

So change the angle so it’s harder to sling a driver around the corner and make it longer so the bunker is in play when hitting 3 wood off the tee.  I like it.

 

Yeah.  I'm liking the sound of this.  

[mosesgolf]

I don't know about a driveable par 4 at Augusta.  That would be like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.  It's fine for other courses that have(had) them as it's a part of their history like St. Andrews 18th.

[grm24]

1 hour ago, mosesgolf said:

I don't know about a driveable par 4 at Augusta.

Players have tried to driver the 3rd hole fairly recently. TW tried it one year he was in contention and it cost him when he hit multiple poor shots.

 

https://www.espn.com/golf/masters/story?id=1538428

 

Here is a hole description of the 3rd.

 

Hole No. 3 – Flowering Peach

 

Par 4 – 350 Yards

At just 350 yards, the third hole is very much a drivable par 4. For some players, it’s even a 3-woodable par 4. Put plainly, the yardage isn’t the problem on this hole. It’s all about how it’s played.

 

With four fairway bunkers in play, many will lay up and opt for a good position in the fairway. But, that leaves a challenging short iron or wedge approach with the potential for backspin off a severely sloping green. Players that go for the green with their first shot will face the same challenge, just from a shorter distance.

[notsohard]

Shorten the course by a 1000 yards and throw a thousand Australian snakes everywhere. Try beating par now boys. 

[StoutKing]

2 minutes ago, notsohard said:

Shorten the course by a 1000 yards and throw a thousand Australian snakes everywhere. Try beating par now boys. 

Would be awesome to see them play with pre ProV level equipment at Augusta again.  Poor strikes would be severely punished again.