The Masters tournament held every April at Augusta National Golf Club is an electrifying experience. All golfers dream of hitting that first tee shot. Some people just dream of going to the course and feeling the atmosphere, smelling the azaleas and watching the best players in the world ply their trade. Although masters tickets have been sold out for 30+ years, you can still experience the action at Augusta through several means so you can be at the famous amen corner on Sunday.
Every golfer who has watched the masters knows about amen corner, how a player performs on these holes has a significant bearing on their place in the tournament. Let’s explore the start of the back nine and what makes these holes so tough.
The 10th hole Camelia
The back nine begins with traditionally the toughest hole on the golf course. The hole plays severely downhill and doglegs from right to left. The tee shot must move right to left and be played down the left side of the fairway. The left side of the fairway has a more extreme downslope where extra distance can be achived. The left half of the fairway is also flatter than the right half and also offers the best angle to approach the green. A player who is unable to hit the correct tee shot is faced with a longer second shot. Possibly up two clubs longer, from a downslope with a 5 iron to a green protected by a bunker. Did I mention the green runs away from the player?!. Sounds tough? The historical rank of the par 4 10th is 4.32, in 2010 only 24 birdies were made here the entire week.
The 11th hole White Dogwood
The 11th is fast catching the 10th as the hardest hole on the course. This hole has been adjusted several times in recent years. In short the tee has been moved back so the hole now plays at 500 yards, trees added to the right side of the fairway and the fairway shifted left. Now a tee shot of 265 yards is required to reach the fairway on this hole. Players must hit a power fade off the tee to fit the hole correctly. A block will see the ball richochet around the right trees where it is almost impossible to reach the green in two. The second shot to the green is played with a long iron downhill to a green protected by the pond on the left side. A safe shot is to the right edge of the green leaving a chip or long putt. This hole is popular amongst patrons holding masters tickets. From the mound overlooking the 12th tee you can see players putt out on the 11th, play the entire 12th hole and drive off the 13th tee.
The 12th hole Golden Bell
The shortest of all the holes at Augusta, but this one shot is packed with pressure. This hole is only 155 yard short to mid iron across rae’s creek to a shallow green. However the swirling winds make this hole so tough. Basically the player must control the distance of their tee shot on this hole or perish. The front of the green is mowed very closely to allow the balls to run back into the water. Azaleas protect the back of the green and leave a treacherous up and down. The smart play here is to hit the ball at the bunker in the middle front of the green. That way any tee shot that is short will be safely swallowed by the bunker and not rae’s creek. This hole is historically ranked the second hardest on the course
The 13th hole Azalea
This is classic risk reward par 5 that plays at 510 yards. A slight draw must be hit from the tee to give the player the shortest possible second shot. A drive that is pushed right finishes on the pine straw with trees blocking the escape. The approach shot is played with the ball above the feet from around 200 yards to a green that slopes the opposite way to the fairway and away from the player. Rae’s creek runs across the front of the green waiting for a misjudged approach. Many players have seen there chances ruined on this hole. You can buy tickets to 2011 masters and watch all of the action on the famous amen corner. You will see birdies, eagles and players lose their chance of winning all in the space of three action packed holes.
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This post was written by admin on August 10, 2010
