A fan's guide to Augusta National
Augusta Chronicle Sports editor John Boyette narrates a walking tour of Augusta National Golf Club. With maps and video, we show highlights of this famous golf course.
Watch the videoHole by Hole Guide
Hole No. 1 - Tea Olive
The slight dogleg right is not the easiest tee shot golfers will face. Carrying the fairway bunker will require a drive of 300 yards, and shorter hitters will face an uphill shot to the undulating green.
Hole No. 2 - Dogwood
A slight draw off the tee sets up a chance to reach the par-5 green in two. Bunkers in front of the green often come into play.
Hole No. 3 - Flowering Peach
Most players opt for position off the tee with a long iron or a fairway wood. The small green, which slopes from right to left, is not entirely visible from the fairway.
Hole No. 4 - Flowering Crabapple
This tough par-3 requires a long-iron shot to the green, which is guarded by a pair of bunkers.
Hole No. 5 - Magnolia
The deep fairway bunkers on the left require a carry of 315 yards around the dogleg. Large humps in the green make it a challenging putting surface.
Hole No. 6 - Juniper
This downhill par-3 usually requires no more than a medium iron to the large, undulating green. Put the ball on the wrong part of the green, however, and a three-putt is likely.
Hole No. 7 - Pampas
The new tee installed in 2002 puts a driver back into most players’ hands. The hole features a narrow fairway to an elevated, well-bunkered green.
Hole No. 8 - Yellow Jasmine
A large fairway bunker makes this par-5 difficult to reach in two shots. A blind uphill shot awaits those who are tempted to go for it in two.
Hole No. 9 - Carolina Cherry
The severely sloped green makes par a challenge. Accuracy off the tee is required, and approach shots that are short of the target often roll off the green.
Hole No. 10 - Camelia
Historically the toughest hole at Augusta National, the tee shot requires a hard hook to gain extra distance. Drives that go too far right will leave a long second shot; if they go too far left, trees are a problem.
Hole No. 11 - White Dogwood
The start of Amen Corner is the most difficult hole in recent years because of its added length. A slight fade off the tee is necessary to reach the fairway. The greenside pond is more of a factor, because players have longer shots into the green.
Hole No. 12 - Golden Bell
The shortest hole is a bear to play because of swirling winds. It’s usually a medium- or short-iron shot to a narrow green that is protected by Rae’s Creek in front and azaleas behind.
Hole No. 13 - Azalea
The classic risk-reward hole became more challenging with a new tee added in 2002. A slight draw is required to get into position for the second shot to the par-5, but a tributary of the creek catches shots that come up short.
Hole No. 14 - Chinese Fir
It’s the only hole on the course without a bunker, but a severe green provides plenty of problems. Players often have to hit driver instead of a 3-wood, and a sloping fairway kicks shots into trouble on the right. Large undulations on the green make this the trickiest to putt.
Hole No. 15 - Fire Thorn
Changes made in the last decade make reaching this par-5 hole in two shots a challenge, but plenty of birdies will be had. A pond guards the green in front, but those who lay up face a hard shot from a downhill lie.
Hole No. 16 - Redbud
This par-3 requires anything from a short- to medium-iron shot. The green is the hole’s main defense; being below the hole is a must. The back bunker and a pond on the left also pose hazards.
Hole No. 17 - Nandina
Players must negotiate Ike’s Tree off the tee, but for most it’s a short-iron second shot into a rock-hard green.
Hole No. 18 - Holly
The closing hole has become a 465-yard challenge with the extension of the tee in 2002. An accurate drive is a must, and an expanded bunker complex requires a clout of 335 yards to carry. Trees to the left of the bunkers prevent a bailout on that side, and the elevated green is guarded by bunkers.
Multimedia
The challenge on 14
Watch a 3D animation showing the difficulties faced on Hole 14, widely regarded as the toughest green on the course.
Watch the clipStories
National hasn't always been picture perfect
Anyone who started competing in the Masters during the early 1970s might think the Augusta National Golf Club was always in immaculate condition.
Nothing cosmetic
Here's how Mother Nature and environmentally friendly maintenance practices create awe-inspiring beauty of the Augusta National Golf Club.
One ball rule ignored by most
Placed near the tee markers on the first and 10th hole and in plain sight, signs read "Practice rounds, use one ball only."
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