Most golf courses offer views of oceans, forests, mountains or canyons.

The knobby hill provides spectators with a view of the No. 7 green to the left, the third hole straight ahead and the No. 2 green to the right. It's not a trip to the Masters without a stop here. (Michael Holahan/Staff)

At Augusta National Golf Club, the high ground reveals only a golf course, yet it's no less breathtaking.

The small knob between one of the main scoreboards and the No. 2 green provides a panorama.

The No. 7 green sits to the left, its quintet of hungry bunkers - three in front, two behind - awaiting wayward approaches.

The third hole lies straight ahead, the tee below to give an appreciation of professional power. Golfers slam drives up the chute, past the four fairway bunkers arranged like a character from the Chinese alphabet.

The No. 2 green is at 2 o'clock, although only a giant could see over the patrons who ring it. The spot still offers an unobstructed look up the second fairway and at the approach shots. The cheers or moans of greenside galleries reveal the merit of each shot.

The eighth hole runs by on the right. The tee looms behind, and the players walk in front of the knob en route from the seventh green to the tee.

The mammoth scoreboard at the knobbers' backs allows them to keep track of the competition.

Patrons visit the knob for more than the views, too. It's the crossroads of the first nine, a place almost every patron visits, whether for a moment or an hour.

The knob is like Amen Corner, the grand plaza of the second nine, without the romance. Unlike the Amen Corner scene, though, you don't need to rush across the course in the morning to set up your folding chair or grab a spot in the grandstand.

There are no sitting areas here, no bleachers.

This knob is a place to stand and admire golf, both the course and those playing it, which at Augusta National is beautiful enough on its own.