Two of Augusta National’s most famous holes have undergone alterations ahead of the 2022 Masters.
Both the par-4 11th and the par-5 15th hole will play longer than ever before this April. The club made the changes official overnight when it released its annual media guide.
For the 11th, the “significant hole changes” are described as, “Masters tees moved back 15 yards and to the golfer’s left. Fairway recontoured and several trees removed on right side.” And for 15, “Masters tees moved back 20 yards and fairway recontoured.”
The media guide also mentions on the 18th, “Thirteen yards added to the back of the Masters tees without necessitating a change in length to the hole.” The par 72 will play to 7,510 yards (6,867 metres) in total, reflecting the combined 35-yard increase on holes 11 and 15.
Changes to those two holes were believed to be in the works last June when Eureka Earth shared overhead photos showing construction on those two holes. There also appeared to be some activity on the 13th hole, but Augusta National didn’t mention any official changes to the iconic par 5.
According to the media guide, these are the first significant course changes since the par-4 fifth hole was lengthened by 40 yards in 2019. Of course, these two new changes don’t seem to be major, but any tweaks to the Masters venue are certainly newsworthy.
Historically, the 11th, known as “White Dogwood”, has played as the course’s second-most difficult hole, just a fraction easier than the 10th. Ben Hogan once famously said of the long par 4 with a pond guarding the green, “If you ever see me on the 11th green in two, you’ll know I missed my second shot.”
On the other hand, the 15th, called “Firethorn”, has played as the second-easiest hole, behind only the 13th. However, the extra distance should affect how many players go for the shallow green in two.
The 2022 Masters will be played from April 7-10.
