Quiz

1. For the first Masters, in 1934, Bobby Jones reversed the two nines so the current front nine played as the back and vice versa. Why?

A. He believed the present front nine was a more difficult down-the-stretch test.

B. The ninth hole offered a better chance for a closing birdie.

C. The ninth green was considered an ideal location for the award ceremony.

2. The gleaming sand in Augusta National’s bunkers is from:

A. Bermuda

B. Mexico

C. North Carolina

3. Each of Augusta National’s four par 5s have yielded an albatross 2, the latest coming from Louis Oosthuizen in the final round in 2012. Which of the following players did not make an albatross?

A. Bruce Devlin

B. Raymond Floyd

C. Jeff Maggert

D. Gene Sarazen

4. When heavy rains in October 1990 turned Rae’s Creek into a torrent and nearly obliterated the 11th hole, how long did it take to rebuild the green and open the hole for play?

A. Six weeks

B. Three months

C. Six days

D. 48 hours

5. True or false: Rae’s Creek runs in front of the par-5 13th green and along the left side of the fairway.
6. To help the club prepare for reopening near the end of World War II, it employed:

A. Inmates from the Georgia penal system.

B. Volunteers among the Augusta National membership.

C. German prisoners of war.

D. A team of Texas oil-field workers.


Answers:

1. (a) Turns out the front-nine stroke average for all Masters tournaments is 36.94, and the back is 37.15.

2. (c) It’s actually quartz and has been used in the bunkers since 1975.

3. (b) Floyd did ace the par-3 16th hole in 1996.

4. (a) Using maps charted to the square inch, the club had the green ready for play by Thanksgiving.

5. False. The small stream is a tributary. The actual Rae’s Creek is visible as the pond fronting the 12th green, 13th tee and the stream running behind the 11th green.

6. (c) The POWs repaired damage done by 250 cattle roaming the course during the war.

– Guy Yocom

Augusta National Golf Club

6 Things You Didn’t Know About August National

  • In the club’s early days, there was a bunker shaped like the state of Texas to the right of the 18th green.
  • The 14th hole, now the only one without a bunker, once had a huge fairway bunker so short off the tee that it never came into play.
  • The pond on 15 was just a wide creek in the earliest days, including in 1935, when Gene Sarazen cleared it and holed out for double eagle.
  • In the late 1940s, the course had ankle-deep rough.
  • Writers used to interview players on the clubhouse balcony. There was a bar below, and writers would call down their drink orders, which would be delivered by rope and bucket.
  • As recently as the late 1990s, there was a barbershop on the magnolia lane side of the clubhouse. A former shopkeeper had a nice perk: when business was slow, he played Augusta National three or four times a week.

The Masters

Major Masters Malfunctions

On the 50th anniversary of Roberto De Vicenzo’s scorecard error that kept him from playing off for
the green jacket, some other bizarre happenings at Augusta through the years:

  • A member of the international media got a late start when he showed up at Augusta during the 2003 Masters … Augusta, Maine.
  • In 2012’s first round, Henrik Stenson took a two-shot lead to the 18th hole but hooked his tee shot and became the seventh player to make a quadruple-bogey 8 there. “It keeps on snowballing,” Stenson said, “and I got the snowman.”
  • Billy Casper’s 105 in the 2005 Masters, at age 73, did not go into the record book because Casper withdrew, leaving the 95 by Charles Kunkle in 1956 as the highest round in tournament history.
  • Ernie Els opened his 2016 Masters with a six-putt from three feet to make the first 9 at the first hole in tournament history. Said Els, who battled his demons to play the final 17 holes in three-over par: “It’s hard to putt when you’ve got snakes in your head.”

– Mike O’Malley

The Perfect Masters Weekend

Did you know?

Membership in America’s most revered golf club is invitation-only. But we’ll let you in on a little secret: once a year, in a nod to Willy Wonka, it admits a green ticket applicant from the public.

Submit your application online at GolfDigest.com/go/greenticket.

8 Ways To Get Kicked Out Of The Masters

1. Yell “Baba Booey!” during Jack’s ceremonial opening tee shot.

2. Snip off a few azaleas near the 13th green as a keepsake.

3. Ask Fred Ridley if that’s his real hair colour.

4. Crash the champions dinner by sporting a green jacket and claiming you’re Bob Goalby.

5. Hold up a sign pleading for the reinstatement of Gary McCord.

6. Hawk knockoff Augusta National-logoed boxer briefs in the crowd.

7. Spread false rumours that the pimento-cheese sandwiches contain laundry detergent.

8. Pull your car into the magnolia lane gate and introduce yourself as Martha Burk.