Augusta National has 18 great holes. Here are 5 that can decide the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The 88th Masters is here, and with it comes the reintroduction to one of golf’s great and historic courses: Augusta National Golf Club. What makes this tournament so iconic is not only the history, but also the way the course takes on such important character each April. It’s the only major championship to return to the same location each year, meaning players and spectators know the course, the most famous holes and all the epic moments of greatness and failure that have taken place over the past nearly nine decades.

But which holes really decide the Masters? The Athletic He chose five holes that offer beauty and strategy. The kind of holes that spectators camp out to watch and players spend all week thinking and planning. Now it’s Augusta, a course with 18 holes designed by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones with challenges, risks and rewards in mind, so we could have chosen all 18. But these are the five that best tell the story of the Masters.

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No. 3: Peach Blossom

The story goes that golf great Gary Player sat next to Bobby Jones at the Masters Champions Dinner one year and pressured him on the third hole: how it was impossible to make birdie. Jones leaned forward with a smile and said, “You’re not supposed to birdie the 3. The hole was designed for a four.”

It is a hole so perfectly conceived and created that it remains one of the ones that has changed the least over time. If holes Nos. 1 and 2 are relatively easy beginner holes, No. 3 is when Augusta starts playing mind games with players. It is a short 350 yard par 4 with a small green that sits up a steep slope from the fairway. If you miss short, the ball will roll down the hill and leave a brutal short shot up the hill. That’s where the challenge comes off the tee. With players driving it so far, many take the driver to the short left slope, accepting that he will sit down the hill and doing their best to get up and down the small green that slopes from right to left. And many who try fail to stay on the green with their second shots. Sometimes it rolls down the hill. Sometimes it bounces from behind. According to DataGolf, players who hit to the short left side of the fairway reach the green only 40 percent of the time.

Some players will stay close to the fairway bunkers to have a comfortable, full club on the green. But you can’t get too comfortable entering this small green.

A general view of the par-four third hole during the third round of the 2013 Masters (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

No. 11: White dogwood

Welcome to the famous Amen Corner, beginning with the 520-yard downhill par 4, where players emerge into a beautiful, narrow opening surrounded by trees. The fairway eventually opens up, but the green is well below the fairway and is protected by a large pond on the left front that makes attacking the pins a dangerous pursuit.

Like so many others at Augusta, the 11th is a good strategic hole. The best angle to enter the hole is without a doubt from the right side of the fairway. Doing so is to avoid having to hit over the water hazard, but that right side had three tall trees in the fairway to complicate both the drive and the approach a bit. Augusta removed many of the trees on the right to simplify it, but it’s still something players should think about.

The real decision then is how to approach the green. Historically, players have often played it safe and left it in the right side fairway near the green. However, recent changes to the course have lowered the grass on the right side of the green to create a small valley to stop the ball and make recovery more challenging. In theory, that makes players want to attack the green more, but it’s a risk that can derail a round if a shot lands in the water.

This is where Greg Norman’s 1996 meltdown began, when a 12-foot birdie attempt turned into a three-putt bogey. In 2023 it was the third most difficult hole on the course with 60 bogeys in the week and 15 birdies.

A general view of the green on the par-4 11th hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2024 (David Cannon/Getty Images)

No. 12: Golden Bell

One of the most fascinating par 3s in golf, number 12, is a short 155-yard hole that may look simple at first glance, but it is one of the most complicated on the course. From the wind to the creeks to the perfectly placed bunkers, there’s nothing easy about it. The trees surrounding the hole create a strange swirl of wind that can change at any given day or time. If a player hits it too high above the trees, the ball is exposed to more wind. There is the famous story of Bob Rosburg, who in 1956 hit the 4-iron in an attempt to fight a strong wind, only to have the wind die down while he was on his backswing, prompting Rosburg to hit it not only beyond the green but over the trees and fence toward the nearby Augusta Country Club.

If a player falls too short, they will have to worry about the famous Rae’s Creek. The grass in front of the green is well cut and on a steep slope, meaning a short shot will likely roll directly into the creek. That was the key to Tiger Woods’ epic victory at the 2019 Masters, as both Francesco Molinari and Tony Finau’s balls rolled into the creek while Woods played it safe by hitting them toward the center of the green, away from the flag.

General view of Hole 12, Par 3 during the 1996 Masters. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

No. 13: Azalea

Here is a wide dogleg left, par 5, on a big slope. No. 13 is hugged by a stream that runs along the entire left side of the street. Tall trees protect the entire left corner, and the fairway is so sloped that if you hit a perfect long drive down the left side for a shorter shot, you’ll be hitting a long approach with a huge slope. Meanwhile, if you play it safe and go further to the right, the shot is much longer to the green and you risk going into the trees. And that approach shot is hit on an elevated green above a tributary of Rae’s Creek.

This hole lost some of its flair over time as players moved further and further away from the tee. This led Jack Nicklaus to say in 2017: “The golf ball has changed things. “If you’re not going to drive the golf ball back, you really need to lengthen the hole 30 to 40 yards to test today’s players.” So what did Augusta National do? He spent millions to buy more land behind the 13th tee and expand it 35 yards for the 2023 Masters.

The changes certainly add more nuance and decision making on such a crucial hole in the round. The key is that attacking the green is a choice, not a certainty for each and every player on the course. Still, it played as the fourth-easiest hole in 2023 with eight eagles and 108 birdies compared to just 30 bogeys. But it was the most difficult par 5.

Branden Grace of South Africa plays a shot on the 13th hole during a practice round before the start of the 2018 Masters. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

No. 16: Redbud

The most climatic hole down the stretch at Augusta, No. 16, is often where the tension at the Masters reaches its peak. The 170-yard par 3 is surrounded by water in front and has sloping greens that make everything pin. It’s part of what has made it the scene of so many famous Masters moments, notably Tiger Woods’ 2005 chip-in from a brutal spot on the gross that rolled to the edge, stopped and then fell to lead to his epic victory. CBS’s Verne Lundquist shouted, “Have you ever seen anything like this in your life?”

It’s the most scoring hole on the course that isn’t a par 5, with an average score of 2.9 at the 2023 Masters. Just don’t think it’s risk-free. Many found the water in front or missed a brutal second shot from the right rear bunker. In 2021, Xander Schauffele had a chance to catch leader Hideki Matsuyama only to fall into the water and end his chances of winning the green jacket. Sunday’s pin is typically in the left back area, where shots to the right of the hole can catch a slope and funnel toward the pin.