Augusta National Golf Club
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Augusta National Golf Club, a private golf club in Augusta, Georgia, is one of the most famous and exclusive golf clubs in North America and considered Bobby Jones's masterpiece. It is the site of the annual Masters Tournament.
Augusta is generally regarded as the most revered golf course on Tour by American fans. Since the Masters is held there each year, fans watching on TV have the unique opportunity to become familiar with the course, something the other majors do not afford.
The course is well-known for its beauty as well; because the Masters is held in early spring, the flowers are in full bloom during the tournament. In fact, each hole is named after an individual flower that it has become associated with:
| Hole 1 | Tea Olive | Hole 7 | Pampas | Hole 13 | Azalea | ||
| Hole 2 | Pink Dogwood | Hole 8 | Yellow Jasmine | Hole 14 | Chinese Fir | ||
| Hole 3 | Flowering Peach | Hole 9 | Carolina Cherry | Hole 15 | Firethorn | ||
| Hole 4 | Flowering Crab Apple | Hole 10 | Camellia | Hole 16 | Redbud | ||
| Hole 5 | Magnolia | Hole 11 | White Dogwood | Hole 17 | Nandina | ||
| Hole 6 | Juniper | Hole 12 | Golden Bell | Hole 18 | Holly |
The 11th, 12th, and 13th holes at Augusta were termed "Amen Corner" by author Herbert Warren Wind in 1958, because most Masters are determined on those very holes on Sunday. That very year, the great Arnold Palmer outlasted Ken Venturi for the Green Jacket with heroic escapes at Amen Corner. Amen also played host to prior Masters moments like Byron Nelson's birdie-eagle at 12 and 13 in 1937, and Sam Snead's water save at 12 in 1949 that sparked him to victory.
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Natural features
"The Big Oak Tree"
Eisenhower Tree
This is a loblolly pine located on the 17th hole, slightly less than 200 yards from the tee used at The Masters. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, an Augusta National member, hit the tree so many times that, at a 1956 club meeting, he proposed that it be cut down. The club's president, Clifford Roberts, rejected the request.
Ike's Pond
Rae's Creek
Rae's Creek cuts across the southeastern corner of the Augusta National property. It flows behind the green on Hole 11 and in front of the green on Hole 12. A tributary of the creek runs near the tee at Hole 13.
Architectural features
Crow's Nest
Eisenhower Cabin
One of ten cabins on the Augusta National property, it was built by the club's membership for member Dwight D. Eisenhower after his election as President of the United States. The cabin was built according to Secret Service security guidelines, and is adorned by an eagle located above the front porch.
Founders Circle
A memorial located in front of the course's clubhouse, at the end of Magnolia Lane. Plaques at Founders Circle honor Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts. The gold medal awarded to the winner of The Masters depicts the landmark.
Hogan Bridge
A bridge over Rae's Creek that connects the fairway of Hole 12 to its green. It is constructed of stone and covered with artificial turf. The bridge was dedicated to Ben Hogan in 1958 to commemorate his 72-hole score of 274 strokes five years earlier, the course record at the time.
Magnolia Lane
The main driveway leading from Washington Road to the course's clubhouse. The lane is flanked on either side by sixty-one magnolia trees, each grown from seeds planted by the Berckman family in the 1850s. Magnolia Lane is 330 yards (301.75 m) long and was paved in 1947.
Nelson Bridge
A stonework bridge over Rae's Creek that connects the teeing ground of Hole 13 to its fairway. In 1958, it was dedicated to Byron Nelson to honor his performance in the 1937 Masters.
Par Three Fountain
Record Fountain
Sarazen Bridge
A bridge over the pond on Hole 15 that separates the fairway from the green. Made of wood, it was named for Gene Sarazen in 1955 for a memorable double eagle in his Masters performance twenty years prior.
Membership
Augusta National Golf Club has about 300 members at any given time. Fees are reported to range between $25,000 and $50,000. Membership is strictly by invitation; there is no application process.
No woman has ever been invited into the membership, though women are able to play the course as guests of a member. The chairman of the Club has publicly stated no rule exists that would exclude anyone from becoming a member of Augusta National. Pressure placed upon corporate sponsors of The Masters over this controversy led the Club to voluntarily televise the 2003 and 2004 tournaments without commercials.
External links
- The Masters (http://www.masters.org)
References
- "2004 Masters Tournament Factsheet," Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (http://www.gcsaa.org/news/factsheets/2004/pgatour/masters.asp)
Architectural features
Membership
- "Privacy becomes public at Augusta" (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/masters/2002-09-27-augusta_x.htm), USA Today
- "Augusta defends male only members policy" (http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news02/augusta5.html), Golf Today
- "Masters to go commercial-free again in 2004", Associated Pressde:Augusta National Golf Club