Augusta National hole-by-hole guide

Augusta National hole-by-hole guide

Hole 1, Tea Olive, Par 4, 445 yards

Tea Olive is a slight dogleg right that plays uphill. At 445 yards, it can be reached with a driver and a wedge. Three-wood is the common play, however, as a large bunker guards the right hand side of the fairway around the 290-yard mark. Precise approaches are required to find the right portion of an undulating green.

Hole 2, Pink Dogwood, Par 5, 575 yards

Pink Dogwood is the first real birdie opportunity at Augusta National. It plays significantly downhill, but drives have to be shaped from right to left to follow the natural contours of the hole. A good drive and favorable bounce will leave most players with an iron to a green that is protected heavily by sand.

Hole 3, Flowering Peach, Par 4, 350 yards

Flowering Peach cannot be deemed a birdie hole, despite being the shortest par 4 on the course. An iron or fairway wood leaves nothing more than a wedge, but the narrow green slopes heavily from right to left, demanding extreme precision.

Hole 4, Flowering Crabapple, Par 3, 240 yards

A treacherous hole and the longest par 3 on the golf course. A large bunker in front of the green guards a lightning fast putting surface that is extremely hard to hold with a long iron.

Hole 5, Magnolia, Par 4, 455 yards

Another dogleg from right to left. Anyone attempting to cut the corner may find sand, and any drive hit too straight will find trees. The

fairway is uphill and multiple humps on the green make both approach shots, and

putting, challenging.

Hole 6, Juniper, Par 3, 180 yards

Juniper is a downhill par 3 requiring no more than a 6-iron, even for the shortest hitter. Birdies are more attainable when the pin is placed front-left, behind the bunker. As Tiger Woods showed last year, the undulating green can offer assistance if utilised in the right way.

Hole 7, Pampas, Par 4, 450 yards

Pampas is one of the toughest holes on the golf course. A drive must be long and straight, and placed accurately between pine trees that flank the narrow fairway. The raised green is surrounded by sand, demanding accuracy. Par is a good score.

Hole 8, Yellow Jasmine, Par 5, 570 yards

Yellow Jasmine is the second par 5 on the golf course and a legitimate scoring opportunity. Only the longest hitters will be able to get home in two, but the fairway is wide and large mounds surrounding the green can provide a favorable bounce. The hole plays much longer when the pin is placed at the back of the long, thin green.

Hole 9, Carolina Cherry, Par 4, 460 yards

The drive plays significantly downhill, with most birdies coming after approaches played from the right-hand side of the fairway. Two sizeable bunkers will catch any approach that is slightly left, but the green presents the biggest challenge. It is multi-tiered and slopes from back-to-front, making three putts commonplace.

Hole 10, Camellia, Par 4, 495 yards

This dogleg left provides a challenging start to the back nine. Any drive hit left will find pine trees, and anything leaked right will leave a second shot in excess of 200 yards.

Birdies are a rarity, but long, straight drives can catch a downward fairway

slope and shorten the approach to the raised green.

Hole 11, White Dogwood, Par 4, 505 yards

White Dogwood is the first hole of the aptly named 'Amen Corner,' and arguably the most difficult on the course. Good drives to the top of the hill still leave a perilous second, with water lurking just left of one of the quickest greens at Augusta. If you bail out right, an up-and-down is highly unlikely.

Hole 12, Golden Bell, Par 3, 155 yards

The shortest hole on the course is one of the most dangerous. The green is extremely narrow, even more so when the pin is sandwiched between the two bunkers at the front and back of the green. Swirling winds make correct club selection nigh on impossible, with Rae's Creek waiting to catch any shot that comes up short.

Hole 13, Azalea, Par 5, 510 yards

The first par 5 on the back nine gives

players a legitimate eagle opportunity, subject to a good drive. The tee shot must be moved considerably from right to left or risk finding the pine trees. A good drive will leave a medium to long iron to a green that is protected in front by Rae's Creek. Many players struggle to get up and down from a bunker behind the green after playing safe with their second.

Hole 14, Chinese Fir, Par 4, 440 yards

Chinese Fir is the only hole on the course without a bunker. In truth, it is one of the easier par 4s, despite a sloping fairway and undulating green. Players must find the right portion of the green, or a three putt becomes a distinct possibility.

Hole 15, Fire Thorn, Par 5, 530 yards

Fire Thorn is another relatively straightforward par 5, provided water is avoided. The drive plays downhill, with many players last year only needing a medium iron to reach in two. Approaches must be accurate to avoid a pond short of the green. Anyone chosing to lay-up will face a tough third from a downhill lie.

Hole 16, Redbud, Par 3, 170 yards

When there is little wind, the final par 3 at Augusta shouldn't present too much of a problem. There is another pond to the left of the green, but only a poor shot will find water. The two-tiered green slopes heavily from right to left, with hole-in-ones entirely possible when the pin is positioned on the bottom level.

Hole 17, Nadina, Par 4, 440 yards

A potentially hazardous par 3,

especially if drives fail to find their way past the intruding 'Ike's Tree',

named after former US President Eisenhower. If the fairway is found, a short iron is required to find a hard, slippery putting surface protected in front by two bunkers.

Hole 18, Holly, Par 4, 465 yards

Trees just off both sides of the fairway account for a very daunting final drive, which must move slightly from left to right to avoid a carefully placed fairway bunker. The approach plays uphill to a three-tiered green protected by two bunkers. Most birdies come when the pin is placed at the front of the putting surface. 

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