Tag: Augusta National Hole. No. 13

Eureka Earth photos show heavy lifting to No. 13 at Augusta National, and maybe a new, longer tee

Eureka Earth photos appear to show a new, longer tee box on the famed par 5 at the home of the Masters.

The architects are at it again at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, with the par-5 13th having been stripped of grass, what appears to be drainage work laid under the fairway and the very real possibility that the famed dogleg-left will play longer in the 2023 Masters.

Eureka Earth, a Twitter handle of Augusta-based flight instructor David Dobbins, frequently posts aerial photos of Augusta National. His latest shots posted to Twitter on Monday show the 13th fairway receiving heavy construction work and what could be a new tee box on land that was purchased in recent years from the adjacent Augusta Country Club.

Augusta National made no comment on the work being done – early privacy in such matters of course renovation is customary for the exclusive club.

If it is a tee box being constructed behind a row of trees that currently grows behind the longtime back tee, the hole could be stretched some 40-60 yards. In recent years the par 5 named Azalea has played 510 yards, but strong players with modern equipment have been able to bash the ball down the left side of the dogleg to set up short irons and sometimes even wedges into the green for the second shots. Many players tee off with a 3-wood to more easily hit a big draw than with a modern driver, and they still often have irons in their hands for approach shots into the green in two.

If the construction shown in Eureka Earth’s photo is a tee box that is put into play, players would be required to hit a tee shot of at least some 310-330 yards to get around the corner of the dogleg, guarded by tall pine trees and a creek, to set up any chance to reach the green in two shots. Even for most modern pros, that means driver off the tee.

Eureka Earth’s photos show what appears to be a squared-off area in recently cleared dirt behind the row of trees. The trees would have to come down, if it is indeed a new tee box, providing players a chute through which they can hit their tee shots.

Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said in his press conference ahead of the 2022 Masters that there was no timetable for when the club might stretch the 13th hole, but he did say it was a possibility. “That’s something that certainly we have considered and will continue to consider,” Ridley said.

The club is unlikely to make any announcement about the hole until much closer to the Masters in April, assuming the recent aerial photos do show a new tee box. Much work was done to the course last year and Eureka Earth captured photos of the work in progress, most noticeably to the 11th and 15th holes, but Augusta National officials did not comment on the renovations until February.

Eureka Earth also recently shot photos of heavy lifting on the par-3 course, with the possibility that several holes will be adjusted before the traditional par-3 event the Wednesday before the Masters starts in 2023.

The private course, ranked No. 3 among all classic courses in the U.S., is closed each summer, and the club normally takes on a variety of projects to the layout.

The Masters: What was the easiest hole in 2019?

Par is just a number when it comes to one of the par 5s at Augusta National, but this hole is a strategic masterpiece of risk vs. reward.

Contenders needing to make up ground in the Masters must be ready to attack No. 13, the easiest hole at Augusta National in the 2019 event.

No. 13 is a 510-yard par 5 that might be a par 5 in name alone. In reality, it might be bettered considered as more of a par 4 and a half. Last year it played more than half a stroke easier than par with a 4.47 average.

Historically, No. 13 had played to a 4.79 average before last year, which made it the second easiest hole in the Masters, trailing only No. 15 by 0.01 average strokes.

The 13th green during a practice round for the 2018 Masters at Augusta National (Michael Madrid/USA TODAY Sports)

There were 17 eagles, 158 birdies, 102 pars, 23 bogeys and four double bogeys or worse on No. 13 in 2019.

What that all means, really, is that the shortish hole named Azalea is a strategic masterpiece, regardless of what the par might be.

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Players are forced to work a ball around the corner off the tee, avoiding trees, bushes and a creek to the left. They also can’t just blast away, because tee shots that don’t curve left to catch the hillside can easily run through the fairway into a stand of tall pine trees. If they do manage to sling a ball around the dogleg, most modern players then face a long or mid-iron off an uneven lie – ball above their feet while sloping downhill – to a green guarded by the tributary to Rae’s Creek. No easy task.

Tiger Woods in 2018 plays from the pine trees that wait through the fairway on No. 13 at Augusta National. (Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports

There’s concern that modern long hitters can bite off too much of the dogleg and leave themselves a wedge for a second shot – Bubba Watson, as just one example, was able to do that en route to his victory in 2014. If Bryson DeChambeau or any of several other power players take it over the trees to the left off the tee, they easily could be left with a wedge this year.

But that requires taking on a massive risk – miss by just a bit on that bold tee shot to the left, and double bogey or worse is lurking.

Phil Mickelson walks past the tributary to Rae’s Creek along the left side of No. 13 at Augusta National. (Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports)

One interesting factor for 2020 with the Masters being played in November: The 13th tees off to the north before curving northwest toward the green. If there is a cold front in November – a real possibility – brisk winds could blow directly into the players’ faces. That would greatly complicate any efforts to blast a drive over the trees to the left, as well as force players to take extra club into the green for any second shots. There will be a lot of math to consider on that tee and in that fairway.

And that’s what makes No. 13 at Augusta such a great hole, even with modern bombers firing away. It’s all about negotiating risk while trying to maximize reward.

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