Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Behind the scenes

Course changes will greet golfers in next Masters

By David Westin
The Augusta Chronicle

Masters veterans said goodbye to some old friends Sunday. They'll see them again, but never in the same light.

When the 66th Masters rolls around next April, at least four of the Augusta National Golf Club's 10 par-4 holes will have been lengthened or otherwise altered.

That announcement came Wednesday from Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson, who said it was time to strengthen ``four, maybe five'' of the par-4s ``from the standpoint of length, and others, having to do with accuracy off the tee.''

The latter comment could mean bunkers will be moved or added, though Johnson would not elaborate.

Johnson wouldn't name which of the par-4s will be lengthened, but he did say they would be on both nines of the course.

The leading candidates would seem to be Nos. 3, 7, 9, 14 and 18. All five ranked among the nine easiest holes in this year's Masters.

``This whole week, I hit nothing but wedge and sand wedge to No. 18,'' said Fred Couples after a 68 on Sunday. ``A hole like that, it's too short to have for a finishing hole nowadays. It wasn't 10 years ago. I used to hit 7- and 8-irons in there.''

The third and fourth holes, which measure 350 yards and 365 yards, respectively, are the shortest par-4s on the course. They also played as the two easiest par-4s in the tournament, but that doesn't mean they will be changed.

Tom Fazio, the architect who will carry out the changes, said he's told the club that lengthening those holes would not make them much more difficult. It is the shallow, undulating greens on those holes that are the challenge, not the tee shot or approach shots, even if they become longer ones.

If Nos. 3 and 7 are lengthened, something will be lost in their character, said Franklin Langham.

``Those are great holes, and it has nothing to do with distance,'' Langham said. ``I hope they don't go too far off the way the course is. I know they're trying to keep up with equipment, but I like them the way they are now.''

Couples wouldn't have a problem with moving the tee back on No. 3.

``Instead of hitting a 2-iron off the tee, you'd hit a 3-wood,'' Couples said. ``It would just make it tougher.

``I think they do the right thing here,'' Couples added. ``They know what they're doing. There are a lot of other tournaments we play in where they lengthen the course and kind of ruin them. Here, you might get a hole that used to hit driver and 8-iron and now it's driver and 6-iron. You don't like that, but it's still a perfect golf hole. Whereas some of our tournaments, they throw the tees back in the trees and say, `Well, it was 420 yards, now it's 460.'''

There is plenty of room to move the tee back on No. 7. There is a hill behind No. 3, so it would probably have to be leveled to move the tee back.

Tiger Woods has no problem with the lengthening of the course, but he suggested that the rough, which was introduced in 1999, be removed if the course is lengthened ``substantially.''

Then, ``the course would play like it used to,'' Woods said. ``It would be interesting to see, with the new trees that they have got out here. Borderline shots would now run into the trees that have been put in over on No. 7. The ball would also run into some of the new trees to the left of No. 1.''

The added length and lack of rough ``would make the golf course play, I think, how it was intended - hard and fast,'' Woods said.

Six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus blames advancement in golf ball technology, more than big-headed drivers with graphite and titanium shafts, for the upcoming changes on the par-4s.

``There's nothing wrong with Augusta National,'' Nicklaus said. ``Augusta National is a wonderful golf course. It's one of the best golf courses in the world. To have it diminished by a golf ball because the manufacturers can't stand to have their golf ball go shorter ... and because the U.S. Golf Association can't stand up because they are afraid of being sued to death - and I don't blame them - where do you go? The game gets ruined.''

``I think the golf ball is a huge deal,'' Couples said. ``If they'd tone the ball down for everyone, it would be a different story.''

Nicklaus said the average golfer can go to the back tee to compensate for the longer-flying ball.

``The pros can't handle that,'' Nicklaus said. ``They don't have any place to go back. That's as far as they can go. So you've got to go build new tees for them, or fix the golf ball. You have to do what Hootie is talking about doing, otherwise, every hole is a driver and a wedge.''

With the distance the ball is flying, more and more tees will be moved back on classic golf courses like Augusta National. It's even happened at the birthplace of golf, The Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland.

``Pretty soon, we'll be teeing off downtown somewhere,'' Nicklaus said.