April 6, 1959

The greatest golfer of them all writes a special hole-by-hole description of the course and gives his own strategy for mastering it

Robert T. Jones Jr. is a name that awakes the most vivid memories in the anthology of sport. His four victories in the U.S. Open, dating from the time he was but 21 years old, his three in the British Open and his five in the U.S. Amateur were an achievement that no amateur of future generations could have any reasonable hope of matching. The year of 1930 will remain fresh throughout most golfers' lifetimes because it was then that Jones won these three tournaments plus the British amateur-for his unforgettable Grand Slam of golf.

Bob Jones is a particularly appealing figure in American life and sport because all that has happened since his retirement from regular competition in 1930 has maintained-even increased-his stature. He is presently a distinguished lawyer in his native city of Atlanta. He has also translated his warm affection for golf into a paternalism that has elevated the entire game.

The Augusta National golf course and the annual Masters Tournament, which is being held there for the 23rd time this week, were Bob Jones's own dream. It was he who originally laid out the course in collaboration with Alister Mackenzie, the distinguished golf-course architect. Even with such modern golfing celebrities as Ben Hogan and Sam Snead playing along the fairways, Bob Jones riding along the same lovely terrain in his cart (a back ailment makes it difficult for him to walk) is the most thrilling sight at the Masters. So it is with extraordinary pleasure that SPORTS ILLUSTRATED brings you Bob Jones's own description and appreciation of one of this country's truly championship courses, a course that he dearly loves.

For those who can only watch the playing of the Masters on television during the final two days, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, April 4 and 5, when it will be broadcast coast to coast by CBS, Mr. Jones has expanded his descriptions of the last four holes, they being the only ones on which the TV cameras will be focused. Illustrations of the holes were made by George W. Cobb, the eminent golf-course architect of Greenville, S.C.

JOY FOR THE AVERAGE
TEST FOR THE EXPERT

by Robert T. Jones Jr.

Our over-all aim at the Augusta National has been to provide a golf course of considerable natural beauty, enjoyable for the average golfer and at the same time testing for the expert player striving to better par. We want to make the bogies easy if frankly sought, pars readily obtainable by standard good play, and birdies, except on the par 5s, dearly bought. Obviously, with a course as wide open as needed to accommodate the average golfer, we can only tighten it up by increasing the difficulty of play around the hole. This we attempt to do during the tournament by placing the flags in more difficult and exacting positions and by increasing the speed of the greens. Additionally, we try to maintain our greens at such firmness that they will not hold a misplayed shot. Generally speaking, the greens at Augusta are quite large, rolling, and with carefully contrived undulations, the effect of which is magnified as the speed of the surfaces is increased.

FINE SHOTS EARN BIRDIES

We are quite willing to have low scores made during the tournament. It is not our intention to rig the golf course so as to make it tricky. It is our feeling that there is something wrong with a golf course which will not yield a score in the 60s to a player who has played well enough to deserve it.

On the other hand, we do not believe that birdies should be made too easily. We think that to play two good shots to a par-4 hole and then to hole a 10-foot putt on a dead-level green is not enough. If the player is to beat par, we should like to ask him to hit a truly fine second shot right up against the flag or to hole a putt of more than a little difficulty. We therefore place the holes on tournament days in such locations on the greens as to require a really fine shot in order to get close. With the greens fast and undulating, the putts from medium distances are difficult, and the player who leaves his ball on the outer reaches has a real problem to get down in par figures.

The contours of the greens at Augusta have been very carefully designed. We have tried to provide each green with at least four areas which we describe as pin locations. This does not mean that the pin is always placed in one very definite spot within these areas, but each area provides an opportunity for cutting the hole where the contours are very gentle for a radius of four or five feet all around.

The placement of the flags is one of the most controversial matters in any golf tournament, because it can so drastically affect the difficulty of the play. The selection of the pin area and the exact location of the hole is decided on the morning of play by a committee appointed for the purpose. The decision is affected by the condition of the putting surface itself, the state of the weather to be expected and the holding qualities of the ground. Naturally, the job of placing the holes on tournament days is one which calls for a considerable knowledge of the game and good judgment. I am sure that the players involved would be interested, too, in having a committee composed of individuals of benign and charitable natures.

Even though it is too much to expect that persons selecting pin locations in the very early morning should be able to foresee weather conditions throughout the day, it is nevertheless important that they have in mind what conditions are likely to confront the players. They should also take into account the playing condition of the fairway from which shots to a particular green are to be played.

I think it is also most rewarding for spectators watching the play to be aware of the effect of variables in wind and lie of the ball. If a player is to be asked to play a quickly stopping shot to a closely guarded green, he has every right to expect that his ball will have a very good chance of finding a clean lie where the gripping effect of his club will enable him to control the ball. If the fairway in question, or the fairways in general, are not in good condition, the holes should never be cut too close to guarding bunkers.

Although a following wind tends to rob the ball of backspin and to increase the problem of stopping a pitch, in much the same way as a lush lie, I do not believe that it offers the same argument in favor of leniency in the placing of the holes. After all, the wind is a circumstance of play wholly outside the control of those running the tournament and, unlike a bad lie, it is not subject to the vagaries of chance. Since, within reasonable limits, it is the same for all players, the difficulty of the problem may very properly be decided by the committee. If one were to set out to make a golf course as difficult as possible, he would place the holes forward with the wind behind, and at the back of the greens with the wind against. It must be in the light of this basic principle that the committee's decision for each particular hole is made.

A TRICKY FACTOR

It may not be readily apparent why a far-back location increases the difficulty when playing against the wind. An opposing wind is a great comfort to the player when the flag is located immediately behind a bunker guarding the front of the green. The ball can then be played boldly over the bunker with assurance that it will not finish too far past the hole. But if the pin be moved to the back of the green, and trouble lurk behind, the player must be bold indeed and extraordinarily accurate in his judgment of distance in order to bang his ball right up to the flag. Several greens at Augusta, with shelf like areas along the back and an abrupt fall-off or bunker in the rear, are well suited to emphasize the problem.

I sincerely believe that the general concepts which have influenced the construction and later modifications of our course have been quite sound from the standpoint of making the game more enjoyable for the people who support it. I believe our members could be counted upon to testify unanimously to this effect. As for the other side of the coin, I feel quite certain that the contestants in the Masters Tournament would attest very nearly as unanimously that the course provides a real competitive test. It is a fact that hardly ever has any player done exceptionally well in Augusta who has not had a quite respectable record in tournaments played elsewhere.

I believe it is true that with modern equipment and modern players, we cannot make a golf course more difficult or more testing for the expert simply by adding length. The players of today are about as accurate with a medium or long iron as with their pitching clubs. The only way to stir them up is by the introduction of subtleties around the greens.

The finishes of the Masters Tournament have almost always been dramatic and exciting. It is my conviction that this has been the case because of the make-or-break quality of the second nine of the golf course. This nine, with its abundant water hazards, each creating a perilous situation, can provide excruciating torture for the front runner trying to hang on. Yet it can yield a very low score to the player making a closing rush. It has been played in 30 during the tournament and in the medium 40s by players still in contention at the time.

I hope the following description will communicate a fair appreciation of the important playing features and characteristics of the golf course.

THE COURSE IN DETAIL

1. 400 YARDS PAR 4
This hole can be played straight away from tee to green, although the fairway does expand on the right as it approaches the green. Ordinarily, the fairway bunker on the right presents no problem for the tournament player. With a heavy wind against, however, as often happens, a half-hit tee shot may catch this bunker.

At the same time a drive down the right side of the fairway is only important when the wind is behind and the hole is cut immediately behind the bunker at the left front of the green. Under these circumstances the drive down the right side makes it possible to play more nearly for the pin with the second shot.

The player who drives down the left side must play this second either over the bunker or into slopes which tend to direct his ball off the right side of the green.

A sort of shelf across the back of the green offers several interesting pin locations, especially when the wind is against. With the flag placed far back, a player will think things over very carefully before he goes boldly for the pin for fear of going over the back side. But with a cautious shot to the green he often leaves himself an extremely difficult approach putt from the lower level of the green.

2. 555 YARDS PAR 5
Although this is the longest hole of the course, a well-hit tee shot will take a good run down the fairway as it slopes over the hill. It was one of our guiding principles in building the Augusta National that even our par 5s should be reachable by two excellent shots. The possibility of using the down slope off the tee shot brings this long hole into this category.

The contours of the fairway and the mounds at the top of the hill were constructed for the very purpose of aiding the player to make use of the slope in order to gain length. But to do so, he must drive accurately across the big bunker. If he should wander slightly to the right, the opposite side of the mound will turn his ball down the right side of the fairway and so increase the length of the hole. A drive too close to the corner is likely to kick into a most unpleasant place.

After a fine tee shot, a second played over or just past the bunker at the right front of the green may finish quite near the hole if it is placed on that side. With the flag located behind the left-hand bunker, the second shot, if played for the green, should be aimed for the center of the putting surface with the hope of getting down in two putts for a birdie 4.

3. 355 YARDS PAR 4
The aim here should be slightly right of the center of the fairway, onto the high ground which gives good visibility of the green and also provides the best angle of approach to any flag location. A tee shot pulled to the left side of the fairway is very likely to follow the run of the ground and roll right on into the big bunker.

The green on the left is very shallow; on the right side, it is very deep, but it slopes away from the player so that it is not easy to be certain of the exact location of the flag.

The main problem presented by the second shot, which is normally played with a wedge or eight-iron, is to gauge the distance precisely. With the pin on the left side, a second shot played either short or over leaves a very difficult pitch to be made-and this almost always results in the loss of one stroke, often two. With the wind behind him, the wise player will play for the center of the green, hoping to get down in two putts for a par 4.

4. 220 YARDS PAR 3
The length of this hole can be varied a great deal, depending upon use of the back tee or the rear portion of the forward tee. From the back tee the shot is usually a strong iron or even a four-or-three-wood. At tournament time in April there is very often a heavy wind on this hole, blowing directly against the player or quartering off the right. With the pin located immediately behind the bunker in front of the putting surface or on the high ground at the back of the green, a very precise judgment of distance is required to avoid either a long and difficult approach putt or an exacting chip.

The green is so large that a shot played to the outer reaches more often than not will result in a bogie 4. The back tee is somewhat elevated so that the shot is exposed to the violence of any wind which may be blowing at the time. On some days the wind will place many players in the left-hand bunker or beyond.

5. 450 YARDS PAR 4
The proper line here is, as closely as possible, past the bunker on the left side of the fairway. It is not necessary to carry this bunker in order to direct the drive into a groove in the fairway on top of the hill. But it is a very comforting safety factor to have sufficient length for the carry should the shot be pulled slightly. The bunker and the woods to the left of it usually represent dire disaster for those unlucky enough to end here.

Players lacking the necessary confidence to play along the dangerous left side sometimes become overcautious and play too closely down the right side of the fairway. From this side the second shot to the green becomes much longer and far more difficult.

On this hole, with the green's surface in proper condition, the second shot must be dropped short and allowed to run up. The bunker in back of the green was placed there not for penalty but simply as an effort to help minimize the damage caused by an overplayed second shot.

6. 190 YARDS PAR 3
The really difficult pin area on this particular green is formed by the plateau located at the right back corner. In order to land upon and hold this plateau, the shot must be very accurately struck. With the ball stopping either short of this raised area or off to the left of it, it is an extremely difficult job to get the first putt close to the hole.

The front of the green immediately behind the bunker is the easiest location. Back of this the side slope is severe. This is one of the easiest holes on the course, but the setting of the big green is very lovely when viewed from the elevated tee. This area, comprising the sixth hole and the spectacular 16th, is one of the most popular spectator spots.

7. 365 YARDS PAR 4
The tee shot on this hole becomes tighter year by year as the pin trees on either side of the fairway continue to spread. Length is certainly not at a premium here, but the narrow fairway seems to have an added impact because it suddenly confronts the player just when he has become accustomed to the broad expanses of the preceding holes.

Actually, the second shot is somewhat easier if it can be struck firmly so that the needed backspin may be obtained.

The green is quite wide but also very shallow. The second shot is normally a steep pitch, often with a wedge, and precise judgment of range is required. We are aware of our responsibility for keeping this fairway in the best possible condition so that the players will uniformly encounter good lies from which they may be expected to produce controlled shots.

8. 530 YARDS PAR 5
This is another par 5 which can be reached under normal conditions with two fine shots. Here again, although the line is not directly over the bunker, it is well to hit the tee shot with sufficient power to make the carry. It is important that the ball be kept a bit to the right of the center of the fairway so that the second shot may be played through the saddle formed by the mounds at the top of the hill and so directly toward the green. Should he play left to avoid the fairway bunker, the player must risk skirting the trees on the left on his second shot in order to get very near the green. Many good rounds have been spoiled by encounters with the trees at this point, and a second played out safely to the right usually leaves a very difficult approach.

It is an indication of our interest in our spectators at Augusta that this green was completely redesigned and rebuilt for the sole purpose of providing better visibility for spectators and a better gallery flow through what had been a congested area.

9. 420 YARDS PAR 4
This is a slight dogleg to the left which invites the player to skirt the trees on the left side. Actually, this is a delusion, because it is only with a strong wind against that this line has any advantage. The player is thus called upon to make use of local knowledge and resist the temptation to play close to the corner simply because of the dogleg.

Under normal playing conditions a long drive straight down the middle of the fairway will give the best result, since the ball will reach a reasonably flat area and provide an open shot for at least half the green. The hole opens up more and more as the drive is played to the right, but the distance becomes increasingly longer.

10. 470 YARDS PAR 4
This, to my mind, is one of the most beautiful holes I have ever seen, especially at tournament time when the dogwood and redbud are in bloom. The tee is on high ground and, I might add, immediately in front of my cabin. The fairway goes down in a broad slope from the tee, following on the left a straight line to the green but, on the right, fanning out to a considerable width. On the right side the fairway continues in the same general slope to the bottom of the hill just short of the green. But on the left at about 230 yards from the tee, the slop runs off abruptly into a valley of fairway some 30 or 40 yards wide. Since the hole is of good length for a par 4, it is decidedly advantageous for the player to make sure of the run offered by this slope. Therefore the line of play is down the left side as close as one may dare.

A tee shot played to the right which does not avail itself of the slope will add at least two club numbers to the length of the second shot, in addition to which the approach to the green must be made across the slopes, rather than directly into them. A good drive down the left side usually makes it possible to play the second with a medium iron, sometimes even less if the wind be behind.

The green nestles on a hillside and is framed by some giant pines which give the impression of Gothic spires. When the dogwood is in bloom, the impression of a recent snowstorm adds great beauty to the appearance of the entire hole.

11. 445 YARDS PAR 4
The tee shot to this hole is blind in that the fairway upon which the ball is to land is not visible from the tee. Nevertheless, the limits of the fairway are sufficiently well defined by the trees on either side. A drive down the left side of the fairway provides better visibility of the green, but slightly to right of center is better should the pin be located on the promontory of the green extending into the water hazard on the left. The pin location on this projection of the green is often reserved for the final round. The second shot is usually played with a three-iron or a stronger club, and a player must be bold indeed to go for the pin when it is in this location. A second shot played into the water here must be dropped on the near bank, with water still intervening between the player and the hole.

With the pin located at any place on the green other than the left-hand projection, the hole appears simple. Yet it has a puzzling difficulty. Should the pin be at the back of the green, the player tends to let up on his second shot for fear of the severe penalty involved in overplaying. Often he leaves himself an approach putt of more length than he would like. With the pin on the forward area of the green, a shot underplayed may bound to the left and come dangerously close to the water. A great many players play this hole safely to the right, relying on getting a long putt or chip dead for the par.

12. 155 YARDS PAR 3
The championship location for the pin here is in the shallow area of the green on the right. Here the distance must be gauged very accurately, and the wind sweeping down along Rae's Creek is often deceptive to the player standing on the tee about to hit. The inclination here is to be well up, or at least to favor the left side where the green is somewhat wider. To play safely to the left is simple, but the putting problem which results is not an easy one. Pin locations on the left side of the green can be made testing only by pushing them far forward or far back. Once the tee shot has been played into the creek, the short pitch to the shallow green is terrifying indeed.

13. 475 YARDS PAR 5
We call 13 a par 5 because under certain conditions of wind and ground few players will risk trying for the green with a second shot. In my opinion this 13th hole is one of the finest holes for competitive play I have ever seen. The player is first tempted to dare the creek on his tee shot by playing in close to the corner, because if he attains this position he has not only shortened the hole but obtained a more level lie for his second shot. Driving out to the right not only increases the length of the second but encounters an annoying sidehill lie.

Whatever position may be reached with the tee shot, the second shot as well entails a momentous decision whether or not to try for the green. With the pin far back on the right, under normal weather conditions this is a very good eagle hole, because the contours of the green tend to run the second shot close. The danger is that the ball will follow the creek, and the most difficult pin locations are along this creek in the forward part of the green.

Several tournaments have been won or lost here, even though the decision may not have been obvious at the time.

14. 420 YARDS PAR 4
The most popular line off the tee is slightly to left of center to gain the crest of the hill and not risk the runoff of the fairway to the right. A slight deviation to left of this line often encounters the upper branches of the group of pine trees on this side.

A drive straying off to the right leaves the player on lower ground from which his ability to see the left side of the green is completely obstructed by a large mound in the middle of the fairway.

The green is quite large and has many interesting and difficult contours. A mound in back protects against overrunning the left side, but no such buffer exists on the right. The putting surface along the front spills over the contours into the fairway. But an approach putt from this area is exceedingly difficult. A really good second shot leaving the ball close to the hole is most comforting here.

15. 520 YARDS PAR 5
The fairway of this hole is quite wide. The short rough on the left is far removed from the line of play, and there is no demarcation on the right between the fairway of the 15th and that of the 17th. The tee shot may be hit almost anywhere with safety.

It is nevertheless of considerable importance that the line of play be along the crest of the hill, a little to the right of the center of the fairway. This fairway, being on high ground, usually provides more run to the ball than most other holes of the course. It is also more exposed to the effect of any wind which may be present. Two tees, front and back, are provided so that the length may be adjusted within wide limits according to playing conditions.

The design of the green causes it to be most receptive to a second shot played from the right center of the fairway. The greater depth of the putting surface is on the right side. The left side is quite shallow, considering the length of the second shot, and the most severe hazards lie here. A ball played over the green on this side may very well run down into the pond at the 16th hole. It is usually the better part of wisdom to play the second for the main body of the green, even though the hole may be cut on the left side.

Under almost any conceivable conditions, the second shot to this hole suggests precarious possibilities. With the wind against, the player must decided whether his power and the state of the game warrant an effort to reach. With a following wind, he may have to consider whether he will be able to hold the green even though it be well within reach.

Billy Joe Patton's magnificent bid to be the first amateur to win the Masters ended when he tried to reach this green from the rough on the left. The ball finished in the pond. The resulting 6 was one too many. Had he played safely for a 5, he would have tied with Snead and Hogan.

16. 190 YARDS PAR 3
The tee shot to this hole will be played by the tournament players with a number two-, three-, or four-iron, depending upon the wind. The pond extends from the front of the tee very nearly to the edge of the green.

The contours of the green are such that several pin locations can be found along the left side close to the bunkers and the pond. This is also the low side, so that a tee shot played for the middle of the putting surface, but with a slight draw, can be made to curl down toward the hole. This, of course, involves a risk that the draw may be overdone, landing its perpetrator in the sand or water.

Pin locations on the right side may vary from an acceptable one in the V-shaped front of the green through a crown about halfway back, from which the ball may be expected to fall off to the left, back to a gently gathering area at the rear. With the pin on this side, the threats come from the bunkers on the right and the runoff of the green toward the left.

Apart from the visible hazards on this hole, the player who leaves his ball on the forward area of the green with the pin near the back can have quite a problem getting down in the two regulation putts. Three putts on this green sealed Hogan's defeat by Snead in their 1954 playoff.

17. 400 YARDS PAR 4
The pine tree in the fairway, although it is only a little more than a hundred yards from the tee, has grown to such proportions that it provides a real menace to the tee shot. The proper line of play is to the right of this tree, but also to the left of the big mounds and two other trees at the top of the hill. Depending upon the wind, a fine drive may leave a second shot requiring anything from a good five-iron or easy four to a short pitch. To become involved with the mounds on the right may impose difficulties of either lie or visibility, or both.

On the left side, the green slopes gently, but quite perceptibly, from front to back. With a following wind, therefore, even the shortest pitch over the bunker and the slopes off the base of the mound must be played quite accurately. A ball played too strongly to this side of the green may take a good run off a slope at the back and so leave a difficult return chip. On the right side immediately behind the bunker there is a nice little basin which provides a most inviting place for the pin on quiet days. On this side the green slopes very definitely upward toward a sort of plateau area near the back. This is a very difficult pin location when the wind is against, because a shot played boldly to get near the hole could go over the green, down a slope, whereas the safe shot may call for some difficult putts.

The hole looks innocuous enough, yet it provided the decisive moments in the 1956 tournament when Jack Burke, in a stretch run against Ken Venturi and Cary Middlecoff, scored a birdie 3 at the hole, while Venturi took 5 and Middlecoff 6. Burke won by one stroke over Venturi and two over Middlecoff.

18. 420 YARDS PAR 4
This hole is a slight dogleg to the right, the bend in the fairway coming at the top of a hill which can just about be carried by a fine tee shot. The bunker at the left front of the green makes it a matter of some importance to drive as close as possible to the trees lining the right side of the fairway or even, if possible, to bend the tee shot a bit around the corner.

The front area of this green is nicely molded to received a pitch and provide a good putt for a birdie when the hole is cut here. Yet a ball driven to the left side of the fairway safely away from the trees must be pitched quite closely over the guarding bunker. Behind this friendly area, the putting surface slopes upward to the middle of the green. A second shot played up this slope even a dozen feet past the hole calls for a delicate approach putt and can very easily result in three putts. It was from just such a position that Ben Hogan 3-putted to lose by one stroke to Herman Keiser in 1946. In 1958 both Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins tried and missed similar putts to tie Arnold Palmer.

This 18th green is quite long. The rear one-quarter of the putting surface embraces a plateau area which is often used as a pin location. The great difficulty here is to be up without going over. A second shot played into the slope in the middle of the green either stops or rolls back, so that the ensuing putt is difficult indeed.

In the 1957 tournament Doug Ford avoided all these putting difficulties by holing a full blast from the bunker in front of the green to help give him his final winning margin of three strokes.

In over-all design the Augusta National is not intended to be a punishing golf course. It is, however, a course which under tournament conditions-that is, with the green surfaces firm and keen-severely tests the competing player's temperament. The difficult greens demand exceptionally fierce and unremitting concentration and determination. When weather conditions are such that the golf course is wet and the wind quiet, it is much easier to play. We always hope it will not be that way during the first week in April.