The most beautiful — and most unforgiving — golf course in the world. Every hole has a story. Here's what to watch for.
Augusta National was designed by Bobby Jones and Scottish architect Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation and nursery. The nursery heritage is why the course is so spectacular in spring — the variety of trees, shrubs, and flowering plants planted by the original nursery owners remain, including the famous azaleas that bloom each April in pink, red, and white.
MacKenzie's philosophy was that a great golf course should look easy but play hard — and Augusta does exactly that. From the TV broadcast, the fairways look impossibly wide and the greens look smooth and inviting. In person, the slopes and speed of those greens are breathtaking in their difficulty.
The course has been lengthened significantly since the 1990s, primarily in response to Tiger Woods's extraordinary length off the tee. But Augusta's challenge has never been primarily about length — it's about the greens. The undulating putting surfaces, running at speeds over 14 on the Stimpmeter, make two-putting anything but routine.
The most dangerous 155 yards in golf. A short par 3 over Rae's Creek with a green barely 10 yards deep, backed by a second creek and framed by a hillside. The wind swirls unpredictably through the trees, making club selection a gamble even for the world's best players.
This hole has ended more Masters. Tom Weiskopf made 13 here in 1980. Jordan Spieth had a 7 in 2016, blowing a five-shot lead. It looks benign and is anything but.
The shortest par 5 on the course, and the most eagled. After a drive around a sharp left dogleg, the best players in the world face a decision: lay up safely to the fairway, or go for the green in two over Rae's Creek. The risk-reward calculation changes the Masters every year.
A player who reaches 13 in two and makes birdie or eagle can close out a tournament. A player who finds the creek can unravel a round.
The second par 5 in Amen Corner's scoring stretch. A pond in front of the green means any second shot not perfectly struck risks going in the water. Gene Sarazen's famous double eagle came here in 1935. Tiger has gone for it countless times. Every Sunday afternoon, this hole changes everything.
A long uphill par 4 finishing in front of the iconic Augusta National clubhouse. The final hole has witnessed some of the greatest moments in golf — champions walking up the hill surrounded by thousands of fans, knowing they're about to put on the green jacket. A narrow driving window means tension off the tee even for the leaders.
The most famous stretch in golf — holes 11, 12, and 13.
The term "Amen Corner" was coined by golf writer Herbert Warren Wind in 1958, drawing on a jazz song called "Shout! Shout! Shout!" (also known by the refrain "Shoutin' in the Amen Corner"). Wind used it to describe the most dramatic stretch of the Masters — the par-4 11th, the par-3 12th, and the par-5 13th — where the 1958 tournament reached its climax.
The three holes share a common feature: Rae's Creek, which winds through the area and comes into play on all three holes. The wind in this section of the course is notoriously unpredictable — it swirls and changes direction because of the surrounding trees, making club selection for the 12th hole especially treacherous.
Every Masters Sunday afternoon is defined by what happens at Amen Corner. Leaders are made and broken. Careers are defined. The hole-in-one on 12 that's never quite happened for the right person at the right moment remains one of golf's great what-ifs.
| # | Name | Par | Yards | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tea Olive | 4 | 445 | Narrow tee shot, demanding opening hole |
| 2 | Pink Dogwood | 5 | 575 | Long par 5, reachable in two for the longest hitters |
| 3 | Flowering Peach | 4 | 350 | Short but deceptive — small, sloping green |
| 4 | Flowering Crab Apple | 3 | 240 | Longest par 3, elevated green |
| 5 | Magnolia | 4 | 455 | Uphill, back-to-front sloping green |
| 6 | Juniper | 3 | 180 | Downhill par 3 to a shallow green |
| 7 | Pampas | 4 | 450 | Dramatically downhill approach |
| 8 | Yellow Jasmine | 5 | 570 | Long par 5 requiring a precise second shot |
| 9 | Carolina Cherry | 4 | 460 | Steep downhill approach to small green |
| 10 | Camellia | 4 | 495 | Back nine's opening — downhill then uphill |
| 11 | White Dogwood | 4 | 520 | Amen Corner begins — pond left of green |
| 12 | Golden Bell | 3 | 155 | Most dangerous par 3 in golf — wind swirls over Rae's Creek |
| 13 | Azalea | 5 | 510 | Amen Corner ends — classic risk/reward par 5 |
| 14 | Chinese Fir | 4 | 440 | No bunkers — the most unusual green complex on the course |
| 15 | Firethorn | 5 | 550 | Go-for-it hole — pond guards the green |
| 16 | Redbud | 3 | 170 | Water left, back-nine par 3 with hole-in-one history |
| 17 | Nandina | 4 | 440 | Approach must avoid front bunker on sloping green |
| 18 | Holly | 4 | 465 | Uphill finishing hole to the clubhouse — where champions are crowned |