The Masters could have a very different looking 5th hole
The Masters is a golf tournament rooted in tradition, a step back in time on a spring weekend in Augusta, Georgia.
But just because it’s traditional doesn’t mean it’s immune to change.
The Augusta National Golf Club has filed preliminary site plans with the Augusta Planning and Development Department to make changes to the fifth hole of the legendary course in time for next year’s Masters.
Specifically, the tee box on the 5th hole will be moved back 20-30 yards, across Old Berckmans Road, and then move the road itself to accommodate the new and improved tee box.
If the change is approved, the 5th hole could become as long as 485 yards, making it the third-longest par 4 on the course.
According to the Augusta Chronicle, these moves were made possible two years ago when the Georgia Department of Transportation put $16.7 million into re-routing Berckmans Road in order to better serve the area abutting the course.
Site plans show proposed changes for fifth hole at Augusta National Golf Club #Masters pic.twitter.com/BUIyW9B3zZ
— Augusta Chronicle (@AUG_Chronicle) February 17, 2018
Club officials say the change is not being made to make the hole more challenging per se, but rather to alleviate congestion for spectators and players between the green at the 4th hole and the tee box at No. 5.
But it could be the third change to the hole — nicknamed “Magnolia” — in a relatively short period of time. In 2003, when “Tiger-proofing” was all the rage among course designers who saw Tiger Woods and his monster drives turning their par-4 holes into a pitch-and-putt course, Magnolia had its tee box moved back 20 yards and its fairway bunkers extended by 80 yards to make them far more of a threat to ambitious long hitters.
The game marches on, and the drives Woods used to hit to make fans gasp at the Happy Gilmore-like power off the tee have become more common among players like Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas, thanks to improved conditioning among players and advances in the technology of golf club design.
For instance, just two years ago, Danny Willett hit his approach to the 5th green with an 8-iron and Jordan Spieth went with a 3-wood off the tee and still only needed a 7-iron to make the green in two.
And last year, Russell Henley’s 7-iron on his approach found nothing but the bottom of the cup for an eagle.
By adding an extra 20-30 yards to the hole, it will actually take the two fairway bunkers out of play for most players (heading into this week, only one player on Tour was averaging more than 320 yards off the tee).
What it does mean, however, is players will have a much longer approach shot, taking those 7- and 8-irons out of play — and hitting longer clubs to the green was the original intent of Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones when they first designed the course in the 1930s.
And with the design of the green at No. 5 — where players have to avoid the front half of the green, which slopes back toward the fairway — hitting approach shots with 5- and 6-irons are a lot harder to control than 7- and 8-irons.
Old Berckmans Road has been closed to thru traffic since 2015, coming under the control of the club, and it is that switch in jurisdiction that is also making these changes possible.
Augusta National has also purchased land around the “Amen Corner” 13th hole from its neighbor the Augusta Country Club, although no firm plans have been announced to change a hole that has consistently proven in recent years to be one of the easiest holes on the course, thanks in large part to the 510-yard par-5 being relatively easy to reach in two shots.
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