"Properly Restored The Hole To That Which Jones Intended"

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masterslogo2.gifAugusta Chronicle sports editor John Boyette got club chairman Hootie Johnson to "answer questions" on the eve of the 70th Masters. Interruptions supplied by yours truly.

Question: Are you satisfied that the course changes reflect what the club set out to do, which you said was to maintain the integrity and shot values of the golf course?

Mr. Johnson: We are satisfied that the changes made this year, together with those made in recent years, are appropriate for today's game. I think we met our objective of maintaining the integrity and shot values of the golf course as envisioned by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie. We also continued our goal of placing a premium on accuracy off the tee. I think one example is No. 4, where in 1959 Bobby Jones said that this shot is usually a strong iron or even a 4- or 3-wood. I do think we have returned the hole to the way it was meant to be played.

For a review of Jones's comments not taken out of context by Mr. Johnson, head here or here.

Q: Was there one shot or particular moment that prompted the latest changes (i.e., Phil Mickelson's drive on No. 11 a few years ago)?

Mr. Johnson: No, there really wasn't one specific shot. We evaluate the performance of every hole every year. I do think it's telling that in two of the last three Masters an amateur has led the field in driving. We strongly believe this is the future of the game.

Ugh...

Q: Player reaction has been critical of some of the changes, particularly Nos. 7 and 11. Are the players overreacting?

Mr. Johnson: These are the best players in the world, and I'm certain they will figure out a way to play the holes that have changed.

Like they have a choice? Ah, choices are bad, I forgot.

Q: No. 11 has been changed three times in the last five years, with numerous trees planted and the hole lengthened. Are you satisfied you have it right now?

Mr. Johnson: Originally, No. 11 was a drive followed by a relatively easy pitch shot. In the early 1950s, Bobby Jones added a pond and moved the tee adding 35 yards to the scorecard. Later, in Golf Is My Game (written in 1960), Bob described the second shot on 11 as one "... usually played with a 3-iron or a stronger club" when the pin is to the rear of the green. We think that the recent changes to the 11th have properly restored the hole to that which Jones intended - a demanding tee shot followed by a long-iron second, played to a well-guarded green.

Halftime intermission here. If you own The Making of The Masters by David Owen (and if you don't, check out the link on the left of this page...Amazon is selling it cheap), you know Jones originally placed a blind pot bunker in the middle of the fairway and it remained for a long time. You also know that there was always water next to the green, they simply changed it from an extension of the river to a pond.

And if you own Golf is My Game, you know that Jones wrote of No. 11:

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 provides better visibility of the forward portions of the green, but slightly to the 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 of the tournament. The second shot is usually played with a three iron or a stronger club, and a player must be bold and confident indeed to go for the pin when it is in this location.

I can see the length helping on the properly restored part, but the narrowness aspect? Hmmm...

Q: If conditions are firm and dry this year, what range would you expect for the winning score?

Mr. Johnson: I wouldn't want to guess on a score, but it is important to remember that we have never been worried about scores. As Bobby Jones said, "...we are quite willing to have low scores made during the tournament. ... It is our feeling that there is something wrong with a golf course which will not yield a score in the sixties to a player who has played well enough to deserve it." Our greatest concern has always been that the course be kept current with the times.

Ah maybe this was done via email!

Q: Fourteen holes have changed under your watch as chairman. What can we expect for Nos. 3, 6, 12 and 16 in the future?

Mr. Johnson: The golf course is the way we want it to be this year. We will continue to study possible improvements.

Early Augusta Previews: Jack and Arnie's Comments

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masterslogo2.gifThe recent changes to Augusta National pale compared to 2002's massive overhaul, yet on the eve of the 2006 Masters the hits just keep on coming. The difference this time around? 

Several past champions bemoaned the latest work, and more importantly, questioned how the work reflects the Jones-MacKenzie design vision that the club says they are maintaining.

The Sunday previews from the British Isles provide more evidence that Augusta National's fall media offensive may have backfired.

First, John Huggan in his Sunday column:

Although arrogant beyond imagination, Johnson is no fool. He could see the outrage coming. Which is why a series of no doubt carefully-selected golf writers have been invited to visit the hallowed grounds over the past few months.

Their brief, at least ostensibly, was to form an opinion on the sagacity or otherwise of the course changes. But the reality was simply Johnson looking for public validation. He was spinning more than a crisply-struck Tiger Woods wedge from a tight lie.

Disappointingly, but expectedly, most of the resulting articles have been a mixture of ignorance and/or forelock-tugging. Obviously flattered by their being summoned from 'above', the chosen few behaved more like paid flunkies than free thinkers.

James Corrigan in the Independent reviewed the pre-tournament criticism while Andy Farrell made an important point in the lead to his story reviewing the comments of Nicklaus and Palmer:

It used to be a Masters tradition for players and caddies to arrive for their first practice round at Augusta National and wonder whether the first tee had been moved - or the clubhouse. The evolution of the course was constant, if often undeclared. Under the chairmanship of Hootie Johnson, the pace of change has increased dramatically, and everyone knows about it.

O'Meara...Rough or No Rough?

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Mark O'Meara jumps on the Augusta National criticism bandwagon while bemoaning the power game in a guest commentary for Scotland on Sunday:

The game is changing. Creativity doesn't seem to be as important as it once was.

The power game is more dominant than it has ever been. And guys who hit the ball as far as me have little or no chance to beat the bombers.

While I think the ability to hit long drives should always be rewarded, any advantage gained should not be overwhelming.

More length and more rough at Augusta National - so far, at least - hasn't really scared any of the big-hitters. The rough isn't so deep that you can't play out of it and it also has the effect of slowing the course down. Where wayward tee-shots used to run into the trees, they are now more often stopped from doing so by the longer grass. To me, that runs contrary to the way the course was originally designed.

Specifically, I think holes like the first and the now not so-short fourth would have been better left alone. Now, our opening tee-shot has to fly more than 330-yards just to make it over the bunker at the top of the hill. So a guy who carries the ball about 275 yards has really been taken out of the equation. That's just one example of where the power player 'who already has an in-built edge' has his advantage multiplied by the extra course yardage.

The sad thing is, I'm not sure any of the changes were really necessary. If I was in charge at Augusta I would have kept the course at around 7,100 yards and I would have eliminated any and all rough.

Instead, I'd cut the fairways tight, all the way to the tree lines, where the ball would run onto the pine needles. You'd either be in the fairway or on the pine needles under the trees. That would neutralise the power player enough that the shorter-hitter could compete.

Or you could just address the equipment that has helped fuel the distance disparity?

The Peper Files

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Another gem from the "When Good Editors Move To St. Andrews and Don't Care Anymore" Files, has Links Magazine columnist George Peper dismantling the claim that Jones and MacKenzie would approve of recent Augusta National changes.

This appears to be another sign that the club's pre-tournament media offensive has backfired.

Let’s face it. If Jones and Mackenzie had been cryogenically preserved and brought back to life, they’d take one look at what has happened to their course and head straight back to the freezer. Augusta National is no longer a Jones/Mackenzie course—it’s a Jones/Mackenzie/Clifford Roberts/Perry Maxwell/ Robert Trent Jones/George Cobb/John LaFoy/George Fazio/Joe Finger/Byron Nelson/Jay Morrish/Bob Cupp/Jack Nicklaus/Tom Fazio course—and in the process of all that revision the guys at the wheel have, to borrow a Scot’s expression, lost the plot.

Hootie, if you think your founding architects would approve of what you and your predecessor chairmen have wrought, it’s time you started reading something other than putts. Pick up a copy of Mackenzie’s The Spirit of St. Andrews, written in 1932, the year he completed Augusta National.

Peper goes on to look at various holes, contrasting the changes that have taken place with MacKenzie's own writings.

Amen Corner Live

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masterslogo2.gifTangible benefits to Hootie's progressive ways:

For the first time ever, visitors to masters.org, the Tournament's official Web site, will be able to see every golfer play Amen Corner live.

Visitors to "Amen Corner Live" on masters.org will be able to see live action prior to the start of the daily television broadcast. The free service will be available Thursday, April 6 through Sunday, April 9. Approximate web cast times are 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 12:30 p.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday and 1:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Sunday. Visitors should check masters.org daily for exact times. All times are eastern daylight savings times.

"The importance and use of the Internet continues to grow and we think this is another service to our patrons," said Hootie Johnson, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament. "The ability to see live action at Amen Corner is something very special."

In previous years masters.org has provided live coverage of hole Nos. 6 and 12, but only during the practice rounds.

Ames and The Masters

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 Stephen Ames after The Players Championship THE PLAYERS:

It was a difficult year for my wife and myself. And my boys, yeah, they probably watched it all as they came in this afternoon. They're probably sitting in front of the television watching it. It's going to be a big thrill and a wonderful vacation now.

Q. Have you spoken to Jodi yet?

STEPHEN AMES: I haven't, no.

Q. Is that going to be a two week vacation?

STEPHEN AMES: Not sure yet (laughing).

Q. Seriously, is there a possibility you won't play The Masters?

STEPHEN AMES: I have no plans of playing at Augusta. My kids have just come out of for their spring break, and we had plans to go somewhere else. My priorities have always been my family first. If it comes down to that, it's probably going to be a two week vacation, yes.

Q. What is the status of your citizenship?

STEPHEN AMES: For which country (laughter)?

Q. For your individual country.

STEPHEN AMES: I am born in Trinidad and Tobago. I am also a Canadian citizen. I live in Canada and have been there for the last 12 years.

Ah, but this rally killer was not successful...

Q. Is it possible your wife might talk you into Augusta?

STEPHEN AMES: I don't know. I'm not sure about it yet.

Q. What will determine whether you go to Augusta? Would your wife and children have to say go, pop?

STEPHEN AMES: No, I'd rather go on vacation to be truthful.

Q. So are you telling us you will not play The Masters?

STEPHEN AMES: I don't know yet. We'll see.

Whitten: Augusta 2006 v. 2001-2002

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Golf Digest's Ron Whitten criticized recent changes to Augusta National in the same story featuring the comments of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. His criticism is not that astonishing to most given that the same remarks have been uttered by big mouths like me since 1998.

However, when you see where Whitten stands now compared to where he stood just four years ago, the contrast is pretty amazing.

Here's what he wrote this year: 

But sheer yardage is not what has gotten Jack, Arnie and others of the Old Guard riled up. They're mostly upset about the tightening of many holes, through the use of expanded bunkering, transplanted trees and the introduction of rough, what Augusta National calls, in delusional parlance, "a second cut of fairway."

This is where Jack and Arnie are absolutely right. Far from maintaining the integrity of the design that Jones and Mackenzie envisioned, the changes undertaken since 1998 have abandoned their philosophy of multiple options and different lines of attack.

And...

Gone are Augusta's wide corridors that allowed every competitor to play his own game off the tee, to pick the spot he thought provided the best angle of approach for his trajectory and shot shape. Squeezed-in fairways now dictate the manner of play on every hole. It's as if the Masters Committee thinks it's now running the U.S. Open.

Which makes one wonder just how much research Augusta National has really done regarding the original Mackenzie-Jones design. Mackenzie believed that if a good player hitting good shots couldn't post a good score on one of his courses, then there was something wrong with his design. Jones once wrote that he never intended Augusta National to be a punishing golf course.

Jones and Mackenzie believed in rewarding risk on the golf course. Most of that is gone now.

And...

The best course designs challenge different golfers on different holes. Augusta National used to do that. It no longer does.

The club planted many mature loblolly pines along the left of No. 7, too, just because it can, I guess.

The irony, of course, is that Augusta National used to be the trendsetter in matters of course design. But now it's well behind the curve.

The older pines at Augusta traditionally had a bed of pine needles beneath them, which allowed players to attempt all sorts of recovery shots. The newer pines have rough underneath, deeper than the "second cut," and are planted so close together that the only recovery available is usually a pitch out. It's one more example of how Augusta has stifled some playing options.

Now, here's Whitten in a 2001 Golf Digest preview:

The new look of Augusta National--the one with a buzz-cut of rough around each fairway and most greens--was first introduced in 1999, but few noticed a big difference. Last year, however, it had players playing defensively, pundits writing offensively and TV viewers adjusting their contrast. Few cared for it, and many blamed it for the lack of drama.

Wrong. Cold weather and high winds were responsible for the conservative play in 2000. Augusta National's grooming is just another attempt to Tigerproof the course, although club officials will never admit it. They won't even call it rough, preferring to label it a "second cut" of fairway.

Rarely has so much fuss been made about so little. The rough is just 1 3/8 inches deep, not the sort that causes anyone to pitch out sideways. Sure, it's enough to cause a knuckleball that has no chance of stopping on a rock-hards green. But Masters competitors are smart, talented and well equipped. They can pick a ball cleanly out oflight rough, use the grooves on their irons--or avoid the rough in the first place.

What Augusta's rough has done is make the Masters more of a test of drives and second shots, and less of a putting contest. Last year's winner, Vijay Singh, had three three-putts, more than the combined total of the previous seven Masters champions. But he lead the field in greens in regulation, and won by three shots. For the 2001 Masters, the strategy will be the same: fairways and greens.

And in the 2002 preview story for Golf Digest he wrote about the sweeping changes being made, including the tree planting and narrowing that he's currently criticizing...

What impressed me was the thought process that came up with new strategies for the course, a thought process that started right after Tiger Woods' record-setting first Masters victory back in 1997. Since then, Augusta National officials, working with consulting architect Tom Fazio and his team of associates, have tracked shots on selected holes during every Masters. The resulting data convinced them that they shouldn't simply push tees back to gain length, they should also move tees left or right to force players to hit certain shots on certain holes.

So last summer, using four separate construction crews, the club added nine new back tees. They also regraded some fairways into new sweet spots. They pushed some fairway bunkers farther out, so they can't easily be carried.

Augusta National will be much more of a shotmaker's golf course from now on. It won't automatically favor the long hook as it did in the past. The first, eighth, 11th and 18th holes now require fades off the tee, then draws into the greens. The ninth, 10th, 13th and 14th still reward draws from the tee, but on 13 and 14, fades are the preferred approach shots (though it's hard to hit a fade on 13, because the fairway provides mostly hook lies).

And...

I was pleased to see the 18th has been stretched to 465 yards, adding 60 yards to the uphill finishing hole. As a major-championship finish, it finally measures up.

Have all these changes "Tigerproofed" Augusta National? Not at all. But they may have Hal Sutton-proofed the course. Long hitters will continue to have the advantage on holes like nine, 10 and 14, where, even with new back tees, big bombers will still be hitting no more than 9-iron approach shots into greens where Arnie and Jack used to routinely hit 6-irons.

Long hitters at Augusta will work harder to hit fairways from now on, especially on the tight, tree-lined seventh and ninth, where, as one Augusta National employee put it, "It's like trying to hit through the neck of a Coke bottle."

What club officials wanted to do at the seventh, now 45 yards longer, was take the 3-wood out of players' hands and force them to hit a driver down the narrowest fairway. (It's just 35 yards wide from tree line to tree line, with the fairway a scant 28 yards wide.) The club also leveled the fairway to eliminate a slingshot effect offered by old ripples in the center, and added a few more pines left of the fairway.

It's not likely many players will take the bait. Most will continue to thread the needle with something less than driver and hit an 8- or 9-iron (instead of sand wedge) onto the perched green.

The real additions to the ninth are newly transplanted pines to the right and a mat of fluffy pine needles beneath them. A loose lie in pine needles may be the worst lie you can find at Augusta National. There's already a lot of that "pine straw" to the right of the 14th hole, where the fairway slopes from left to right. I was told that for this year's Masters, there won't be any cut of rough along that right side of either nine or 14. They don't want anything saving errant drives from rolling into pines and needles.

Mark it down. Augusta National is no longer just a hooker's paradise, or a second-shot course or a putting contest. It's now a complete test of golf, from tee to green. It's now a shotmaker's course.
It is great to see someone like Whitten change his mind and use his position in Golf Digest to voice those views. It's just unfortunate that he did not recognize the damage when it was first inflicted on Jones and MacKenzie's national treasure.

If The Course Weren't So Darned Long...

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I finally got through all of Guy Yocom's excellent oral history of the 1986 Masters, and was fascinated by this comment from Jack II, buried near the end:

Jack Nicklaus II: Last fall we were up at Muirfield Village. It was a cold day, and we were hitting drivers on the range. Dad sidled over to watch me. I'm not super long, but after a few shots he said in a quiet voice, "If I could hit my driver like that, I could still win the Masters."

It's true. His distance control with his irons is terrific. He chips extremely well, and he has zero nerves in his putting. If the course weren't so darned long, he could win the Masters.

Of course he could win. We're talking about my dad.

 

Augusta v. Sawgrass Renovations

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Golf World's Bill Fields looks at the complaints surrounding Augusta's latest renovation and seems prepared to join the critics questioning the rationale and execution of the changes.

At what point does an icon, instead of aging gracefully and naturally, get his face stretched so taut that he becomes a parody of his former self?

Ouch. After citing Mike Weir's reasoned critique as reported last week by Ken Fidlin, Fields has this interesting quote from Mark O'Meara:

To add intrigue, 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara is against a reflex to add yardage. "The most talked about holes in golf in the last two years," O'Meara says, "are the shortest holes in golf. They create the most havoc with the best players. Sixteen at Doral, 10 at Riviera, 12 at Augusta. It's the short holes that make a player have to think. If you want to mess with the pros, make them have to make a decision."

Regarding Sawgrass, he picks up on a subject discussed here earlier this week:

In addition to the better turf that will come with Sawgrass' renovation, Woods, for one, would like to see the course much like it was when it first opened. "I've talked to a lot of guys about this," Woods said a year ago at the Players, "and we've all come to the same conclusion: It would be a lot better if there was no rough at all, like how it used to be played … but they've kind of changed that and gone to a U.S. Open-type setup."

And he sums it in a way that gives the impression he's not too optimistic about the chances of Augusta removing its second cut:

With so many young players, who because of their tools, technique and temperament are swatting the ball one way -- hard -- there is all the more reason to offer variety in the courses they encounter. An Augusta National -- without rough, with options -- was the beau ideal. New applicants are now welcome. 

Weir: Jones Would Be Like !?!?!

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Ken Fidlin in the Toronto Sun talks to Mike Weir about the new look Augusta National. As we've seen with other players, the recent criticism by Nicklaus and Palmer seems to have made the observations much more to the point. And again, the club's move away from his design vision while citing Jones quotes to justify the changes seems to have opened the floodgates...

Once again the tall foreheads who run Augusta National have chosen to mess with God's golf course. For more than half a century, it was considered unique and beautiful and very nearly perfect in every way. Now those bright lights in green jackets have taken to tearing the place apart just about every year. Just because they can.

It used to be bad form for players to make anything but complimentary comments about the place but now these latest changes are getting trashed from all sides

"I'm sure if Bobby Jones was still around," Weir said, "it would be, like 'What are you guys doing?'"

Weir played Augusta on Sunday and Monday and is somewhat dismayed. They've added more yardage to bring the length up to 7,300 yards but in the process, they've started to tinker with the personality of the golf course.

"I don't know what they're doing," he said. "I don't mind them lengthening the course. That's fine.

"The thing that kind of disturbs me is they're getting away from the character of the golf course. Now they're bringing in all these trees. Besides lengthening No. 11, they pinched the trees in even tighter on the right side. It's like a tree-lined golf course now. Totally different from 10 to 15 years ago. It's not even the same place.
"I don't think Mr. Jones wanted that. I think he wanted it cut down so you could see creative shots from all over the place, into tough greens."

Oh it's going to be a fun Champion's Dinner!

 

Els On Augusta and Technology

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There was so much to post yesterday I didn't get around to Ernie Els' press conference, which sadly (for the Bay Hill folks) turned into a Masters chat session. Here he is talking about the changes to the course:

No. 4 is big. The one day it was downwind, I hit a 4 iron to the left flag. The second day, the wind was a little into us to a right flag and I hit 2 iron. Both times I made par, thank goodness. But going with a 2 iron into that hole is quite something. It's a bit of a change.

7 was another big one. I hit driver and a 7 iron both days was a little into the breeze. Going into that green with a middle iron is also quite a big change. I wouldn't want to go in there with 4 or 5 iron like some of the guys might go in there with. It's quite big.

Again, 11, quite a big change with the tee further back. That fairway is really narrow now. It's almost like a U.S. Open hole now. And then 17 I thought also was a big change with the fee further back.

So all in all, you know, it's very tough. If we have tough weather conditions, it's going to be a very tough week. It will be it's becoming one of the toughest one of the majors now. Where it used to be kind of the most fun of all the majors, it's becoming the hardest one now.

Q. How about No. 1?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, No. 1, another one. No. 1 I feel the tee shot is almost easier for us. It's 297 yards to the front edge of the bunker, so you know, again, 80 percent of the field is not even going to reach the bunker. It's an easier tee shot, much more difficult second shot. I was going with 6 iron my second shot. On the first hole, you know, it's kind of a tough start to your round.

Q. Did you see that tongue in the bunker the way it's separated?

ERNIE ELS: Yeah, if you go into the front of the bunker, you essentially can't get to the green, even if you go just to the right of it, I don't know if you'll have a stance to hit the ball out of there. Yeah, very different.
And here he is responding to a question about the possibility of back nine charges:
You know, I think the second part of your question, I mean, 13, I think most of the guys can still get it on there in two shots. But 15, there was a bit of a breeze into us and I really cranked a drive there. As I say, I had 230 in.

So it's going to take a bit of the excitement away definitely. The time like with myself when Mickelson won, that kind of golf, I don't think that's going to happen that often anymore because the holes are getting so long. I mean, 10, you can still get 10 down there, hit an 8 iron into the green. 11 is so long now, you're going to probably hit 3 , 4 iron in there, so that's not really a birdieable hole. 12 obviously is. 13, you probably can get there. 14 is longer, you're not going in there with wedge anymore you're going in with 7 iron. 15 is debatable if you're there in two. 16 is what it is and 17 is longer; that's not a birdie hole, and 18 is not a birdie hole. So you're going to do well to break par the back nine.
And here's where the always eloquent Els started stumbling through his answer, perhaps because he might recall that three years ago he said that a "governor" should be put on the ball and even suggested that there should be some consideration of a return to wood heads.

Q. How do you feel, you're one of the prime examples of the modern power game, how do you feel away the traditionalists and courses are going about trying to rein in the power game and bring nuance, subtlety and accuracy back into it; do you think the way they are going about that is the right way and how do you feel about being one of the causes of it?

ERNIE ELS: Well, I think technology is a good thing. I think the world, we keep ticking on, don't we. We've got to get better in many ways and golf is just another sport that's going that way. Athletes I think are bigger maybe, and I wouldn't say more healthy, but they are a bit stronger. And with technology, you know, we're going to hit the ball longer. It's like any other sport. Cars get faster; guys in the NFL, get bigger, hit harder. That's just the way of life.

But we've got some great, great golf courses that are just not they just don't play the way they used to play. Bunkers are just way out of play. We play a great golf course down in Melbourne, an Alister MacKenzie course and on a good day there I shot 60 around there with no wind, I was bombing it to the greens, chipping it on and making putts, I was in perfect shape. That course played on that same weather conditions in the 50s or 60s, we would have done really well to maybe shoot 65 coming in with 7 irons, but I was just hitting sand irons into the green.

So we have to look at that, changing golf courses a little bit. That's what they have done at Augusta. I don't agree with all it. There's a good argument that you can have, with technology and the design of golf courses. I think the modern day golf courses that we design, I wouldn't design a course under 7,500 yards, off the back tees, not for you guys. I think it's definitely there's two different games being played today. There's the professional game where we hit it 300 and the amateur game where you guys hit it 200. I mean, I played at Augusta off the back tees it was 7,400 and a bit, and the member I was playing with was playing off 6,300 and a bit.

Can we still put you down for a competition ball Ernie?  We'll assume you'll take a pass on the return of persimmon.