Big Changes Have Arrived at Augusta National’s Small Par 3 Course
Paul Azinger once called the Par 3 Course at Augusta National Golf Club, “the best golf course in the world.” A new review is warranted. Not long after Scottie Scheffler tapped in his double-bogey putt to claim the 2022 Masters, the shovels and dozers arrived at the Par 3 Course to yank out turf and trees and drain DeSoto Springs Pond, which factors in the first five holes of the design. Massive changes were in the works for the beloved, 64-year-old, nine-hole layout.
Per custom, Augusta National revealed next to nothing about what was transpiring on that enchanted 22-acre plot of ground east of the clubhouse. Eureka Earth revealed otherwise, courtesy of Augusta-based flight instructor David Dobbins and his eye-in-the-sky Cessna 172. In late July, The Augusta Chronicle put two and two together to make five—the first five holes would be changing on the Par 3 Course.
The newspaper cited engineering documents filed with the Augusta Planning and Development Department in March 2022 which unveiled plans titled, “Northeast Pond Grading and Drainage Revisions Phase I.” Depicted were proposals indicating the development of new cabins (Cabin 1 measuring 6,284 square feet; Cabin 2 measuring 5,556 square feet) and the relocation of tee boxes and greens. In early February, Eureka Earth tweeted an aerial photo that showed the new configuration of the Par 3 Course—which set tongues wagging. Well, it moved the needle for design geeks, anyway.
What appeared obvious from the reworked first five holes was a precipitous bump-up in the drama department. The early holes now would flirt more daringly with DeSoto Springs Pond, portending the excitement equivalent to the layout’s closing holes, 8 and 9, that skirt Ike’s Pond, named for former U.S. President and Augusta National club member Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The first hole, which previously played due north, now heads to the northeast. Its green is perched alongside DeSoto Springs Pond, near the site of the old 4th tee. The old west-to-east 2nd hole is gone—replaced by a north-facing hole. The new 3rd ventures slightly more south/southeast, whereas the previous incarnation played directly to the south. The former eastward-facing 4th hole featured a full water carry; today water will flank the right side of the hole and will play east/southeast. Finally, the 5th hole is mostly unchanged, with the green moving a smidge closer to the pond, which may well bring the water into play.
Augusta National hasn’t yet stated who assisted with the design changes, whether they were performed in-house, or with the help of an architect. The club did provide updated yardages to Sports Illustrated.
| Old Layout | New Layout | ||
|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | 130 yds. | No. 1 | 115 yds. |
No. 2 | 70 | No. 2 | 100 |
No. 3 | 90 | No. 3 | 105 |
No. 4 | 130 | No. 4 | 70 |
No. 5 | 130 | No. 5 | 155 |
No. 6 | 140 | No. 6 | 140 |
No. 7 | 115 | No. 7 | 115 |
No. 8 | 120 | No. 8 | 120 |
No. 9 | 135 | No. 9 | 135 |
Total yards | 1,060 | Total yards | 1,115 |
Traditionalists may recoil at such significant alterations to the beloved little layout, but in truth, this is hardly the first time change has visited the Par 3 Course at Augusta National. Moreover, in the club’s early years, the sporty spread was hardly beloved—it was unwanted.
Early in 1932, Augusta National codesigner Alister MacKenzie proposed what he called an “approach and putt” course of nine holes, measuring just over 400 yards total, but club cofounder Bobby Jones didn’t bite. MacKenzie later submitted a routing for a longer version, this time 18 holes and 2,460 yards, playing to nine huge double greens, with sizes ranging from 7,500 square feet to nearly 15,000 square feet. There were to have been no sand bunkers—just the contours and the existing creek to provide interest and variety. Hole lengths ranged from 60 to 190 yards. That expanded layout never blossomed, either, though most speculate the club simply didn’t have the funds to pay for it in those dark economic days.
By 1958, however, Augusta National had plenty of cash, and club cofounder Clifford Roberts revisited the short course idea. This time, Bobby Jones was on board. Architect George Cobb, who by then had replaced Robert Trent Jones as the club’s consulting architect, created the course with help from Roberts. Two years later, it played host to the inaugural Par 3 Contest, won by Sam Snead.
In 1978, the Par 3 Course converted its bermuda greens to bentgrass, as a test run to see how well similar surfaces might fare on its championship sibling. Tom Fazio emerged in ’86 to create the over-the-water stunners we know today as the 8th and 9th holes. For the Par 3 Contest and most member play, the existing (and unmemorable) first two holes were taken out of play, which provided gallery space for the Par 3 event. Cobb’s original two first holes didn’t disappear entirely—and were utilized on occasion—until the creation of the brand-new first hole that players and patrons will see for the first time in 2023.
Two-time Masters winner Ben Crenshaw once described the Augusta National Par 3 Course as “a little piece of art.” It still is. Will Paul Azinger change his assessment that Augusta National’s Par 3 is “the best golf course in the world?” Your move, Zinger.