A tree can make a lot of difference. No, it’s not about nature but golf instead. “Are you kidding me? You have got to be kidding me. I just barely got past the ladies’ tee,” yelled Jordan Spieth back in 2018 after his tee shot on the 18th hole clipped a tree and dropped straight down, leaving him too far from the green to reach it in two shots.
This cost him a birdie opportunity, which he needed to catch Patrick Reed, who went on to win the Masters. He certainly remembers that crucial moment, and so does the golfing world. The trees have long been a barrier. Like, Ernie Els referred to the overhanging tree as “sinister” after his experience with it in 2010. Then, Matt Fitzpatrick called one of these “the dumbest tree I’ve ever seen,” frustrated with its placement. It’s not just the players, as the PGA Tour refers to the 500,000lb tree as “diabolical” on its website! Recently, golf insiders on the Fried Egg Golf podcast discussed the tree-struggle, diving deep into the Augusta National’s course.
What do insiders have to say about Jordan Spieth and the Augusta National?
Andy Johnson was with Geoff Shackelford and Rob Collins on the Fried Egg Golf YouTube Channel. Shackelford started by criticizing the 17th and 18th holes and said, “They’ve made 18, 17 and 18 such, just hold on for dear life holes. And they, if you watch those, those great masters in the seventies, eighties, and nineties, they were, they were not easy holes, but it felt like if somebody made a mistake, it felt like it was easy to make a mistake, but it was also easy to make birdie.”
He also talked about the current situation of both the holes and added, “If you play the right shots on those holes, and now they’re very defensive holes, extremely defensive.” Because of that, Nandina and Holly are now boring to watch, as per him. “And, and so they’re really quite boring in a way,” Shackelford further added.
Shackelford also defended Jordan Spieth‘s hitting the tree incident and said, “Um, I’ll be curious how that 18th tee shot looks, how the trees. That was one of the ones where I would, you know, people always are like, how did Jordan hit that tee shot off the tree? Well, those trees really hang over. It doesn’t, doesn’t take much from that back tee to bring those in play. And we always see some really awful tee shots there in recent years because it’s just, it’s a hard tee shot from back there. Uh, and awkward, it’s awkward. ”
20th July 2024 Royal Troon Golf Club, Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland The Open Championship Round 3 Jordan Spieth on the first fairway PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK ActionPlus12670029 StevenxFlynn
From these changes, the 18th now rises about 70 feet from the base of the fairway to the green. It seems like more of a defensive hole. The drives don’t roll much, and uphill second shots are blind and must cover the front bunker. These shots might not be a problem for the pros, but they can cause imprecision. It was certainly an impactful change, however, there are more changes that Holly has witnessed over the years.
A look into Augusta National’s 18th hole history
Designed on the principles of MacKenzie/Jones, the 18th hole demands an aggressive style from the golfers. Before 1937, the greens had a long lobe that extended into the fairway. However, Architect Perry Maxwell remodeled it and removed the long tongue in front. Then, Robert Trent Jones took inspiration from watching Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan at the 1946 Masters. Both of them needed just a par to tie Herman Keiser. Hogan aimed an approach shot, but it stayed on the upper level while the flag was positioned below.
Later, Robert Trent Jones balanced the upper and lower sections. So, putts no longer roll nearly off the green. He also added some features that now allow the spectators to sit comfortably on the grassy banks. Before the 1967 Masters, they also defined the left side of the fairway. The tree Spieth hit was planted in 1975 to the left side of the hole, about 200 yards from the tee. Fast forward to 2002, and they also added a cluster of small pines just to the left of the bunkers.
But, omitting trees has also been on the table. In 2017, Augusta National removed large trees from the 5th hole, widening the fairway. Then, in 2018, the acquisition of Augusta Country Club land led to further tree removals, enhancing views. Finally, in 2021, additional trees were cleared around the 5th and 9th holes. Now, due to the overall changes over the years, the Augusta greens are considered one of the most challenging courses.
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