2013 US Masters: Hole-by-Hole Course Preview

Apr 5, 2012; Augusta, GA, USA; A general view of a flag stick with the Masters logo during the first round of the 2012 The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 US Masters will take place on the majestic Augusta National layout. The course is a 7435 yard, 6799 metre, Par 72 layout and has played host to the annual Masters tournament since 1934.

Holes 11-13 make up “Amen Corner” which is the highlight of the course. It was named following the 1958 Masters tournament when a writer, Warren Wind gave the label to the holes after the way Arnold Palmer played them, with the inspiration coming from a song at the time called ‘Shouting at Amen Corner.’

The weather promises to be partly cloudy for all four days of the tournament with temperatures between 66 & 79 Fahrenheit (19-26 Celcius).

Hole 1 – 455 yard Par 4: The first is a slight dogleg right that plays uphill. Drives to the left may catch the trees. The hole requires a precise second shot to an undulating green. A poorly struck approach may result in a difficult two-putt.

Hole 2 – 575 yard Par 5: No. 2 is a dogleg left which may be reachable in two. Large, deep greenside bunkers demand special attention on the second shot.

Hole 3 – 350 yard Par 4: A classic short par four. Golfers attempt to hit short of the four fairway bunkers, resulting in a full shot to the green, where it is better to be long than short. The putting surface slopes right to left, with a thin neck on the left side guarded by a bunker.

Hole 4 – 240 yard Par 3: This hole is a stout par three that requires a long iron and is often made harder by deceptive winds. Two bunkers, front right and front left, guard the green, which slopes back to the front.

Hole 5 – 455 yard Par 4: An uphill, dogleg left to a sloping green. The fairway bunkers are deep and positioned to demand accuracy off the tee. To clear them requires a carry of 315 yards. The green slopes back to the front, and a rear bunker catches balls hit too long.

Hole 6 – 180 yard Par 3: This par three features an elevated tee and a large undulating green. The shifting levels of the putting surface from front to back make the pin position very important.

Hole 7 – 450 yard Par 4: The drive on this tight hole is often played to the left-center of the fairway to set up a second shot from a level lie. From there, a short to mid-iron may be played, but it is important to avoid the three bunkers in front of the green and the two behind.

Hole 8 – 570 yard Par 5: An accurate drive is needed to avoid the fairway bunker on the right side on this uphill hole. The long, narrow green is bunkerless. It is guarded instead by a series of mounds, the biggest of which line its left side.

Hole 9 – 460 yard Par 4: This hole is best known for its green that slopes from back to front. Players often drive down the right side to avoid having to contend with two left greenside bunkers on their second shots.

Hole 10 – 495 yard Par 4: This long par four plays steeply downhill and features a nearly 60-yard-long center bunker well short of the green. Players will try to drive the ball to the left center for the best angle into a green that pitches right to left. Until 1935, this was the first hole. It is traditionally the most difficult hole on the course.

Hole 11 – 505 yard Par 4: At this hole begins Amen Corner, and wind is often a factor. The tee shot plays downhill and left to right. A pond guards the green to the left and a bunker is strategically placed right center. This hole may best be remembered for Larry Mize’s miraculous chip-in to defeat Greg Norman in a playoff in the 1987 Masters.

Hole 12 – 155 yard Par 3: One of the world’s most famous golf holes, this is Augusta National’s shortest par three. Club selection is often difficult, as varying winds can require anything from a six-iron to a nine-iron for Masters competitors. The daunting presence of Rae’s Creek and three strategically placed bunkers make it imperative that players land their shots on the putting surface. Golfers walk across the Ben Hogan Bridge to reach the green.

Hole 13 – 510 yard Par 5: An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway on this sweeping dogleg left allows a player to go for the green in two. A tributary to Rae’s Creek winds in front of the raised green, and four bunkers threaten behind. The Byron Nelson Bridge is located just off the tee.

Hole 14 – 440 yard Par 4: The primary defense on this bunkerless par four is a terraced putting surface that drops significantly from left to right. Following a well-placed drive, the second shot will usually be a middle iron.

Hole 15 – 530 yard Par 5: A famously reachable par five when the winds are favorable. A well-struck second shot must be played over the pond and away from the bunker that guards the green on the right. Gene Sarazen hit his “shot heard ’round the world” here when he holed a four-wood approach from 235 yards away for a double eagle in 1935.

Hole 16 – 170 yard Par 3: This hole is played entirely over water to a green secured by three bunkers. With the putting surface significantly pitched from right to left, an exacting tee shot is required to set up a reasonable birdie chance.

Hole 17 – 440 yard Par 4: The putting surface at this uphill par four offers its share of challenges, as it seems to slope off in all directions. The back-right hole location is particularly demanding.

Hole 18 – 465 yard Par 4: One of the most famous finishing holes in golf, this uphill dogleg right is protected by two bunkers at the left elbow of the fairway. A drive hit down the center will often require a middle iron for a second shot to a deep, narrow green guarded by one bunker short-left and another hard right.

Hole-by-hole previews courtesy of Masters.com. Follow us on Twitter @ProGolfNow.