The Masters: Ranking All 18 Holes at Augusta National
By Ryan Andrade
18th hole (Holly) – Tight fairway and tricky green make for a challenging finish . . .
Par 4: 465 yards
Rank: 10
Virtual Flyover:
Coming in as the 10th best hole at Augusta National is the par-4 finishing hole. We’ve seen so many incredible moments on this hole over the years.
Similar to the 8th hole, the finishing hole is uphill all the way. The two bunkers on the left of the fairway were added to strengthen the hole or “Tiger-proof” it as many like to call the changes made to Augusta National. Before the modifications to the hole, the long hitters used a driver, then a wedge. Making a 3 here is much more difficult now.
Some of the longer hitters will hit three wood to stay short of the bunkers. The drive is very tight, and if you hit a foul ball here it’s anyone’s guess as to where the ball will end up. We’ve seen balls hit trees and bounce back to the fairway, and we’ve seen balls go where it takes two shots just to get back into play.
If you find yourself in the fairway you are looking at a mid-iron approach to an interesting green. It slopes from back to front with a ridge in the middle of the green. That ridge has been well utilized over the years for that front left Sunday hole location. You just hit it about 20 feet past the hole and let the ball funnel back to makable birdie range.
If the hole is in the back, the right bunker can make for an extremely difficult shot. 18 will usually play the hardest the two days the hole location is in the back. What will be the next unforgettable moment we see on the 18th?
Next: Flowering Peach