The Masters: Ranking All 18 Holes at Augusta National
By Ryan Andrade
3rd hole (Flowering Peach) – The approach is always delicate . . .
Par 4: 350 yards
Rank: 9
Virtual Flyover:
The 3rd hole at Augusta National is the shortest par-4 on the course. No other hole on the course has more strategy involved off the tee than this one. Do you hit driver or iron?
This hole is really “drivable”per se, but you can certainly get it up toward the putting surface. The longest hitters, when the wind is correct, typically will be in the collection area short and left of the green. From there you have a delicate touch shot, up hill to a green that slopes from back to front.
The other option is the iron off the tee. The great part about this hole is that even just hitting the layup is difficult, as there are bunkers all down the left side where the players are looking to put their tee shot. If you execute your shot, it leaves you just over 100 yards.
Generally the rule is if the hole is in the back, take the driver. If the hole is in the front, lay it up. It’s such a tricky shot if the hole is on the front of the green when you are playing well below the level of the green. This means when you are attacking the front hole locations with a wedge, you need to control the spin so you don’t spin it off the front of the green.
This will play as the 5th easiest hole on the course after the four par-5’s. You would really like to play this at least 2-under for the week. Strategy is the name of the game at the 3rd hole.
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