What Would 400-yard Drives Do for Bryson DeChambeau at Augusta National?

Bryson DeChambeau recently reported that his launch monitor clocked one of his drives at 403 yards. Even if it’s off by 15 yards, that’s a long way.

With Bryson DeChambeau’s newfound distance, and the possibility that he is approaching 400-yard drives, the question is what would that kind of distance do for him at the Masters? We know it would do a lot, but to find out for sure, we have to look at the golf course.

First of all, the majority of the holes at Augusta National are not flat. They mostly slope slightly or go precipitously up or down or even sideways.

The first includes a substantial, u-shaped, 40 or 50-foot, grassed ravine in the middle of the hole. The green ends up being about the same level as the tee. Tee shots typically hit somewhere on the upslope of the ravine or at the top of it and bound forward. If, by some miracle, he should have a strong wind behind him, he might be able to drive the green! That’s really a game-changing situation.

The second hole, a par 5, is quite downhill, so much so that skiers might enjoy it. It’s a 90-foot drop from tee to green. That means a 400-yard drive on flat terrain would likely be a 500-yard drive on No. 2, just because of gravity. Since the hole is 575 yards long, he would be looking at a very short second shot. Do you smell eagle?

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The third hole is strategic, and the green always gets up on the wrong side of the bed. Unhittable, unholdable. Driver would be too much club for DeChambeau, just as it is for many players.

The 4th is a par 3, so not in this discussion.

A 400-yard drive might be the best thing ever at the 5th, which has been lengthened in recent years. There are two defenses for the hole. The first is the left side of the fairway which drops off and sends shots down and into shrubby and treed places nobody wants to be. The second barrier to success is the green which can also be unhittable. It’s unlikely DeChambeau would be able to drive the green because it’s 495 yards. However, he could leave himself 100 to 125 yards, perfect for dropping a delicate wedge into a better than average spot.

The 6th is a par three, so out of this conversation except that it’s not hard to make a six there.

At the 7th, a 400-yard belt would get DeChambeau within easy pitching distance as the hole is 450 yards in length. There are no cross bunkers to get in the way. The only dangerous spots are the trees lining the fairway, so if DeChambeau is going to risk a long, long drive, he needs to make it a straight one. He literally could throw it over the greenside bunkers and onto the putting surface from wherever his drive lands. But of course, that green is a nightmare so the toss would be important.

The 8th could potentially become a very long par four for DeChambeau or anyone else who can hit the golf ball 400 yards off the tee. The hole is more than 70 feet uphill, but even so, the DeChambeau’s drive will likely carry the annoying cross bunker on the right side. Then it’s a matter of sticking the landing as they say in gymnastics. Once again, it takes a good shot to make the ball stay on the 8th green, but it has often been done.

The 9th may not offer an advantage for the 400-yard driver. The hole is severely downhill and then uphill with similar slope. A drive that goes farther than the bottom of the downhill slope will roll right back down.

However, the hole is measured in the center of the fairway, and we don’t know what the distance is, as the crow flies, from tee to green. For anyone crazy enough to try that shot, the play would have to be to hit a ball toward the right side of the green and/ or beyond the center of the green with the error being right of the green. Sure, it’s a ticklish slope coming back, but if you are going to try to drive the 9th, you can’t expect Augusta National to roll over on its back like your dog does for whatever reason dogs do that.

The 10th might be the most fun for a 400-yard hitter. I’m not even sure what the aim point would be from the tee for that big a shot, but the hole is 495 yards. The looming question would be whether or not that humongous fairway bunker is in play. Because the elevation change from tee to green is about 110 feet, there’s almost no end to roll once it gets started.

The 11th deserves to have somebody hit a 400-yard drive on it. It looks so placid, but we all can name a disaster or two that has happened there as well as a couple of sudden death victories. The hole is downhill about 40 feet from tee to green, and as you probably know, it slopes toward the water on the left. However, it does flatten out near the green on the right. At 505 yards, the downhill slope makes it play easier than the scorecard says.

Twelve is the world-famous par 3. No need for extra length there, just precision shots.

If DeChambeau can hit a running draw, the 13th hole is the place for it, but he needs to start the ball toward the pine trees on the right and bring it back. You know the hole. It’s the finale of Amen Corner. He doesn’t want to try the Phil Mickelson pine straw shot if he doesn’t have to. At last report, the hole is still 510 yards and a par 5, but knowing Augusta National, they may have somehow sky-hooked another 30 yards on the back of the tee for the week while they figure out how to best utilize the land they bought from the neighbors.

I hate to say this, but I remember the days when players sometimes hit woods to the 13th green for their second shots. It was a big decision on whether to take that chance because of the creek in front of the green. A 400-yard drive would surely change that. Also, smoke would probably come out of the sleeves of the club members’ green jackets as they walked through the stately pines.

The 14th is a tad uphill, tree-lined with an ever so slight dogleg left. Ben Crenshaw loves the green there. Since the hole has no bunkers, DeChambeau might unload and see how close he can get to it.

The 15th, you know. The final par 5. A 400-yard drive would really make a statement since the hole is “just” 530. If DeChambeau can weave the ball through the pine trees that nip the fairway in annoying places, he will have a very short shot into the green. I don’t want to say really good eagle chance, but you know it would be.

The 17th might play a lot like the 14th. DeChambeau could just stand up there and crush it. It’s a teeny bit uphill, 20 yards from tee to green, but at 440 yards, this one should have him licking his chops.

Now on the final hole, it’s not just the distance, which is 465 yards. It’s the corner that has to be navigated to have a shot at the green. Would DeChambeau risk a shot over the trees, knowing it’s uphill 50 yards from tee to green? Would he crank one out to the left this year only, since there won’t be a gallery – sorry – patrons to stop the ball from scampering to the left? That hole is a bit of a risk.

Next. The Masters: good news, bad news from Augusta on Tuesday. dark

So, you may have a different opinion, but it seems that DeChambeau or anyone with a 400-yard drive can put a real dent in Augusta National. He could gain five or six shots on the front nine and five to seven shots on the second nine. That wouldn’t just break the course record. It would obliterate it.

For the sake of Augusta National, you have to hope it doesn’t come to pass, but if it does, count on some kind of a rule modification before the Masters in 2021!

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