AUGUSTA, Georgia — A long-standing rumor surrounding Augusta National Golf Club may soon be coming true.
Augusta National and Augusta Country Club have reached an agreement for purchase of property at Augusta Country Club’s northwest boundary, according to an Aug. 4 letter to Augusta Country Club members from club president Jay B. Forrester.
There has been no comment from Augusta National regarding the reported sale.
According to the letter, the Augusta Country Club Board of Governors recently finalized details and approved the sale, a transfer of acreage to Augusta National. Forrester, in his letter, confirmed that a portion of the eighth and a new ninth hole will be constructed at no cost to Augusta Country Club.
“The conceptual design process is already underway, and we have no doubt that these holes will be greatly improved, while maintaining the architectural integrity of our course famously designed by the world renowned Donald Ross,” the letter states.
The current eighth hole is a par 5 measuring 599 yards from the gold tees, and the ninth is a 388-yard par 4. These holes, the ninth in particular, are close neighbors with Augusta National’s 12th and 13th holes, meaning this could lead to the rumored lengthening of No. 13.
Augusta National’s 13th hole, now a 510-yard par 5, routinely plays as one of the easiest each year at the Masters Tournament, as a long, right-to-left tee shot can leave players with nothing more than a short iron into the green, and lengthening the hole to make it more difficult has been frequently hinted at in recent years.
“As we do every year, and historically forever, we are always looking at options for numerous of our holes. We create plans looking into the future, when we believe that the shot value of certain second shots, principally, has been impacted by how far the ball is now traveling,” said Augusta National chairman Billy Payne during his annual news conference the day before the 2016 Masters. “As a consequence, 13 is one of those holes we are studying. We have made no decision whatsoever. Plans are under way to be considered, and as I said, that is one of many holes that we now have under consideration.
“And as it relates specifically to 13, which seems to be the subject du jour, we think there are multiple options where we could increase the difficulty of the hole and restore the shot values, only one of which deals with extending the length. So we are in the middle of all of those studies, a lot of arithmetic, lot of design issues, and we would only resort to equipment as the last resort because we believe that the governing bodies in golf deal with that very effectively.”
No. 13 played as the easiest hole during the 2017 Masters, playing to a 4.63 stroke average. It’s the second easiest in the history of the Masters, playing to a stroke average of 4.79 — only 15, at 4.78, has played easier since the inaugural Masters Tournament in 1934.
As Forrester’s letter states, the two courses have exchanged acreage over the years — Augusta Country Club has sold portions of its property to Augusta National, and Augusta Country Club’s eighth green currently sits on land sold by Augusta National more than 30 years ago.
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