📝 The Masters Preview - Part 1

The Masters is less than 2 weeks away. It’s the best golf tournament of the year and there are so many things that make the event simply awesome. Welcome to The Shank Show’s two-part Preview of The Masters where we’ll cover the “must-knows” of the tournament that captivates the golfing world each year from Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC). Let’s tee off!

The Course

Augusta National, nestled in the heart of Georgia, emerged from the vision of two men: Bobby Jones, the legendary amateur golfer, and former investor turned golf administrator, Clifford Roberts. Jones and Roberts engaged renowned course architect Alister MacKenzie, and together, they sculpted a masterpiece that has challenge the world’s best golfers for generations. The undulating greens and fairways put the pros’ skills to the ultimate test and the closing stretch of holes, which demands precision on every hole, forces anyone that wants to win to hit the big shots (think 2nd shot on 15 and tee shot on 18).

The land at ANGC was previously a nursery and antebellum plantation named Fruitland before it underwent a dramatic transformation into the iconic golf course we know today. As a nod to its past, each hole at Augusta bears the name of a flowering tree or shrub. From the Magnolia (hole 5) to the Dogwood (hole 11), players navigate a living gallery of nature’s finest. And when the azaleas bloom in the US spring, the course transforms into a vibrant canvas.

Augusta National’s fairways and greens are meticulously groomed and manicured. The chief superintendent wields an arsenal of tools, including the notorious SubAir system, which controls moisture levels beneath the turf so ANGC can control the firmness of the course. ANGC also enjoys one of the largest greens keeping crews and the club put out some great footage of the mowing staff in action.

The Traditions of The Masters

The Masters, probably more than any other golfing event, has its special traditions that have helped make it such an iconic tournament. We’ve highlighted some below to give you a flavour.

🏌️ Ceremonial Tee Shots

Each year, The Masters kicks off with the Ceremonial Tee Shots. Past champions, clad in their iconic green jackets, step up to the first tee to launch their balls up the steep 1st fairway. This year will see Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson commence proceedings at Augusta.

🐦‍⬛ The Crow’s Nest

High above the clubhouse, the Crow’s Nest awaits its young occupants — the top amateur players in the field take up accommodation in the Crow’s Nest for the week. For some, like Hideki Matsuyama, it became a rite of passage, going on to win The Masters as a professional. For others, like Australia’s Curtis Luck, it was a chance to soak in The Masters magic from a bird’s-eye view.

📵 Quiet Please

Mobile phones and cameras vanish at the gates on Tournament days. The no-phone/camera policy ensures that the drama of The Masters unfolds undisturbed. This is partly due to The Masters conservative roots (patrons should be on course to watch the golf, not play with phones/cameras) and partly to ensure The Masters controls all images and footage taken of the course and players during the tournament.

🍽️ The Champions Dinner

Each year, ANGC hosts The Champions Dinner where the previous year’s champion selects the menu to be enjoyed by all prior year Champions who have made the trip to Augusta. The green jacket-clad guests enjoy the finest of dining as they share a few stories and laughs. In recent years, the Champions Dinner has taken on a different dynamic with many former Champions having defected to LIV. The villainising of players like Phil Mickelson is sure to have had an impact on the vibe of the night.

✅ The Coveted Green Jacket

The ultimate prize awaits the winner—a Green Jacket. It’s not just a piece of clothing; it’s a badge of honor, a ticket to golfing immortality. The jacket is slipped onto the new champion by the prior year’s champion in Butler Cabin - a tradition that all professional golfers aspire to be a part of, but very few will realise.

The Holes to Watch

There are so many great holes at Augusta. Basically, every hole has something unique or intriguing that captivates one golfer or another. However, we have called out our faves below and categorised them into The Usual Suspects and The Sleepers.

The Usual Suspects

Hole 12: Golden Bell

This iconic par-3 demands precision. The swirling winds, Rae’s Creek lurking in front of the green and devilish bunkers - this short but difficult hole has been the scene of disaster for some of the best golfers in the world including Jordan Speith, Greg Norman and Frankie Molinari. On Sunday, as the leaders approach, the 12th transforms into a heart-thumping amphitheater.

Hole 13: Azalea

Azalea— This dogleg left Par 5, and the last hole of Amen Corner, has recently been extended in length to better encapsulate the original vision of architect Mackenzie. The second shot over the creek to a treacherous green presents a great risk/reward opportunity for the players. Go for eagle or risk bogey (or worse) if you don’t hit the required shot. Remember Phil Mickelson’s brilliant 4-iron from the pine straw? One of the greatest shots in Masters’s history that saw him go on to win that year. That’s the magic of Amen Corner.

Hole 15: Firethorn

Firethorn ignites the final stretch of the back nine. The reachable par-5 invites the players to go for glory. But beware—the water savagely guards the front of the green and big numbers are lurking. The winner usually has birdie or eagle on this hole, so anyone in contention late on Sunday has to have a nicely positioned tee shot in the centre right of the fairway to allow the best approach to the shallow green.

Hole 16: Redbud

Redbud— The par-3 over the pond, the Sunday pin placement, the good chance of seeing an ace. This hole has produced plenty of drama and memorable moments over the years - maybe none more so than Tiger’s chip-in heard 'round the world. Arguably the best advertising Nike could ever have wished for.

The Sleepers

Hole 1: Tea Olive

Tea Olive—the curtain raiser. Don’t be fooled by this underrated hole that gets little TV coverage. The testing tee shot to an extremely undulating fairway with trees on the left and a savage bunker on the right sets the tone for the entire tournament. As players step onto the first tee, they feel the weight of the huge galleries around them. The green, depending on pin position, can also be one of the most challenging on course. A cracking start to The Masters every year.

Hole 4: Flowering Crab Apple

Flowering Crab Apple— this exceptionally hard par-3 plays 240 yards (220m) from the back tee box, and if there is a head wind, some players will be hitting 3-wood! The green is well guarded by bunkers (left and front right) and there are no easy putts. Hitting the green in regulation is a must because getting up and down on this hole is no snack.

Hole 11: White Dogwood

White Dogwood— the first of 3 holes in the famous Amen Corner, the 11th is a long par-4 that weaves through the pines. It’s also the scene of disaster for Australia’s Greg Norman who lost in a playoff to Larry Mize after Mize holed an incredible chip shot for birdie from right of the green. The tee shot must thread the needle, avoiding the pine trees, whilst the second shot is all downhill to a well-protected green surrounded by water and bunkers.

Keep an eye out for next week’s issue where Part 2 of our Masters Preview will cover the players to watch and more.

🍴Quick Bites

Here are some golf quick bites for you to snack on:

• Jaeger bomb in Houston - Stephan Jaeger held off Scottie Scheffler to win his first PGAT even at the Houston Open.

• Smithy gets rid of the mullet - or so we thought. It ended up being an April Fools joke 😂.

• Anthony Kim Interview with Faherty - AK sits down with David Faherty to tell us what went down for the 12 years he was missing from professional golf.

• Keita Nakajima becomes Japan’s 3rd DPWT winner in 6 months - The Japanese star, who holds the record for the most number of weeks as the world’s number 1 amateur, won the Hero Indian Open despite a late wobble.

📅 Schedule for the Week

LIV Golf returns this week as the League heads to the Blue Monster course at Trump National Doral. With plenty of water and some really challenging holes, the event should be drama packed. It will be interesting to see how the crowds are for the event and no doubt the former President will make an appearance at some stage.

The PGAT should also have some good viewing, with a number of key players deciding to play the event despite backing up against The Masters next week. Notables in the field include Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Colin Morikawa and Hideki Matsuyama. Finally, for those that love match play, the world’s best women will be putting on a show at the infamous Shadow Creek golf course in Vegas baby!

Your golfing schedule for the week, and how to watch is below:

• PGAT: Valero Texas Open - TPC San Antonio (Texas), $9.2m purse, Friday 5/4 to Monday 8/4 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, Main Coverage starts 6.00am AEST Friday.

• LIV Golf: Miami - Trump National Doral (Florida), $25m purse, Saturday 6/4 to Monday 8/4 - Coverage on 7+, starts 3.15am AEST Saturday.

• DPWT: No event

• LPGA: T-Mobile Match Play - Shadow Creek (Las Vegas), $2m purse, Thursday 4/4 to Monday 8/4 - Coverage on Foxtel & Kayo, starts 8.00am AEST Thursday.