The patrons walking up the first fairway at Augusta National during a sun-splashed practice round for the Masters managed to find a nice viewpoint between a couple of pines, where they watched as Justin Rose hit an approach shot to the green.
There are quite a few more places for them to perch after Hurricane Helen tore through Georgia last summer.
By the time the deadly Category 4 storm churned north and finally dissipated, it left in its wake an estimated 1 million downed trees, thousands without power, and some 7 million cubic yards of debris to pick up. The city of Augusta was devastated, and the pristine property that annually hosts golf's most revered tournament was left with its own massive clean-up effort.
Nearly six months later, it's hard to tell anything was ever amiss. The fairways and greens are perfectly manicured, the azaleas once again in bloom. All that are missing are the hundreds of trees that failed to survive the storm.
“It almost felt like I was playing the back nine for the first time,” two-time major winner Xander Schauffele He said, "There are specific trees you target from the tee box, and as you walk past the 11th green, you can see half of the course layout."
That expansive view gave Schauffele conflicting emotions. On one hand, it was intriguing to observe what transpired across the estate due to the wide-ranging vistas, which likely resembled those experienced by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones when they designed the course on a previous nursery and antebellum plantation back in the early 1930s.
In other aspects, Schauffele mentioned, "it's also sorrowful to observe the numerous trees that have toppled."
The absence of these trees shouldn’t noticeably alter how the course functions once The Masters kicks off on Thursday. Although some tall pines previously offered useful targets—such as guiding shots past the 11th green—they have been replaced with equally beneficial indicators. Furthermore, errant hits will continue to face consequences from tree trunks and branches scattered amidst the pine needles.
When you start striking balls into the trees," Scottie Scheffler stated, "you’re still likely to find yourself in significant difficulty.
The more intriguing debate appears to revolve around whether the disappearance of numerous trees was an unexpected benefit.
John Fought competed in the Masters thrice during the '70s and '80s prior to transitioning into an esteemed golf course designer known for notable designs like those at Pumpkin Ridge in Oregon. Similar to others, he has supported the reduction of superfluous trees at iconic venues such as Oakmont, aiming to revert these courses back to their initial design plans by their creators.
In my view, the course has seen significant transformations. These changes aren’t limited to its length — which is quite noticeable — but also involve alterations in tree placement," Fought noted, highlighting specific areas such as the trees along the right side of hole number 11 and those situated behind holes numbered 15 and 17. "While some of these new plantings have improved things, they've generally altered the course considerably compared to what Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie originally conceived.
Indeed, Jones and MacKenzie often said that St. Andrews served as an inspiration for Augusta National. It is evident in the large, undulating greens, the absence of penal rough, and the risk-reward opportunities that exist across the course.
The windswept Scottish coast doesn’t boast any tall pine trees, however.
St. Andrews offers expansive views with numerous angles for players to utilize. I hope we'll see more of this," Fought commented. "I must say, I adore the Masters and its organization, yet I've noticed that trees have increasingly influenced course designs.
Most of that has been out of necessity.
To counter technological progressions and compel golfers to execute shots akin to those from decades past, one approach has been extending the course’s length. Another strategy involves narrowing it. In 2003, when the club relocated 36 pine trees, former Masters chair Hootie Johnson stated that this move aimed at maintaining "our longstanding focus on precision during teeing-off."
During the late '90s, a seasoned contributor from The New Yorker and a writer for Golf Digest David Owen was tasked with writing a history of the club and was provided unrestricted access to its extensive archives. The resulting book, "The Making of the Masters," is regarded as the authoritative account.
Owen notes that Jones referred to the course as "nationally designed," and he welcomed suggestions from numerous individuals. Although Mackenzie did cite St. Andrews as an inspiration, Owen suggests that "one must essentially ignore certain details" to identify significant parallels."
I believe these modifications were essential," Owen stated conclusively. "Contemporary players would dominate the layout as it existed back in 1934.
It remains to be seen how they will perform in 2025.
Due to Hurricane Helene, people exploring the area this week will have various spots to observe it from.
I simply believe it appears nicer; I'm not sure why," confessed Fred Couples, winner of the 1992 Masters. "A couple days ago when we played hole number one, standing on the green, you could clearly see much more space at the ninth tee. That aspect seems pretty neat as you get to observe players hitting their shots. Some parts definitely got affected, but speaking for myself, I am aware that numerous trees fell. This community faced severe devastation. Nonetheless, the transformation of the golf course is astounding.
There are still plenty of trees," Couples remarked. "My goodness.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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