Amazing look at how Augusta has changed over the years

blackwaterfish

golf digest's Augusta Change Tracker.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/georgia/augusta-changes


things have changed so much in the last 15 years!

dvemail

Unreal how much of a tighter course it has become, when you watch it on t.v it looks wide enough.
Great find.

The_Architect

Nice work by Ron Whitten.

Shows exactly how they have been slowly ruining the course for the past number of years.

blackwaterfish

Illustrations by Chris O'Riley

The_Architect wrote: »

Shows exactly how they have been slowly ruining the course for the past number of years.

in what sense? the lengthening of the course certainly seems necessary to tackle the length of the current game.

plus, the character of a park land golf course is always in a state of transformation as it matures, no?

Trampas

Augusta only protection is the greens.

The_Architect

blackwaterfish wrote: »

Illustrations by Chris O'Riley



in what sense? the lengthening of the course certainly seems necessary to tackle the length of the current game.

plus, the character of a park land golf course is always in a state of transformation as it matures, no?

I agree that they had to lengthen the course.

But adding rough, tightening the fairways, adding ponds (as opposed to diagonal creeks) and reducing the size of some greens has drastically reduced the strategic yet playable intent of the original designers, quite apart from lessening the aesthetics (in my view). Add to that the simplification of the bunker shapes over the years and the transformation in to "just another pga course" is getting closer.

ThunderCat

They really have narrowed it over the years havn't they. The disadvantage of that of course is the fact that the players will all be hitting into the green from similar angles on the fairways and only the ones that can shape their shots sufficiently will find the right portion of the greens. Takes away completely from the courses early set-up where the fairways were wider and the correct section of the fairway had to be found to open up the right angle to the green. This being the blueprint for the early course designers taken from the oft.copied St.Andrews.
What a course all the same. Cant wait to see it on TV in a few weeks.

ssbob

Would love to go there..........................