It’s arguably the most famous golf course in the United States, but even with the Masters teeing-off today with another green jacket being handed out in just a few days, do you know everything about Augusta National Golf Club? We’re guessing not, which is why we’re giving you a few things that might teach you a thing or two.
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15. No Player Has Ever Won the Par-3 Tournament and the Real One in the Same Year
While playing the par-3 course with friends and family gives players the opportunity to relax and calm some nerves before stepping on the big course, no one has ever won both in the same year.
14. Rules
While the rules remain the same for the players on the course, there are some strict requirements for the fans—known as patrons—as well. So if you’re trying to take in the action, here are a few things to me mindful of—so not to be asked to leave. Patrons are not allowed to run, ask for autographs or have electronic devices of any kind
13. Amen Corner
If you’re looking for a do-or-die moment at The Masters, tuning-in to the second shot at the 11th, all of the 12th and the first two shots on the 13th is when you mind find it. That’s because those holes are known as “Amen Corner,” a term coined by Sports Illustrated author Herbert Warren Wind in 1958.
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12. Practice Makes Perfect
The aforementioned par-3 course was actually supposed to be a “approach and putt” course for players to get warm and familiarize with the course before stepping on the big one. However, a lack of funds prevented this from coming to fruition, with the par-3 course becoming just that in 1958—some 20 years later.
11. Amateur Pressure
Founder Bobby Jones was quite the amateur player, so he did what he could to help promote the sport of golf and the prestige of such accomplishments on the amateur level. That’s why Jones allows quite a few unofficial PGA players into the field each year, with the winner of the U.S. Amateur tournament playing the first two rounds with the previous year’s Masters champ.
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10. The Reagan Hold Up
While playing a round on October 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan was playing a round at Augusta with his secretary of state, George Schultz, when on the 16th hole a local man named Charles Harris stormed through the gate with his truck and demanded to see the President. Harris held hostages at gun point for two hours before Secret Service got to him.
9. The Eisenhower Cabin
One of 10 cabins on the property, Eisenhower Cabin was built for club member and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower following his election as the Commander in Chief. Yes, it was built with full security precautions taken by the Secret Service to make sure he was safe.
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8. It’s Coed Now
After a history of allowing just men to its club, back in 2012, Augusta National finally got with the times and allowed their first women to sport a green, members jacket. Those women were Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore—who remain as the only two females admitted to the club.
7. It’s Cheap Grub
While concessions at sporting events typically set fans back, the most popular sandwich at Augusta still goes for just $1.50. That’s right, for just six quarters, spectators can enjoy the Pimento Cheese Sandwich, which is made with both American and Swiss cheese.
6. Silence
In a strange moment of noisy commentary, during the 1978 final hole, Hubert Green had stepped over his three and a half foot putt to try and tie then leader Gary Player. But something happened, as in, CBS Radio announcer Jim Kelly spoke too loud, causing Green to get a bit flustered and push the putt wide to lose by a few strokes.
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5. The Holes Were Rearranged
Before the inaugural Masters in 1934, the ninth and 18th holes were switched in order to have the finals hole closer to the clubhouse that was being built. That means the entire course was flip-flopped, making hole No. 1 actually hole No. 10, creating more drama as the final rounds were being completed.
4. Its Co-founder Killed Himself On the Course
As a co-founder of Augusta National, one would think that things would be great for Clifford Roberts. But with failing health at the age of 83, Roberts walked to the slope next to Ike’s Pond and shot himself with a pistol to take his own life.
3. The Architect Never Saw the Completion
Designed by Bobby Jones, Augusta National seems to be a golfer’s paradise for all that it brings to a few rounds of golf. But that beauty was never actually witnessed to its full completion by architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie, as his last visit to the course came in the summer of 1932, dying in January of 1934—a mere three months before the first Masters.
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2. The Oaks
Some of the most stunning images in all of sports, the massive oak trees that are so familiar around the grounds aren’t actually indigenous to the region, likely being imported from the Georgia coast in the mid-1850s. As a commercial nursery before becoming a golf course, it’s no surprise to see an unusual species of plants
1. The War Years
Between 1943 and December 1944, Augusta National closed as a golf club in support of the war. Housing 200 cattle and more than 1,000 turkeys, the livestock helped keep the grass “mowed,” but also created problems by mangling the fairways and plantings. To help restore the course, 42 German POWs were brought in.