Augusta National Golf Club opened in Augusta, Georgia in 1932-33 on 365 acres of the former Fruitland Nurseries property, purchased by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts for $70,000. Designed by architect Alister MacKenzie, the course has hosted the Masters Tournament every year since 1934 and remains one of four sites of professional golf's major championships.
Fact | Detail |
|---|
Founders | Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts |
Course architect | Dr. Alister MacKenzie |
Land purchased | 365 acres, former Fruitland Nurseries site, 1931, for $70,000 |
Course opened | Late 1932, with formal opening January 1933 |
First Masters Tournament | 1934 |
Address | 2604 Washington Road, Augusta, GA 30904 |
Source: club history as documented by Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, corroborated by Wikipedia.
Origins and Founding
Bobby Jones retired from competitive golf in 1930 after completing the Grand Slam. He partnered with New York investment banker Clifford Roberts to build a winter golf course in his native Georgia. The two purchased the 365-acre Fruitland Nurseries property in 1931 and hired golf course architect Alister MacKenzie to design it. Jones and MacKenzie worked through the spring and summer of 1932, and Bermuda grass was planted that May. The course opened for member play in December 1932, with the ceremonial opening following in January 1933.
Augusta National's Distinctive Features
Several specific landmarks distinguish the course from any other in the world: a stretch of holes known for deciding tournaments, a tree removed by weather rather than a scorecard, a creek that has ended more than one Masters bid, and a clubhouse dormitory reserved for amateurs.
Amen Corner
Amen Corner refers to the second half of the 11th hole, all of the 12th hole, and the first half of the 13th hole. Sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind coined the name in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article. The stretch has decided multiple Masters outcomes, including Tiger Woods' chip-in on the 16th hole in 2005 during a different, but nearby, closing stretch of tournament-deciding holes.
- Location: 11th, 12th, and 13th holes, Augusta National Golf Club
- Public access: Masters Tournament week only (April), by badge; the club is otherwise private and not open for public play or tours
- Distance from downtown Augusta: approximately 3 miles
The Eisenhower Tree
Named for former club member and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who lobbied unsuccessfully in 1956 to have it removed after repeatedly hitting into it from the 17th tee, the Eisenhower Tree stood roughly 210 yards down the left side of the 17th fairway. The 65-foot loblolly pine, estimated at 100 to 125 years old, was removed in February 2014 after a regional ice storm caused irreparable damage.
- Location: 17th hole fairway, left side, approximately 210 yards from the tee
- Status: removed February 2014; not replaced
Rae's Creek
Rae's Creek runs in front of the 12th green and behind the 11th green, forming a water hazard on two of Amen Corner's three holes. A miscalculated shot into the creek has cost multiple players a Masters title, most memorably Curtis Strange in 1985.
- Location: fronting the 12th green, bordering the 11th green
- Distance from downtown Augusta: approximately 3 miles
The Crow's Nest
The Crow's Nest sits atop the clubhouse and houses amateur competitors during Masters week. It has offered free lodging to qualifying amateurs, including future major champions, since the tournament's early decades.
The Masters Tournament
Augusta National hosted its first invitational tournament in 1934; the event was renamed the Masters Tournament in 1939. Since then it has produced defining moments across generations, from Arnold Palmer's and Jack Nicklaus's multiple green jackets to Tiger Woods' five Masters titles. The tournament is played the first full week of April each year.
Traditions
The winning golfer receives a green jacket, a tradition dating to 1949. Azaleas and dogwoods bloom on the grounds each spring, timed to the tournament's early-April dates. Augusta National did not admit its first Black member until 1990 and its first female members until 2012.
Course Changes Over Time
The club has periodically added tees and bunkers to keep pace with modern equipment, most visibly in a series of course lengthenings through the 2000s and 2010s. Damaged features, including the Eisenhower Tree, have been removed rather than restored when arborists advised against it.
Environmental Practices
Augusta National has invested in water-use reduction and habitat management on its grounds, drawing recognition within the golf industry for turf and water management practices.
The Augusta National Women's Amateur
In 2019, Augusta National hosted the first Augusta National Women's Amateur, played in part at nearby Champions Retreat Golf Club with the final round at Augusta National itself. The event gave the world's top female amateur golfers a nationally televised platform on one of the sport's most recognized courses.
Looking Ahead
Augusta National continues to host the Masters each April while making incremental changes to the course and club membership. Its combination of design pedigree, from MacKenzie's original routing to nearly a century of subsequent tournament-driven changes, keeps it central to professional golf's calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Augusta National Golf Club founded?
Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts purchased the 365-acre Fruitland Nurseries site in 1931. The course opened for play in late 1932, with its formal opening in January 1933, and it has hosted the Masters Tournament since 1934.
Who designed the Augusta National golf course?
Golf course architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed Augusta National in collaboration with Bobby Jones. MacKenzie died in January 1934, months before the first Masters Tournament was played on the course.
What happened to the Eisenhower Tree at Augusta National?
The Eisenhower Tree, a loblolly pine on the 17th hole named for President Dwight Eisenhower, was removed in February 2014 after a regional ice storm caused damage that arborists determined was irreparable. It was not replaced.
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