Much has been written about the Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters, but were you aware of the following? How many of the more than one hundred facts did you already know?
Between 1943 and 1945, 200 cattle and more than 1,400 turkeys, as well as 42 German prisoners of war occupied the fairways of the closed down Augusta National fairways. The cattle ate a large number of valuable azalea and camellia plants as well as some of the bark of the trees and ended up costing the Club money. Fortunately the Club made up the loss through the sale of the turkeys. The POWs were hired from Camp Gordon and worked mostly on the golf course. Obviously the tournament was not held during that time.
The Club nearly went bankrupt and only paid course designer Alistair Mackenzie only $2,000 of the $10,000 it owed him. He died in January, 1934 just two months before the first tournament was held.
Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, and Gene Sarazen watch Bobby Jones tee off.
The prize money for the tournament remained constant from the beginning until the tournament was suspended for the beginning of World War II. The total purse was $5,000 and it was paid to the twelve leading professionals. Clifford Roberts would annually pass the hat among the membership to raise this amount, but the Club continued to lose money each year on the tournament and also suffer operating deficits as a Club.
Again during World War II, the Club struggled financially. Dues were suspended, but members were asked to donate $100 a year so that the Club could retain ownership to the property. Most did.
The first tournament was held March 22, 1934 and since 1940 it has been scheduled for the first full week in April.
The core of the original clubhouse was built in 1854 and is recognized as the first cement house to be constructed in the South.
Annual dues for membership started at $60 per year and the membership initiation fee was $350. Those who underwrote the club signed a firm commitment for a minimum of $5,000 and a goal of $50,000, but in a mission to solicit Alfred Bourne of the Singer Sewing Machine family, the committee chairperson mistakenly stammered out a request of $50,000 instead of $5,000 to which Bourne provided the very next morning. Mission accomplished! Walton Marshall provided $25,000 and several more $5-10,000. Bobby Jones was not asked as it was known that he had no money until he later received the monumental sum of about half a million dollars for his golf instructional movie work with Warner Brothers.
The property was once an indigo plantation, but was purchased by the Belgian Baron Berckmans family in 1857. Their son, Prosper, who was an agronomist and horticulturalist, began importing many trees and plants from around the world including the azalea that remained on the property. The Baron died in 1883 and his son Prosper passed in 1910 with the nursery ceasing operations in 1918.
No one actually won “The Masters” until 1939 because from 1934 through 1938 the event was known as the “Augusta National Invitation Tournament.”
Herbert Warren Wind - the "Dean" of American Golf Writers
The term “Amen Corner” was coined in 1958 by the late venerable golf journalist, Herbert Warren Wind because he felt that this was the section of the golf course where the crucial events took place. He borrowed the phrase from the old jazz recording entitled “Shouting at Amen Corner.”
Ben Hogan began the Tuesday night “Champion’s Dinner” tradition in 1952, but never attended another after he finished 10th in 1967. The previous year’s winner chooses the menu and pays the bill.
Prescott Bush, father of George H.W. and grandfather of George W. played Augusta National in February, 1933 and was so impressed with the course that he floated the idea of them hosting the US Open, but it never really materialized because of the June dates for the Open.
To date, no player has won the Wednesday par-3 contest and then won the tournament.
$50 – the amount that Craig Wood and Gene Sarazen each received for their 18-hole play-off in 1935.
The original plan for Augusta National was to build two 18-hole courses, the second one for women as part of a real estate development.
The Augusta National Golf Club also planned to tear down the existing clubhouse and build a modern one. It never happened.
Gene Sarazen made the first “Double Eagle” at The Masters at the 15th hole in the final round that enabled him in 1935 to tie Craig Wood and later defeat him in an 18-hole play-off. Who scored the next one and when? It wasn’t until 1967 when Bruce Devlin made a two on the par-5 8th hole, and Jeff Maggert was the only other. By the way, Bobby Jones was among the small gallery that witnessed the Sarazen shot “heard round the world.”
The nines were switched from the original design in 1934 because the trees on the first several holes blocked the sun and thus delayed play more when there was a frost.
The “Crow’s Nest” is the third-floor retreat measuring 1,200 square feet that houses five. Thirty by forty feet, it
The "Crows Nest."
houses four cubicles and the top of the room features an eleven-by-eleven foot cupola that can be accessed only by ladder.
George Cobb and Clifford Roberts collaborated to design and build the par-3 course in 1958.
The pine tree is the most abundant tree on the property and included are Shortleaf Pines, Slash Pines, Loblolly Pines, Longleaf Pines, and Eastern White Pines.
Clifford Roberts had the mounds to the left of the eighth green removed in 1956, but Joe Finger with consultation from Byron Nelson restored them to the Mackenzie specifications in 1979 after Roberts’ death.
Long successful second putts – 40’ by Fred Couples for a birdie on the second hole following a 10’ eagle attempt in 1986.
The beautiful little Par-3 Course.
The slight dogleg right eleventh hole was originally a short sharp dogleg right with the tee to the right of the current tenth green, and just behind the present fifteenth hole. Players were forced to slice drives off the tee or hit irons so the hole was transformed.
$4,403 is the amount of money Jack Nicklaus earned in the seven tournaments on the PGA TOUR in 1986 prior to the 1986 Masters when he ranked 158th in putting.
On the Sunday before the 1986 Masters, Nicklaus was in Atlanta visiting the Country Club of the South in Atlanta, a course he was building.
Rae’s Creek is named after John Rae. Rae kept residents safe during early Indian attacks and his home was the furthest fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta.
Sixty-one large magnolia trees line both sides of the entrance of the 330-yard storied Magnolia Lane between Washington Avenue and the Clubhouse. Make that sixty, one fell right before the 2011 tournament.
This player 3-putted from twelve feet on the last green to finish second by a stroke to Herman Keiser. That was Ben Hogan in 1946 who also twice lost in play-off, first to Byron Nelson and later to Sam Snead.
This player shot 17 strokes worse than he did the year before and still won. Jack Nicklaus won with an even-par 288 defeating Gay Brewer and Tommy Jacobs in an 18-hole play-off in 1965. Nicklaus won with a 271 the year previously and Gay Brewer would go on to win the next year.
The bunker to the right side of the 15th green is courtesy of Ben Hogan who made the suggestion in 1957 to keep
"Hogan's Bunker" on the fifteenth.
players from bailing out to the right side of the green.
Course founder Bobby Jones and David Toms are the only players to birdie the par-3 fourth hole three times in one event.
1987 Masters Champion Larry Mize was a hometown boy who used to work the leaderboards at the tournament in the morning so he could go out and watch his idol Jack Nicklaus in the afternoon. The final round in 1986, Mize matched Nicklaus’ final round of 65 which got him into the Top 24 and the next year Nicklaus placed the Green Jacket on him.
Jack Nicklaus remains the only player to register two eagles on a par-4, let alone the same hole when he holed out his approach shots in the first and third rounds in 1995 on the fifth hole, the most difficult hole on the outgoing nine.
The tradition of the “Honorary Starter” began in 1963 when Fred McLeod and Jock Hutchison were named. There have been many years without an honorary starter and in 1983 Ken Venturi hit the honorary first tee shot.
Sandwiches still cost less than $3 and children of badge holders between the ages of 8 and 16 are admitted free of charge.
Until 1982, contestants were required to employ an Augusta National caddy. After that, they were allowed to bring their own if they desired. Most today bring their own.
In 1967, The Masters initiated the first international live sports broadcast when the BBC sent the signals abroad.
The last time that a winner was not in the Top 10 after 36 holes was Jack Nicklaus in 1986.
When was the last competitive appearance of Bobby Jones at the Masters? The year was 1948 and Jones was 46, the same age as when Jack Nicklaus won his last Masters. Jones shot 315 with a final round 79. A year later Jones was diagnosed with syringomyelia, a painful and debilitating spinal disease.
When did the Masters introduce a 36-hole cut? 1957.
In 1941, Clifford Roberts buried cables around the clubhouse and course, which allowed for communicating immediate scoring updates – far ahead of others.
The Masters traditionally places the winners of the four preceding Major Championships and the US Amateur champion on the leaderboards at the beginning of play the first round. They then play their way off the board with less than stellar scoring or remain with good play.
Tiger Woods who was the youngest Champion also holds the record for the most consecutive sub-par rounds, ten spanning from 2000-2002. All of the scoreboards at Augusta National are electronic.
After television coverage of golf started in 1947, and the 17th and 18th holes of the US Open at Baltusrol where covered in 1954, Augusta National secured CBS to provide them with two and one half hours of coverage in 1956 and they buried the television cables as well.
Leaders to win as of 2011, by round . . . First round: 15 of 106; Second round: 28 of 93; Third round: 42 of 86. In other words, as the saying goes, the Masters doesn’t really begin until the last nine on Sunday!
The average number of starts for a first-time winner at The Masters is six. Fuzzy Zoeller was the last to win on his first bid in 1979. Tiger took three starts.
Here’s a good way to finish. Mark Calcavecchia and David Toms both shot the lowest nines ever recorded in the Masters. Both were on the back nine of the final round shooting 29 in 1992 and 1998 respectively.
The green jacket tradition began in 1937 when they became available to Members, but it wasn’t until 1949 when winner Sam Snead was awarded the first winner’s Green Jacket.
Long drive, two-man best ball, and other pre-tournament competitions were held prior to the introduction of the par-three contest.
Founders Circle is located at the base of the flagpole in front of the Clubhouse. It has two plaques there 
honoring the Masters’ founders, Bob Jones and Clifford Roberts.
Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts exercised a $70,000 option on the 365-acre Fruitland Nursery for what is now the Augusta National Golf Club. Construction began in 1931 and limited play commenced the next year with the formal opening occurring in 1933.
The lowest amateur score remains the 7-under par shot by Charlie Coe in 1961 when he finished tied with Arnold Palmer for second, one shot behind winner, Gary Player.
The big live oak tree on the course side of the clubhouse is a place where the “Who’s Who” in golf annually mix. 
It is estimated to be more than 150 years old having been planted around 1855.
Gary Player was the first foreign winner in 1961 and played in the most tournaments with 52.
No amateur has ever won though Ken Venturi was one of three who came close. Despite a final round 80, he finished second to Jack Burke, Jr. by a single shot in 1956. Burke came from a whopping eight shots back to win with a one-over par 289 total.
The idea for the Green Jackets was for Members to wear them so that patrons during the tournament could 
readily identify them as a source for information. New York’s Brooks Uniform Company provided them.
There have only ever been four untied wire-to-wire winners. They were Craig Wood (1941), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), and Raymond Floyd (1976).
Alistair Mackenzie and Bobby Jones originally designed the course to have thirty-six bunkers, but upon Mackenzie’s input had that number reduced to twenty-two with the 7th, 15th, and 17th holes having no bunkers. Now the 14th hole is the only bunkerless hole on the course.
What do Clifford Roberts, William Lane, Hord Hardin, Jack Stephens, William (Hootie) Johnson, and Billy Payne have in common? All have served as Chairman of the Club.
Two amateurs that came very close to Masters victories - Billy Joe Patton and Ken Venturi.
Besides, Ken Venturi and Charlie Coe, North Carolinian Billy Joe Patton first came closest to winning The Masters as an amateur in 1954. He birdied the ninth hole all four days and had a hole-in-one on the sixth, but hit into the water at both the 13th and 15th holes during the final round to finish a mere shot behind Ben Hogan and eventual champion Sam Snead.
The par-three sixth hole is the only hole on the course that actually plays shorter now than when the golf course opened. It also had a creek that was expanded into a pond and then completely covered over.
The lowest tournament score ever posted by a first-year player was not recorded by a winner, but rather by Toshi Izawa, 2001 with a 10-under par 278 until Jason Day recorded a 12-under total in 2011.
Esteemed golf course architect, Donald Ross, was considered a leading candidate to design the course, but Dr. Alistair Mackenzie was chosen on the strength of his work at Pasatiempo and Cypress Point. Ross was very disappointed. Having redesigned the highly acclaimed adjacent Augusta Country Club, he hoped and expected to get the assignment.
Heading into 2012, the all-time toughest holes during the Masters are #1, the par-four tenth followed by the par-three twelfth, and the par-four eleventh. You can also assume that par is a very coveted score on the par-three fourth and the short par-four third is very under-rated.
Fast finishers: Charl Schwartzel birdied the last four holes in 2011 to win by two, but in 1959 Art Wall birdied five of the last six holes to win.
During the 1969 Masters Miller Barber hit no less than eleven balls into the water. Think he missed the cut? Think again. He only finished three shots behind winner George Archer. On the 13th, his approaches hit the green every day only to bound off into the water and the same thing happened on the 15th. The first three days his shots hit the green and came back into the pond. The final round Barber was not going to be short. He hit extra club, but the shot hit a sprinkler head just over the green and rolled into the pond beyond. The only shot that actually splashed was his hook on the 16th of the final round, all the others only trickled in. Had they stayed dry, Barber would have won by ten shots!
Amateurs Ben Crenshaw and Rick Bendall watched the ceremonial drives of Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod from the clubhouse roof in only their underwear. Apparently everyone’s attention was directed elsewhere and no one saw the two who had climbed out of their quarters in “The Crow’s Nest.”
In recent year and continuing, it has been the practice of mowing the fairways toward the tee boxes. This has the effect of lessening the roll and making the holes play longer, but also effectively widening the fairways because the ball doesn’t roll as much to the second cut.
According to Clifford Roberts, Mamie Eisenhower was the only wife of a member who has been permitted to stay
Clifford Roberts
overnight on the grounds during the Club’s five annual stag parties. And Roberts happily stated that there was never a single complaint about it.
Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Champions Tour player John Harris are the only professional golfers who are members. And you cannot apply to be a member; you can only be invited.
Dwight Eisenhower is the only President who has been extended membership. There are no woman members though women are permitted to play with a member. Because of this fact, it is likely that until women are admitted as members, no future American President will become a member due to the political consequences.
The scoreboard behind the seventh green is the only double-sided one on the golf course with the other side visible from the 17th hole. It is 15′ wide and 65′ long with a grated floor and is roofless. This means that its 13 volunteers must work there in all sorts of conditions and must ladders inside to post scores.
No player comes close to the Masters dominance exhibited by Jack Nicklaus with 6 wins, 15 top 5s, 22 top 10s,
Jack Nicklaus winning in 1975.
and 29 top 25s. Hogan had 2 victories, 9 top 5s, and 17 top 10s. Nicklaus also had the most eagles with 24 while Raymond Floyd had 22. Nicklaus also has the lowest 72-hole score recorded by a player over fifty – 5-under par 283 in 1998 at age 58. He also currently has the most career birdies during the tournament with 506!
Jones and Roberts initiated the practice of denying anyone except the players and caddies to be inside the playing area by employing ropes and they also eliminated playing 36 holes on the final day of competition as was customary at that time. They also provided a complimentary pairing sheet and spectator booklet to all patrons.
The press building was first built in 1953. Keeping Augusta National in the forefront, Clifford Roberts had introduced small towers and platforms for photographers before World War II.
Phil Mickelson recorded the most number of birdies in the tournament with 25 in 2001.
Craig Wood finished runner-up in the first two tournaments and then opened the third event with a horrible 88 only to bounce back by twenty-one shots the next day with a 67. He eventually finished fifteen shots back, but would win five years later in 1941.
The Masters originated the concept of red scoring number on scoreboards to represent under-par figures.
The present seventeenth hole was originally designed as a bunkerless hole. Today its two greenside bunkers, particularly the front one, strongly dictate play.
"Ike's Tree" is the big round one intruding into the 17th fairway on the left.
The big round Loblolly just up the left side of the 17th hole that intrudes into the fairway area is called “Ike’s Tree” because he hit it so often. He twice lobbied hard within the club to have it removed, but his request was ignored by Clifford Roberts. Presidential privilege only goes so far.
Steve Pate, 1999 third round, and Tiger Woods, 2005 third round, share the record for the most birdies in a row with seven while Anthony Kim had the most in a round with 11 in the second round in 2009. Two non-winners Nick Price and Greg Norman share the course record with 9-under par 63s. In Price’s round he started with a bogey and finished with a “horseshoe lip-out.”
Did you know that many of the championship tee boxes that were utilized for first seventy plus years were wiped out and blended into the landscape during recent course-lengthening revisions? There locations have, however, been recorded for posterity.
In 1963, Augusta National limited tickets for The Masters for the first time. That’s a far cry from the estimated 1,000 patrons a day who watched the 1934 event. In 1968, requests for tickets exceeded the supply allotted and in 1975, the demand was five times the allotment with the Club closing the waiting list for badges in 1978. And no, badges can not be willed when the owner passes.
There are 10 cabins on the grounds available to members and their guests for lodging.
Each hole is named after a resident tree or shrub.
In 1948, Claude Harmon who was largely known as the club professional at both Winged Foot and Seminole had a career week. Not only did he capture his only significant professional victory, but the son of four famous teaching sons (including Butch Harmon) tied the tournament record of 279 and his five-stroke victory over Cary Middlecoff was the largest winning margin at the time.
Bobby Jones won the 1930 Southeast Open at the adjoining Augusta Country Club where he was also a member. Formerly known as the Bon Air Golf Club, this was Jones’ first victory of his Grand Slam year. This club predated Augusta National by thirty-three years and originally had 36-holes. Donald Ross came in in 1924 to redesign its Hill Course that has subsequently survived and is an outstanding layout in its own right. Its ninth hole is located behind Augusta National’s twelfth green and thirteen tee area.
Four-time Masters runner-up Tom Weiskopf
Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Wieskopf each finished runner-up tour times. Raymond Floyd, and Tom Kite finished second three times. Of those, only Weiskopf, Norman, and Kite never won.
Clifford Roberts, failing with terminal cancer, went out to the par-three course one autumn evening in 1977 and shot himself in the head. Like Jones, Roberts served as a political and financial advisor to fellow member, President Dwight Eisenhower.
The Eisenhower Cabin
The Eisenhower Cabin was built in the early 1950s after Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s election as United States President. It cost $75,000 to build and was built to specs provided by the Secret Service, since it was built specifically for the President and Mrs. Eisenhower. Bigger than it looks, it’s three floors and six bedrooms.
Eisenhower spent many days at the Club and actually personally consulted with Bobby Jones to review important state and defense policy drafts regarding the Korean War.
The Butler Cabin is probably the best-known of the cabins as it is used by CBS to headquarter their telecast and also for the previous year’s champion to present the Green Jacket to the new champion in a brief ceremony. It was built in 1964 and named after Thomas Butler, an Augusta National member of the time. and was first used by CBS in 1965.
Many players claim that the difference in speed between the fringes and the putting surfaces is as great as anywhere they have experienced terming the fringes “sticky” with the greens very, very fast. This is especially hazardous when you have to chip toward the water.
The incomparable Bobby Jones.
Augusta is the home of the World’s two largest golf cart manufacturers, E-Z-GO and Club Car, and is the second oldest and second largest city in Georgia, the home of the oldest newspaper in the South, The Augusta Chronicle, home of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, and the birthplace of Amy Grant, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Glover, Ray Mercer, Hulk Hogan, and Larry Mize, and for many years was the home of baseball legend Ty Cobb.
Eight players have won three or more Masters. They are: Jack Nicklaus 6, Arnold Palmer 4, Tiger Woods 4, with Jimmy Demaret, Sam Snead, Gary Player, Nick Faldo, and Phil Mickelson having three each. On eight occasions a participant has followed a second-place finish with a victory the next year. They have been Jack Nicklaus (twice), Ralph Guldahl, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gay Brewer, Billy Casper, and Ben Crenshaw.
Did you know that the trees, flowers, greens and shrubs are even hand watered to prevent excessive run off? There are 55 acres to the left of the 11th hole to provide a wildlife habitat and home to 1000′s of migratory birds and the club has an ongoing reforestation project. The parking lot is left unpaved to prevent excessive run off and provide habitat for ground nesting birds. (Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6102696)
The Fagan Foundation is actively assisting in the donation of one million “Forever Free” high definition video email accounts. To get yours, go to: www.iwowwe.com/bobfagan and sign up. No strings attached!
Looking down on the Augusta National Golf Club.
P.S. My good friend Reid Nelson from Charleston further points out this about “Shouting at Amen Corner.” Says Reid, “Amen Corner referred to a particular area of New York City that, way back when, was known as a center of Bible publishing, printing, whatever you call it. Because so many Bibles were printed in that area, street preachers would go there daily and shout out there sermons on this particular street corner. Those who gathered to listen to the impromptu evangelists would repeatedly yell out “Amen,” as the preachers gave their sermons. So locals began to call that street corner Amen Corner.
So now you know the rest of the story. Thank you Reid!
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