Once you’ve played Augusta National, you'll never watch the Masters the same

An additional perk of winning the media lottery to play Augusta National the Monday after the Masters is the permission to be reasonably obnoxious about it afterward. Usually, detailed descriptions of my golf rounds are the easiest way to clear a room. Here, people even ask questions.

At Golf Digest, we’ve covered the dynamic from every possible angle: from how to prepare for the round, to the round itself, to the things you won’t notice until you play there, to even how regular golfers should attack certain holes if they ever get the opportunity themselves. Then I recognized a new perspective that awaits next week—what it will be like to watch the Masters after playing the same course.

It’s easy to dismiss the correlation. Golfers in the Masters are good. I am not. A Masters round is important. My goal, I was told with a healthy amount of condescension, was to “just have fun.” The considerable gap between the golf you will watch on TV and whatever you want to call my experience there last April suggests I have little new insight to offer about the tournament. But those of us who have played Augusta National–it’s a small club that meets once a week and mostly just high-fives each other–disagree, because the tournament takes on a new light once you’ve navigated the same holes. As the kids say, if you know, you know.

'You don’t want that putt.'

On most golf courses, the more greens hit in regulation the better. It’s how I thought about Augusta National, too. But then you play it, and the slopes are so severe — treacherous going down, surprisingly slow going up — and it’s not that simple. As Luke Kerr-Dineen explains in this compelling video feature, it’s possible for a golfer who misses a green outright to be in a better position than one who is putting from the wrong shelf. “The risk-reward aspect is greater than I imagined,” senior producer Ben Walton said. “Watching the tournament now, I have a greater respect and appreciation for some of these aggressive darts that guys hit into certain pins.”

Rethinking 'birdie holes'

Playing Augusta National also provides a new appreciation for what we callously refer to as “birdie holes.” Golf Digest managing editor Stephen Hennessey acknowledges two holes he used to underestimate are the relatively short par-4 3rd and 7th holes. “I used to think not birdieing these ‘easier holes’ was pathetic, but until you’re on the green and see how little depth there is, you can forgive a pro if they make a big number,” he said. “Being off by like three yards can be a death sentence.”

Don’t go long…

A similar misconception is about Augusta National par 5s, which we’ve been conditioned to believe are vulnerable to scoring. Maybe so, but we gloss over the precision required. The best example might be the par-5 15th, which features a collection area for approach shots that travel through the green. Just a simple chip from there, right? “It’s f— impossible,” says Golf Digest general manager Chris Reynolds “There is about a foot of space where it has to land. If you are short, it doesn’t go on the green, and if you are long, it’s in the water.”

But also don’t be short

The infamous montage of Greg Norman collapsing at the 1996 Masters includes his approach to the par-4th 9th hole that hits the green, then trickles slowly back down the hill. What a choker, you might say! Trying the same shot makes one more sympathetic. “The tiers on 9 are so important not be short on,” Walton said. True story: my caddie told me to try to loft something high into the green with my third shot and I waved him off, because I figured I was better off running something in low. Guess who was wrong? I’m fortunate my ball isn’t still rolling.

About that 12th….

The devilish par-3 12th plays a mere 145 yards for us mortals. So what’s the big deal? Basically everything. “I used to think the wind stuff on 12 was a bunch of nonsense but that 12th green to me is even more frightening,” managing editor Ryan Herrington said. “I didn’t appreciate just what that diagonal positioning does. If you draw the ball too much left, you’re over the green in the bunker. If you fade it a bit too much, though, it won’t be enough and you’ll be in the water directly or off the bank.” Other than that, though, it’s pretty straightforward.

Then again, it’s not THAT hard

For all of Augusta National’s subtle challenges, I suspect I’m not alone when I say I’ve also played tougher courses, especially from tee to green. Some of this is a function of Augusta National measuring 6,365 yards for regular play, but even more the generous landing areas off the tees. In the media outing, I was paired with a woman who — please control your outrage–was playing her first-ever round of golf and her series of ground balls off the tee were serviceable enough to keep her in play. Given that, it’s no surprise some erratic drivers have won green jackets. “It takes a really bad tee shot to be truly in trouble, and even then, there is still an escape (for the record I saved par from the Rory cabins on 10),” senior writer Joel Beall said. “Even the 18th, despite its visually daunting chute, offered more forgiveness than it appeared. However, this did deepen my appreciation for Augusta's reputation as a second-shot course.”

All of this is to say, you might think you have a decent feel for Augusta National watching the Masters on TV, but it’s only after playing the course that you can truly embrace the genius of its design. This is why we’re all volunteering to come back and play again this year.

We’ll even come back twice. Just let us know. We’re available.