Views of a lifetime
Masters 2025: The 5 spots you could watch golf forever at Augusta National
Patrons at Amen Corner have views of the 11th green, 12th green and 13th tee. (Ben Walton photo)
AUGUSTA, Ga. — If I had one regret after covering my first Masters in 2023, it was that I didn’t walk and see all I should have at Augusta National. I hit a few of the obvious spots, but didn’t walk all 18 holes, and it's been something I’ve waited two years to make right. This week, I set out to find the best areas to take full advantage of watching as much golf as possible.
1 tee/10 tee/9 green/ 18 green
It’s impossible not to start here. The shuttle that drops us off from the media center is directly next to the famous big scoreboard by the opening hole. As you make your way up the hill, you pass by the Augusta National pro shop on your left (not open to patrons or media during Masters week) and then looms the clubhouse behind the big tree where I met everyone’s favorite pundit, Jim Nantz, earlier in the week. Four holes are all right there around you. If you’re standing to the left side of the first tee, it feels like you’re looking over the entire property, and the putting green is just a few steps away.
12 tee/11 green/13 tee
You can’t make a list for Augusta watching hot spots without including this one. Every golfer’s bucket list par 3 and it never disappoints. The first time I saw it in person, I’m pretty sure I said “wow” out loud, thinking back to all the drama that unfolds there year after year. I’ve seen hundreds of pictures from the photographer tower behind the tee box on 12 and to witness the sea of people in person is something to behold. Not to mention, you take a quick look to your left and you can watch players take on the tricky 11th as they make their way into the heart of Amen Corner.
13 fairway/green
For me, the most screen saver-worthy hole is the 13th, perfectly named “Azalea.” You can’t get all that close to the green, but close enough to enjoy the tranquility of the flowerbeds and deep bunkers behind the green, just waiting to swallow up a few more golf balls. If you set up camp parallel to where most players tee shots land, you could spend all day there, shaded from the Augusta sun.
Left of 6 green
The sixth hole might be my favorite find from this year, and simply by chance. It’s not a particularly enthralling hole, but if you stand to the left of the green and get close to the rope, you have the perfect spot to admire the difficulty of Augusta greens as your eye-line is perfectly level with the putting surface. Brooks Koepka on Thursday had a 30-foot putt just off the green and from where I was stood, I wasn't able to see his ball at address, but he hit this putt up the slope that was met by groans from the patrons as it looked to run out of steam. But, he judged it to perfection as it trickled its way down, finishing inches away from the cup, met by a raucous reception in appreciation of his deft touch. Also at 6, you’re looking directly at the 16th hole and the now-famous Verne Lundquist tree, thinking back to the legendary moment between Tiger and the broadcast GOAT at last year’s Masters.
Driving Range/Chipping area
OK, I know this isn’t on the golf course, but if the perfect driving range existed, this is it. Not a blade of grass out of place and all of the the world’s best fine-tuning ahead of their round (or after if you’re Bryson DeChambeau.) My colleague Shane Ryan perfectly dived into the history and design of it in our most recent YouTube video, costing Augusta National more than $140 million with every detail you could think of being thought out. It’s the perfect way to kick-start your day and watch the world’s best grind.
To be honest, I could have made this list a whole lot longer, but these are my picks and I’m sticking by them. Every digital device I own will be updated with shots taken by our super talented photographers with my newest favorite spots at Augusta. Thanks, fellas.
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