GCSAA Tournament Fact Sheet

The Masters Tournament
April 5-11, 2004

Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta, Ga.
Superintendent information
GCSAA golf course superintendent: Brad Owen
Education: A.S., Turfgrass Management, Penn State Univ., University Park, Pa., 1986
Years at this course: 17
Years as a GCSAA member: 18
GCSAA affiliated chapter: Georgia GCSA
Previous positions: Assistant golf course superintendent, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga.
Previous tournament preparation: 1987-2003 Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club
Course statistics Course characteristics
  Yardage Par
Championship 7,290 72
Regular 6,230 72
  Primary Grasses
Tees Bermudagrass overseeded with ryegrass
Fairways Bermudagrass overseeded with ryegrass
Greens Bentgrass
Rough Bermudagrass overseeded with ryegrass
Average tee size: 600 sq. ft.
Average green size: 6,150 sq. ft.
Sand bunkers: 44
Water hazards: On hole Nos. 2, 11, 12, 13, 15 & 16		 Soil conditions: Sand-based tees and clay fairways
Green construction soil mix:  
(USGA 90% sand : 10% peat)
Source of water: Raw water from river, course ponds and creeks
Drainage: Good

Interesting and historical course-related facts
Upon his retirement from championship golf in 1930, Bob Jones had hoped to realize his dream of building a golf course. Following a brief conversation with Clifford Roberts, with whom Jones had met several times in the mid-1920s, it was decided the club would be built near Augusta, Ga., provided a suitable piece of ground was available. According to Jones' plans, the course would utilize the natural advantages of the property and use mounds rather than too many bunkers. Severe rough was not to be incorporated and it was hoped the property would have a natural creek to use as a water hazard. Jones wanted this concept of golf course architecture to make a contribution to the game as well as give expression to his ideas about golf course design. Augusta National would be open during the winter season only.

A mutual friend of Jones and Roberts, Thomas Barrett Jr., was consulted and recommended a 365-acre property called Fruitlands Nurseries. Once an indigo plantation, it was purchased in 1857 by Belgian Baron Louis Mathieu Edouard Berckmans who was a horticulturist by hobby. Berckman's son, Prosper Julius Alphonse, was an agronomist and horticulturist by profession and the two formed a partnership in 1858. Operating under the name Fruitland Nurseries, the company imported many trees and plants from various countries. The Baron died in 1883. Prosper's death followed in 1910 and the nursery ceased operations by the time its charter expired in 1918. A great variety of flowering plants and trees, including a long row of magnolias that were planted before the Civil War and a plant Prosper popularized called the azalea, remained on the property.

Upon seeing the property from what is now the practice putting green, Jones said, "Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it." An option was taken on the property for $70,000. It was decided to establish a national membership for the club and Jones proposed Augusta National would be an appropriate name. Jones also decided in the planning stage he wanted Dr. Alister Mackenzie of Scotland to serve as the course architect since the pair held similar views. Before coming to Augusta, Mackenzie had designed two courses in California , Pasatiempo and Cypress Point. Mackenzie died after the construction work had been finished but before Augusta National was fully covered with grass. Construction on the new course began in the first half of 1931 and the course opened in December 1932 with a limited amount of member play. Formal opening took place in January 1933.

Amen Corner refers to holes 11, 12 and 13. The name "Amen Corner" was coined in 1958 by sportswriter Herbert Warren Wind, who wrote that it was composed of the second half of hole No. 11, hole No. 12 and the first half of hole No. 13. Wind was searching for an appropriate name for the location where the critical action had taken place that year. He borrowed the name from an old jazz recording Shouting at Amen Corner.

Rae's Creek was named after John Rae, who died in 1789. Rae's Creek runs in front of the No. 12 green, has a tributary evident at the No. 13 tee and flows at the back of the 11th green. It was Rae's house that was the farthest fortress up the Savannah River from Fort Augusta. The house kept residents safe during Indian attacks when the fort was out of reach.

Ike's Pond ... It was during his second visit to Augusta National that Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower walked through the woods on the eastern part of the club's property. Upon his return, he informed Clifford Roberts that he had found a perfect place to build a dam if the club ever wanted to have a fish pond. Ike's Pond was promptly built and named, and the dam was located exactly where Ike suggested it should be placed after the construction engineer concurred on its location. The pond occupies three acres and is fed by a spring.
Wildlife on the course
Turtle, fish, raccoon, red-tailed hawk, several different species of birds and snakes

Other key course personnel
Assistant superintendents: Jim Evans and John Lavelle
Course architect/date: Alister Mackenzie and Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., 1933
Club chairman: William Johnson
General manager: Jim Armstrong
Horticulturist: Tommy Crenshaw
PGA professionals: Dave Spencer and Bob Kletcke
Director of communications: Glenn Greenspan
Availability to the media: Contact Greenspan at (706) 667-6705
Golf course management facts
Average tour green size (sq. ft.): The average green size on the professional tours is approximately 6,000 square feet, ranging from 3,500 sq.ft at Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, Calif. to 11,000 sq.ft. at The Rail Golf Club, Springfield, Ill.
Land use percentage by 18-hole golf facility: An average of 150-200 acres of total land; teeing areas 2%, putting greens 2%, fairways 23%, rough/woods/water 70%, buildings and grounds 3%
Stimpmeter: A Stimpmeter is a ramp that allows for consistent and fair measurement of green speed on a particular course. The distance the ball rolls, in feet, is the speed or "stimp" reading for the green. The instrument was invented by Mr. Edward S. Stimpson in 1936 and later implemented for use by the USGA in 1978.
Warm season vs. cool season grasses: Warm season grasses: Among the best known are bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass, bahiagrass, carpetgrass and centipedegrass. Warm-season grasses grow at their optimal rate between 75 F and 95 F. Cool season grasses: Among the best known are colonial bentgrass, creeping bentgrass, Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue and tall fescue. They grow best between 55 F and 85 F.
Course rating vs. slope: The USGA Course Rating indicates the course's playing difficulty for scratch golfers. It is expressed as strokes taken to one decimal place and is based on yardage and other obstacles. The USGA Slope Rating reflects the difficulty of the course for the players who are not scratch golfers. The greater the difference between these numbers, the higher the USGA Slope Rating and the more strokes the golfer will receive.

For additional information please visit the GCSAA association news section or contact the Communications Department at (800) 472-7878.