Par 3 at Augusta National To Provide Plenty of Drama This Week
The Par 3 Hole No. 12 is a formidable challenge
Bird's eye view of Hole 12 at Augusta National GC
Augusta National Golf Course
Roger Gunn - Director of Instruction at Tierra Rejada Golf Course
Roger giving a recent putting clinic at Tierra Rejada GC
Roger observes golf swing at Tierra Rejada GC driving range
Approaching the 12th green at Augusta National GC
Sixty years ago renowned golf writer Herbert Warren Wind coined the phrase "Amen Corner" in his April 21, 1958 Sports Illustrated article. Wind's words immortalized the 11th, 12th and 13th holes at Augusta National Golf Course.
1958 also marked the first of four Green Jackets won by the legendary Arnold Palmer at the nation's most famous golf course in Augusta, Georgia.
Wind wrote of the par 3 Hole No. 12 named Golden Bell: "The 12th at the Augusta National, 155 yards long, can be a very delicate and dangerous affair when the pin is placed at the far right-hand corner of the green (which it was) and when there is a puffy wind to contend with (which there was).
You've got to be up, over Rae's Creek - that's for sure. But you can't take too much club, because the green is extremely thin and on the far side a high bank of rough rises abruptly behind the apron - and you don't want to be there either."
Of all the fabulous golf we get to see on a weekly basis, The Masters at Augusta National stands head and shoulders above the rest. A golf course that is the perfect blend of length where it's needed, approach shots requiring pinpoint accuracy, and the constant choice between risk and reward. All revolving around one of the most beautiful backdrops in all of sports!
The whole tournament is fun to watch, but watching the world's best players make their way thru the gauntlet that is holes 11 thru 13 takes it to a new level. Theoretically, these players should play Amen Corner with 5 or 6 full shots. What makes it so fun to watch is the fact that there is water easily in play on all but one shot!
One shot in particular is the tee shot on the treacherous 12th. Not long, but tricky winds and the way the green sits to the player makes for a very nervous shot. Why? For right-handed players, the trouble on 12 is short right of the green and long left. Picture when a shot misses to the right, the club has more loft and goes shorter. A closed club face has less loft and goes longer.
Look for those misses during the tournament. You'll be hard pressed to see a shot miss long right or short left! Because the opposite is true for left handers, this shot isn't nearly as scary for them. Bubba and Lefty come to mind!
(About Roger Gunn) Gunn, one of the top golf instructors in the country over the past two decades and a GOLF Magazine Top 100 alumni, is the Director of Instruction at Tierra Rejada Golf Course in Moorpark. He works with youth golfers and programs, PGA Tour players, entertainment celebrities and golfers looking to take their game to the next level.
Gunn was a member of the UCLA golf team from 1983-85 and was a first team All Pac-10 player the year he graduated in 1985. Along with Duffy Waldorff he helped UCLA capture the 1985 PAC 10 Golf Championship. He played two years on the PGA European Tour and three years on the Web.com tour. He was awarded the SCPGA Clubfitter of the Year honors and SCPGA Teacher of the year. To reach Roger, you can email him at Gunnsmoke@earthlink.net or visit his Instagram page @RogerGunnGolf.
Read Herbert Warren Wind's entire Sports Illustrated article:
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