Our Digital Editor Plays Augusta National – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 171
Digital Editor Al Lunsford was one of the lucky winners of the annual media lottery to play a round at Augusta National the day after the final round of the 2024 Masters Tournament. On a special edition of the LINKS Golf Podcast, Al chats with co-host Joe Passov, a past media lottery winner, and details […]
12 Things You Might Not Have Known About Augusta National
In 1986, Charles Price wrote a history of Bobby Jones, The Masters, and Augusta National Golf Club titled A Golf Story, which he noted in the afterword was not the “official” story of any of them, but rather an “authorized” version. The founding editor of Golf Magazine and later a contributing editor at Golf Digest, […]
Top 10 Places You Can’t Hit It at Augusta National
Augusta National has always been get-able for any player who’s dialed in during Masters week. Ben Hogan scorched the course with an unprecedented winning score of 14-under-par way back in 1953. Jack Nicklaus established a new tournament record of 17-under in 1965 (equaled by Raymond Floyd in 1976). And Tiger Woods bettered that score by […]
How the Old Course Inspired Augusta National
When Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie designed Augusta National, they took much of their inspiration from the Old Course. Can you see the connection? Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, the original architects of Augusta National, had something else in common: The course they admired the most in the world was the Old Course at St. […]
11 Architects Who Directly Influenced Augusta National
Even the most casual golf fan is aware that Augusta National Golf Club was designed by Alister MacKenzie, in tandem with amateur legend and Grand Slam winner Bobby Jones. However, not even serious Masters students realize that nearly 20 prominent figures in the game have effected changes to the course design over the past 90 […]
Geoff Shackelford: Imitation at Augusta National is the Highest Form of Flattery
Augusta National, which has been the inspiration for many courses built since, was itself largely inspired by the game’s classic layouts. At least, that’s what they said at the time. Augusta National started out as a concept course. A greatest hits package in spirit. Co-founder Clifford Roberts bought into Alister MacKenzie’s vision and then sold […]
Golf Course Architect Bill Bergin – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 168
Professional player turned golf course architect Bill Bergin joins the LINKS Golf Podcast to talk about his design of the Highlands Course at McLemore, and the new course he is building for the Georgia resort/community with Rees Jones called The Keep. The hosts also chat with Bergin about finishing 14th in the 1984 Open Championship, […]
18 of the Best Dogleg Holes
It would be a gross overgeneralization to say all straight golf holes are boring. The Old Course at St. Andrews has a lot of straight or straight-ish holes, but thanks to a combination of tantalizing fairway/green contours, bothersome bunkers that really are best-avoided, firm ground, and an ancient stone bridge, there’s not a single hole […]
False Fronts: History, Evolution, and 10 of the Best
When a serious green jacket contender sees his ball land on the false front short of the flag at Augusta National’s 9th hole on Sunday afternoon and reverse 20, 30, even 40 yards back down the hill toward him, the patrons can barely stifle their groans. They’ve probably witnessed the same distressing sequence befall a […]
10 Courses that Resemble Augusta National
Dreaming of dogwoods and azaleas, but find that a tee time at Augusta National is out of reach? There’s a fistful of courses in the U.S. that embody many, though certainly not all, of the virtues of Augusta National. Some layouts approach the ambience, others the conditioning and design, and still others the floral displays. […]
