Next year’s Masters just got a little longer. Augusta National Golf Club (ANGC), the home of the Masters, acquired a piece of land in 2017 from Augusta Country Club, which is adjacent to ANGC, and paid for the rework of holes 8 & 9 at the Country Club. The acquisition allowed ANGC to extend the tee box 50 yards on hole #13, the par 5 Azalea. Now the golfers coming off of the par 3 12th, will have a hefty walk to the 13th tee.
In recent years players have been driving the ball on Azalea to where they needed only a short iron to reach the green. The extension will bring the pine trees on the right back into play as well as the woods next to Rae’s Creek on the left. Historically #13 is considered the easiest hole at Augusta National and a chance for birdie or better. It will be interesting to see if the added length changes its place on that list, and whether or not the additional yardage and angle from the new back tees will confound the players.
The 2023 Masters will be played the first week in April, and viewers will be waiting to see if Scottie Scheffler can repeat his 2022 success at Augusta National.
