For many golf fans, it is almost irrelevant what happens in the first three months of the year as the season only starts properly once the world’s best have taken on the Masters and Augusta National.
The Masters retains an incredibly special place in the heart of all golfers. It may be the youngest of the four major championships in the current game. But because it is the one major played at the same course each year, the Masters has a level of tradition like no other.
And it is safe to say that, because of its exclusivity, it is probably the course at the top of the bucket list for most golf fans.
Every time the Masters rolls around, the course appears to be in immaculate condition, despite every blade of grass probably being able to tell a story of a famous shot hit from that spot over the years.
Brad Faxen makes a surprising claim about Augusta National
Augusta National has undergone a number of significant changes over the years. However, it is very rare that the players and patrons leave the course with anything other than the most enthusiastic plaudits for the venue.
But perhaps some are not entirely in favour of the changes there have been over the years. Speaking on 5 Clubs, Brad Faxon was asked which course he would pick to restore to its original aesthetic, and perhaps controversially, the two-time Ryder Cup player opted for Augusta.
“Well, I’d start right at the top with Augusta National. I know that’s sacrilegious to say that. But when I look at these old courses that I love and that I’ve seen and the evolution of Augusta National, and it was my favourite tournament to play in; I was lucky to play in 11 Masters, but I thought the old, not as kept look of the bunkering, the rough was added, the trees have been added, it’s very different,” he said.
“It’s become a premium on every part of your game where maybe driving, you could get away with hitting it all over the place like I used to do. I don’t know. I think you look at some of these old courses and I would love to see Augusta National like it was originally designed, with all due respect to Fred Ridley and all the members there.”
The strong criticism of Augusta National from Jack Nicklaus
It is definitely a controversial view that many would not agree with. But there is certainly a charm in imagining what Bobby Jones and Alistair MacKenzie had in mind for the course when they designed it in the early 1930s.
However, you would think that nostalgia would wear off and people would soon long for the layout the world sees today.
In fairness to Faxon, he is far from the only person not entirely happy with Augusta National. Jack Nicklaus labelled the second hole the worst in championship golf in an interview in 2020. And Nicklaus is the most successful player in Masters history, with six green jackets to his name.
It just goes to show what may appear to be the most perfect golf course in the eye of some is not without fault in the view of others.
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