Scottie Scheffler is tuning up ahead of The Masters and after playing in his second practice round of the week, he’s got his eye on all the intricacies that Augusta National throws up.
The current champion knows full well that he’ll need to be at his brilliant best to win a third title in four years and after having a leisurely round with his Mom on Sunday, the more serious business is now picking up.
As anyone who follows golf knows, Augusta National is renowned for having some of the quickest and toughest greens in the world.
To win The Masters, you simply have to putt well and get to grip with the putting surfaces. And after observing the greens, Scheffler has given his verdict.
Scottie Scheffler gives verdict on Augusta National after his second practice round
With two green jackets to his name, Scheffler knows a thing or two about the course at Augusta and is as well versed as anyone when it comes to looking at the details.
And after playing his second practice round, Scheffler gave his thoughts on the decreasing number of trees on offer, while also noting the condition of the greens.
“Changes to the golf course this year from last year? Well, there were a significant amount of trees lost on the golf course, but overall I think when you’re hitting into the trees you’re still going to be in a good amount of trouble,” Scheffler explained.
| Club | Scottie Scheffler’s average distance (yards) |
| Driver | 300 |
| Three wood | 270 |
| Three iron | 245 |
| Four iron | 226 |
| Five iron | 212 |
| Six iron | 198 |
| Seven iron | 184 |
| Eight iron | 170 |
| Nine iron | 156 |
| Pitching wedge | 144 |
| 50 degree wedge | 131 |
| 56 degree wedge | 118 |
| 60 degree wedge | 105 |
“There’s only a few trees that are gone that are really noticeable, ones that are in play. It’s more looking in between the holes, I think you see a big difference in the amount of stuff you can see at this golf course, where before there were so many trees it was hard at times to see from hole to hole.
“But overall the golf course is in great shape. The greens are really good. I think we’re in store for another great tournament.”
How fast are the greens at Augusta National?
As we mentioned, the greens at Augusta are known for being tricky in terms of their layout but also because they are usually rapidly quick.
According to a report from Golf Monthly back in 2023, the official recordings on the ‘Stimpmeter’ show Augusta as having very fast putting surfaces.
It’s explained that the Stimpmeter measures ball speed with repeatable rolls on a flat surface, with the reading coming from how many feet the ball rolls out. It’s rationale is that England golf puts anything between 0-6 feet as slow, 6-8 feet as medium, and anything above is considered fast.
For the 2023 Masters, it was estimated that the green speed was around 12 on the Stimpmeter, with it maxing out at around 15 when conditions got really dry.
With such undulations in the greens and pin positions that can test even the best, it’s little wonder that putting at Augusta National is so tricky.
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