For the large majority of golfers, the idea of getting to play Augusta National at some stage in their lifetime is unfortunately nothing more than a pipe dream.
Augusta National is rightly considered one of the most iconic golf courses on the planet.
Do you think you could win The Masters if you started every hole on the green?
If not, how many shots would you also need?
It has been the home of The Masters since the event’s inception in 1934. And for many, the golf season has really only begun once the world’s best players have made the awe-inspiring drive down Magnolia Lane.
Augusta National is also one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. With that, it is almost impossible to grasp just how difficult it would be to make a respectable score on some of the game’s most hallowed turf.
How a 20 handicapper would fare at The Masters if they started on every green
Augusta puts every part of the game under the microscope. But it seems particularly important for anyone hoping to have the green jacket presented to them on Sunday night that they get to grips with the greens.
It does not matter how many times the same pins are used, Augusta will find a way to make some of the best golfers in the world look a little foolish on the putting surfaces.
So perhaps it is little surprise that Ted Scott – who has been on the bag for past winners Bubba Watson and Scottie Scheffler – told Grant Horvat that it would be highly unlikely that an amateur with a handicap of 20 would have any chance of winning The Masters if they began every hole on the green.
“No, no chance. Unless you’re giving them dead straight, up the hill putts, no way,” he said.
“Not putting it off the green, there’s just so many places you can be that are just treacherous. And with the nerves and the speed and reads and stuff, for sure [they are four and five putting a lot]. When we played tough man pins, which aren’t that tough compared to Augusta greens, I see my five handicapper friends three putting and four putting.
“So a 20 handicapper at Augusta under that circumstance and nerve and people, no chance. No way. If Ernie Els can have a five putt on hole one, what’s a 20 handicapper doing?”
How Jon Rahm went from a disaster on the first green to secure his spot in Masters folklore
Ernie Els is not the only person to have a nightmare on the first green at Augusta National. For the record, the South African six-putted on the opening hole of the week in 2016.
But some have managed to bounce back in incredible style. Jon Rahm began the 2023 event with a double bogey six after taking four putts.
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Incredibly, the Spaniard was able to turn his day around immediately. Rahm ended the first round tied for the lead with Viktor Hovland and Brooks Koepka.
The trio all fired rounds of 65, with Rahm playing the remaining 17 holes of the day in nine under par.
Had he simply made a par on the first, Rahm would have tied the official course record. Thankfully, there was a pretty special consolation prize at the end of the week, with the European winning his second major title.
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