There is so much mystique about Augusta National and for the everyday amateur golfer, getting to play there is nothing but a pipe dream.
With the 2025 Masters just around the corner, things are building up once again to what should be one of the premier golf events of the year.
Of course, the age old topics of conversation will come around as points around what an amateur might shoot at Augusta come to light, while the famed chats about green speeds and tough tree lines also come to the fore.
Indeed, while some amateurs might fancy their chances at Augusta, 12-time Masters competitor Webb Simpson has said there’s something that the average golfer just does not realise.
What amateur golfers do not realise about playing at Augusta National
Speaking on the latest episode of the Bible Caddie on YouTube, Webb Simpson and Zach Johnson were discussing a whole host of matters around The Masters.
And discussing the famed Augusta greens, Johnson and Simpson provided some unique insight into just how tough things can be.
“You knew the winds were really coming on Saturday. The forecast was terrible. I don’t think the temperature got above 43 or 44 degrees that day. The wind chill was in the low 30’s on Saturday. I was playing with Vijay and I think he hit 12 greens in regulation, if my memory serves me right. He had two four putters, a couple of three putts,” Johnson recalled about his winning effort in 2007.
“It was just really hard to hit shots, because of the temperature. It was really difficult to putt! I made one birdie that day and shot four over and moved up. Four over at Augusta National and I moved up! I made a putt on 15 and it left my face and I was like that has got no chance and the wind blew it right in the hole. That was the only birdie I made on the day! I had six three putts for the week, it was just really, really difficult. You had to stay below the hole.”
Giving further insight into just how hard the greens are to read and play, seven-time PGA Tour winner Webb Simpson explained just how difficult they are.
“What people don’t understand unless you have putted on greens that fast, is that for example you have a six footer and the read is right edge,” Simpson explained.
“Well, at Augusta, with greens fast as lightning – the wind now left to right, blowing 20. This right edge putt is kind of a guess but it is somewhere outside of the hole left to right.
“So you are standing with the ball above your feet and aiming left of the hole and it’s just so hard to make it, to mentally commit to it and it sounds like you are dealing with those putts the entire week!”
Putting stats at Augusta National
Putting on any golf course is hard. Putting on the slippery and tiered Augusta National greens takes things to a whole new level.
There are some interesting stats out there though when it comes to putting at The Masters.
Mike Weir holds the record for least putts as a winner with 104, while Vijay Singh holds the record at 124 for most putts while winning.
The average Masters winner will take 114 putts in a week, putting the top players around 28.5 putts per round.
In 2024, Scottie Scheffler took 109 putts to win, putting him below the average. The world number one will likely need similar, or better, to win again in 2025.
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