Amen
Corner
In late April 1958, legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind was looking for a catchy phrase to describe the three holes at Augusta National Golf Club – 11, 12 and 13 – that provided the most drama and excitement during the Masters of that year. Baseball had “Hot Corner”, while American Football had “Coffin Corner” – what could the golfing equivalent be? His answer: Amen Corner. Fast forward to 2011 and these three holes are still just as thrilling as they were 50 years ago. Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo guides us around arguably the most famous acreage of terrain in the game Photography courtesy of Miller Brown
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“White Dogwood” No. 11 505 yards Par-4
I have a lot of affection for the eleventh because it is where I won my first two Masters titles [in playoffs against Scott Hoch and Raymond Floyd, in 1989 and 1990, respectively] but it has changed a lot since those days. The tee has been pushed back by 40-odd yards and the fairway has narrowed significantly. It used to be that if you really hit a good drive you could catch the down slope, which would leave a shorter approach, but nowadays that option is really only for the very longest hitters. Most of the guys will reach the top of the hill and still have around 200 yards in. The other thing: you can’t take the drive too far down the right side as there are now trees which can block the approach. The second shot has always been a tough one. There is the famous pond on the left [where Raymond Floyd dunked his approach on the second play-off hole to lose to Faldo in 1990], so the tendency is to go right, but from the bailout area there it is not easy to get up and down to a the traditional final-day pin position because the green slopes away from you and back towards the water. A great hole.
Historical Stroke Average: 4.29 Historical Rank: 3
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“Golden Bell” No. 12 155 yards Par-3
It is the shortest hole on the course but you have to be so precise because of the angle of the green. If the pin is on the left then it is probably only around 135 yards, but if you pull it then you are in the flowerbeds and goodness knows what. If the pin is cut in the centre it brings in the front bunker, and the depth of the green there is only a matter of yards. There is really only about an eight-foot circle when you can land it. When the flag is on the right, where it normally is on the final day, the water [Rae’s Creek] is more of a factor. The back bunkers is definitely not the place to be either; you have to be so delicate just to keep it on the green from there. What compounds everything is the infamous Amen Corner wind. If it is swirling then club selection is so much harder. Downwind – the ball just seems to carry forever, like it is on some kind of jet stream. If it is blowing in your face then you have to try and take the spin off the ball and make sure it does not balloon on you. Trusting your yardage – and yourself – is never more important than at the twelfth.
Historical Stroke Average: 3.30 Historical Rank: 2
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“Azalea” No. 13 510 yards Par-5
You have to hit a hook off the tee here to make sure you get round the corner, otherwise you can be in the pine straw like Mickelson was last year – not that that seemed to make any difference to him! But generally, if you are too far right you have can have a hanging lie with the ball above your feet, which makes the second shot – if you’re going for the green in two – that much harder to figure out. You cannot hit it left and into the Rhododendrons, which you tend to do with that kind of lie, but fanning it right means the water. I played a practice round with Angel Cabrera a year before he won [in 2009] and he managed to cut the corner by hitting it over the mammoth trees with his drive, but that is not a shot you expect to see being attempted by those in contention on the final day – it is too risky, especially with the creek meandering up the left side. Long is no good either because the green, which is divided by ridge, feeds everything towards Rae’s Creek. That being said, the thirteenth is a good birdie opportunity – one that could be all so important come the end of play on Sunday.
Historical Stroke Average: 4.80 Historical Rank: 17
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