Club TFE Does Thursday at the Masters

It’s happening!

The 2024 Masters is finally underway. We’ll have these posts going all weekend long and keep them updated with thoughts that come to us throughout the tournament. Stop by with any notes, observations, or moments of levity that people may have missed. Links encouraged!

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ANGC in the 1960s

Earlier today, I stumbled upon a rare thing: a historical photo of Augusta National that I hadn’t seen before. It appeared in a 2014 New York Times article, and it was taken in the 1960s. It shows the first and ninth holes, along with the eighth and 18th greens.

Via The New York Times

A few things jump out at me:

• The old practice green, approximately in the same spot as today’s championship first tee.
• The pre-restoration eighth green. This photo was taken after Clifford Roberts blew up Jones and MacKenzie’s original mound-protected complex and before Byron Nelson assisted the club in restoring it. Roberts’s initial effort was even more rudimentary; the bunkers you see here were added after players and members complained about this 1956 monstrosity.
• The bunkers on the first hole—cleaner than Jones and MacKenzie’s originals but more rugged than the modern versions. Perhaps this look could be a model for re-naturalizing Augusta National’s bunkers without completely abandoning the course’s refined aesthetic.

What do you see? -Garrett Morrison

Amen Corner 2.0

Swirling winds are always going to be difficult to judge on a golf course, but I don’t remember seeing this many players have difficulty with Nos. 4 and 5. Up in the Northwest corner of the property, these two holes are a part of one of the Masters streams and have eaten players up all morning. Players have been missing all over the place on No. 4 and there have been a few of the longest in the field hit approaches clear over the long par-4 5th. By the time they get to No. 6, the distance issues seem to be sorted out. The par-3 4th is particularly perplexing as it’s playing just 177 yards. Is this the new Amen Corner? – Will Knights

Life Comes at You Fast

Who’s wearing the Hammer pants now, Mr. Day? -Garrett Morrison

Verne’s Masterful Minimalism

Verne Lundquist is calling his 40th and final Masters, perched as usual in the tower at 16. He’s 83, which means he’s spent nearly half his life making this trip every spring. I’m 37, which means I’ve never watched a Masters broadcast without Verne Lundquist on the call. He’s been heavily featured already on Thursday, but it was Ben An’s tee shot that highlighted the kind of call I’ll miss most. Setting up An with a simple reading of his name, Verne laid out as the tee shot was struck, flew through the air, hit the bank left of the green, and ended up in the water. After just the right beat, Verne intoned in the kind of layered, gravelly voice we don’t really get from broadcasters anymore: “Wet.” And then the broadcast moved on. I will miss him and his surgical restraint. -Jay Rigdon

Better Than Expected

We’ve seen very little of Tiger Woods this year, but my expectations for him were extremely low coming into the 2024 Masters. Given the images from last year and the absence of any energy I just didn’t see him being able to get through multiple rounds in decent shape. Now, we’re just five holes in, but he is moving and swinging a lot better than I thought he would. We’ll see how his body holds up throughout the week, but I’m pleasantly surprised by what we’re seeing from Tiger today. – Will Knights