AUGUSTA, Ga. — The changes are made at Augusta National Golf Club each summer after it closes. Most are subtle. The front of a green raised by inches, a slope softened. Others are more obvious, announced months before the invitees arrive in April to compete in the Masters Tournament.
Over the last two decades, as 300-yard tee shots became ordinary and an occasional 400-yard blast no longer obscene, the major alterations to the Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones-designed layout have centered around adding length to holes to restore the original shot quality the architects envisioned.
The course measured 6,700 yards in 1934 and grew by only 285 yards in the next 67 years. Major changes, so-called “Tigerproofing,” occurred prior to 2002, stretching the layout to 7,270 yards and included hundreds of new pine trees in strategic locations.
