After nearly a week on site at Augusta National, I've concluded that the grandstands behind the 12th tee - which also overlook the 11th green - are the best place to park yourself for an afternoon at The Masters. After spending two hours there on Moving Day of the 88th edition of the tournament, here's everything I learned about two of golf's most famous holes.
The wind is impossible to read
The wind at Augusta National has been causing havoc all week. On Saturday, the winds were much lighter than the near 40mph gusts we witnessed on the Friday, but reading the wind in this particular corner of the property is near impossible.
On multiple occasions as players went to address their tee shot, I could see the flag on 11 and the flag on 12 fluttering in different directions. Just how are you supposed to commit to a shot when all of this is going on around you? Couple in the fact the trees are swirling in all different directions and the cloudless Saturday afternoon, and the players had little to go off than the rough prevailing wind they'd be playing for the previous 11 holes.
With the pin on Saturday situated just 5 yards on from the front edge, players were not risking going anywhere near short and I saw countless balls fly the green long and long left. Reading the wind is a real art in Amen Corner.
The haze
Something that never comes across on TV - and that only became apparent to me once I took my sunglasses off - is the slight reddish haze that settles over the 11th and 12th holes, hanging well above the playing area somewhere in the middle of the tall Georgia pines and the bright blue skyline. This all comes from the pathways that run behind the grandstand and one of the largest concession stands on site.
Amen Corner is always one of the most densely populated areas on the course and the Patrons make full use of the bathrooms and large concession stand sitting directly behind the two grandstands you can see on TV. The club has set up red gravel paths throughout this area to stop it from getting muddy, and the amount of feet stomping through it allows this very slight haze to rise up and drift into the tops of the trees in the playing area. It doesn't affect the beauty of the area, but it was interesting nonetheless.
The post-shot clean up operation
This was something I'd expected to see - I mean come on, it's Augusta National - but it was really interesting the attention to detail on the course play out with my own eyes.
After the group has done hitting their approach shots into 12, a man in a white boiler suit identical to that of the caddies gets to work. First, he picks up the divots ahead of the tee box and gathers them into a little box, and then he goes about filling the divots in with a green sand/silt/soil combination to cover up the mess the previous players have made and make sure it's spotless for the TV coverage.
It's the kind of touches that only Augusta National can offer - and it was a beautiful site to behold.
The hidden officials
This applies to both the 11th and 12th holes. From my vantage point at the top of the leftmost grandstand, I could see some rustlings in the trees and bushes behind both greens. It was only when Matthieu Pavon found the water on the 11th when I found out what was going on in the bushes. It turns out this is where the rules officials for both holes situate themselves.
When a ball inevitably finds its way into the pond on 11th or Rae's Creek in front of 12, players will often need a rules official to help them determine exactly where they need to drop it. And, right on cue, out they come from the bushes.
It's quite amusing really, grown men and women hiding away amongst the pines and azaleas, but it's all part of the great show that is The Masters in making everything look as clean and crisp as possible for the Patrons and the viewing public.
The distance from the crowd to the green
The 12th green and 13th tees are the furthest players will be away from Patrons at Augusta National. There are some superb vantage points and close points of contact across the property, but sitting on the back of the 12th grandstand I could really appreciate just how far the players fade into the distance on the deepest corner of the golf course.
The 12th measures 155 yards. But when you consider the distance the grandstand is away from the teeing area, the players feel miles away as they putt out on the green. Without the benefit of binoculars, you have no real idea of how the players have putted out - and you'll do well to get a real understanding of how close the ball is from the tee shot when the sun is beaming down on the course.
I was sat next the BBC's 5 Live commentators during my stint atop the grandstand and, luckily, their insights - duly aided by their binoculars - let me know what was actually happening a couple of hundred yards away on the distant green. As I watched (heard the commentators describe) Ludvig Aberg nail a tricky 15ft putt for par, there was little to no reaction from the Patrons sat behind the tee, such is how far away they are.
Though a superb vantage point this grandstand is on the course, don't expect to see much of the action on the green without a handy pair of binoculars on your person.
Width of Rae's Creek
Jheeze this thing is wider than it looks on TV. It must be the camera angles but, in my mind's eye, it was about 8-10ft at its widest. I don't have the exact measurements to hand, but it's got to be double that at the widest part of Rae's Creek as it snakes across the 11th. The widest it gets on the property is 60ft (that's not here) but it really does make what I already knew was an intimidating tee shot that bit scarier - and I'm not even teeing the ball up.
The world of space to the right of 12
I've always heard that the 12th was easier for a lefty - maybe that's why so many left handers have seen success around here. There is the world of room if you miss this green long and right. That's not to say you're in a good position - far from it - but you're better off there than long and left.
Left handers can stand up to this tee free in the knowledge that if they accidentally double cross one trying to hit a fade, then their ball will at least be playable. Right handers do not have this luxury.
To the front left pin position today, I watched all but one of the right handed golfers that went through hit a baby draw into that deft pin position. There was no life in risking hitting a fade and accidentally pulling it.
Due to the camera angles, you never really see this room on the right of the green - and few players every actually end up there - but it was nonetheless interesting to see a different side to the 12th from my vantage point.
