Augusta National is one of the toughest tests in golf, requiring precision and control in all aspects of the competitors’ games. To get down at the Masters, you have to find the fairway, shape approach shots, drive wedges and have the putter rolling.
As important as it is to hit good shots, ask any past Masters champion and they will tell you knowing where you missed is very important. At a place like Augusta, misses have to be intentional, not accidental – a concept many novices overlook.
Pulling from player feedback, course data and insights from Joe Plecker, Top 100 GOLF Teacher, here are the five worst spots to miss at the Masters, in no particular order.
No. 13: Long and fair
While leaving it short on the 13th green is not ideal, going too long can be punishing. Because the green on Augusta’s 13th hole, Azalea, slopes from back to front, shots from behind the green become a demanding test – especially when Rae’s Creek stares down at you.
“A long miss to the right narrows the green and turns what looks like an open fairway into a very difficult chip — even more so if the ball is above your feet,” Plecker said.
No. 9: Top shelf on front pin
According to Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, the most demanding shot on Augusta’s ninth hole is:
“The most challenging shot here is the approach because you’re usually hitting a short iron from the ground to the green,” Scott said. “The distance is important because the green one has three shelves. It is important that you go from the right one.”
Don’t miss your number, and the consequences can be dire. From the back of the green – which slopes from back to front – a putt to the front pin can easily run past the hole and, in the worst case, down the front and back into the fairway.
No. 11: In short
Playing it smart and playing it safe are not the same thing. The tee shot on Augusta’s 11th hole, White Dogwood, is a perfect example. While accuracy and positioning are important, the course is also designed to punish players who are too careful with their strategy.
According to Masters statistics, players who hit their approach from 175 to 200 yards to the left side have a 77 percent chance of making par or better. But move back to 200–225 yards, and the odds of making a bogey jump from 18 percent to 25 percent. The difference, Plecker explains, comes down to the angle of descent.
“You can’t play back at Augusta because your descent angle isn’t the same,” he said, “[Distance off the tee] it’s such a necessity, because now the approach irons have a much better landing angle.”
No. 4: Above the green
Flouring Crab Apple, Augusta’s par-3, fourth hole, features a boomerang-shaped green guarded by two bunkers positioned on the front left and front right. But here, the bunkers do not miss much safer than going for a long time. If your shot flies too far, you may find yourself having to throw it from the rough to the green that slopes away from you.
“You’re not going to see a lot of birdies here, but you’re going to see a lot of quick, frustrating bogeys. There’s not a lot of places where the officials can put the flag and say to you, ‘Yeah, I’m going to zoom this shot,'” said Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters Champion.
No. 12: Far and forsaken
A long missed putt on Augusta’s 12th hole is one of the most damaging mistakes a player can make – usually because it’s completely out of his control. As the winds round Amen Corner, the short par-3 can require anything from a 9-iron to a 6-iron. Making club selection a guessing game.
“It [the wind] it changes every minute, and that’s what’s scary about it [approach shot],” Plecker said.
“You see this [miss] a lot where the players have a little pause, maybe they don’t want to leave it short and turn the toe. And then they got that very difficult shot of going to the green going down with the water in the background.”
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