Augusta National Gets Burnt Out in the Summer



 

Fear not, angry golfer. Your local course isn’t the only one that struggles to keep pristine conditions in the grueling summer months. In fact, your course has some pretty impressive company: the home of the Masters.

The vast majority of the world’s golfers only see the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club for a few days a year on their television screens. A few thousand fortunate fans get to step foot on the hallowed grounds each spring and the consensus takeaway is people simply can’t get their heads around just how green and lush the property is. 

There is rarely a pinecone left on the ground or a blade of grass out of place at the home of the Masters, so when some drone footage of the course resurfaced earlier this week, it’s a stark reminder of just how impressive of a feat head golf course superintendent Brad Owen and his staff pull off each year.  

Augusta National’s geographic location makes for a difficult course to keep vibrantly green year round, so much so that the club closes the course from May until October each year when the weather is at its most brutal for proper growth. 

The drone footage begins directly across the street from the club’s famous Magnolia Lane, eventually coming upon the massive clubhouse. The plantation-style clubhouse that is featured in many of the photos you see at Founders Circle may seem quaint, but it is a massive building from above.

 

The 9th, 18th and 10th holes at Augusta National Golf Club.

Moving out onto the course, there’s clearly some construction taking place near the first and ninth fairways. The bunkering around the nine green is under construction as well. While all of these things are likely routine maintenance, the general breadth and expansiveness of the property is on full display without the patron ropes and grandstands lining each hole.

The hot Georgia summers have taken their toll on the grass, revealing dead spots and brown areas that would never be tolerated during the club’s short open season. 

[h.t GolfDigest]

 

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