Taking the Fifth Is a Little Harder

Before last year’s Masters, Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson vowed “to address the weakness of the fifth hole” by the start of the 2003 tournament. Johnson made good on his vow, even though the hole would play as the second-toughest on the course during the 2002 final round.

Two left-side fairway bunkers rarely ever in play for Masters contestants were shifted about 80 yards forward. The club also planted a swarm of young pines left of the bunkers, with another line of trees guarding the fairway’s right edge. Both new features were designed to pinch the landing area for long drives, thus forcing a longer second shot into a most severe green.

To carry the two new bunkers, a tee shot of nearly 315 yards is required. However, a drive of 295 yards will not reach the two deep bunkers, meaning most of the field will be able to comfortably hit a long iron or three-wood without fear of reaching the hazards and still have only a seven- to nine-iron into the green.

The fairway contour lines were also shifted right, increasing the dogleg left characteristic of the hole while giving the scorecard yardage a boost. Playing from a newly extended tee, the fifth is now listed at 455 yards, 20 yards longer than in 2002.

“This improvement continues our commitment to accuracy off the tee,” Johnson said. “Recently, the fairway bunkers did not come into play. This change should once again make the bunkers an integral part of the hole.”

In the club’s officially sanctioned book, “The Making of the Masters,” author David Owen points out that Bobby Jones always considered the fifth hole’s two fairway bunkers superfluous. Jones agreed to their construction only after architect Alister MacKenzie and construction supervisor Wendell Miller insisted that the two bunkers would make the elevated fairway appear smaller and more visually intimidating.

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The Facts

* Hole: No. 5, par four, 455 yards

* 2002 score average: 4.158 (course rank, 7)

* Cumulative, 1942-2002: 4.24 (4)

* Description: Uphill dogleg left with green that slopes to front and has sand trap behind it. Fairway bunkers deep and repositioned to demand tee accuracy. Need 315-yard tee shot to carry bunkers.

* History: The design of the No. 5 hole at Augusta National was inspired by the Road Hole of the Old Course at St. Andrews. At first Bobby Jones was against placing sand traps in the fairway.

-- Geoff Shackelford