Ranking the best holes at Augusta National

Turning Stone Resort

For us, the task of ranking the best holes at Augusta National feels a bit like ranking the steps on the stairway to heaven.

Every golfer is going to have their own opinion on these rankings, and for our take on the list we focused on ranking the holes based on the quality of the hole, how it fits into the round, and how the environment of the hole has led to some of the best moments in Masters history. 

Here is the Travel Caddie’s hole rankings ahead of the 2023 Masters — who knows, maybe something special on a specific hole will change these in 2024!

1) No. 12, par 3, 155 yards

When it comes to the perfect par 3, this is the hole that comes to mind. The genius? The simplicity of its design. A wide, narrow green with one bunker short and two bunkers long to the middle and right,  and  with a short iron in hand, you’d think this would be a birdie opportunity for the best players in the world.  But with Rae’s Creek looming short and a genius design where the green requires a further carry for shots that come up right, picking the right club is essential here. The winds are fickle and seem to shift at the drop of a hat, so ball control is key on 12.  

Masters moment: There are too many epic moments to count here, but one that always comes to mind for us is Fred Couples famous escape here in his 1992 Masters victory.

2) No. 13, par 5, 545 yards

This feels like our most controversial ranking, only because we have yet to see how the recent changes to the hole are going to impact how it plays in the tournament in 2023.  

Masters moment: We can think of so many iconic moments at 13 but when Phil Mickelson hit his shot out of the pine straw here in 2010 to go on to win his first green jacket, it still stands out as one of the best shots in Masters history.

3) No. 10, par 4, 495 yards

The hole that kicks off arguably the best nine holes in all of golf sets the tone for the incredible back 9 at Augusta National. Even all of the advancements in HD television technology still cannot do this hole justice as the sweeping dogleg left drops in elevation dramatically from tee to green as players will need to be able to work the ball right to left off the tee here to take advantage of the sloping fairway and staying short of the 60-yard-long center bunker in the fairway.  Now you’re left with an uneven lie to an elevated green that slopes from right to left to test every facet of your game.

Masters moment: There’s a reason that this hole is historically the toughest hole at Augusta National, and it’s been the site of dramatic triumph as well as dashing the hopes of many competitors over the years.  We’ll choose a moment of glory to focus on, where Bubba Watson pulled off the impossible from the right trees and hit a miraculous hook with a wedge on the green to help him win the 2012 Masters.  

4) No. 16, par 3, 170 yards

Many people aren’t aware that the 16th as we know it today is much different from Alister MacKenzie’s original design of the hole. In 1947, the pond was added to the hole and the green was shifted to the right, drastically changing the hole and making it one of the best holes on the course. The green at the 16th hole is incredible, and it features a massive ridge that runs through the middle of the green from front to back where a matter of inches can determine having a 3-foot birdie putt or a 30-foot birdie putt.

Masters moment: It also happens to be the site of the greatest chip shot we’ve ever seen. Tiger Woods holed his chip from an impossible position long and left en route to his 2005 Masters victory. The level of imagination and skill needed to pull this off could only be done by the one and only Tiger Woods.  

5) No. 15, par 5, 550 yards

A risk-reward par-5 as you come down the stretch on Sunday at The Masters. Doesn’t get much better than that.  The 15th hole has evolved over the years as length has been added to adjust to the modern game, this hole favors a tee shot up the right side or center of the fairway to avoid a cluster of trees that run down the left that can make even your lay-up shot difficult.  From there, players are left with the decision to hit a wood or long-iron to a wide, narrow green that features water short and a near impossible up-and-down long.  For those who decide to lay-up, you’re still left with a tough wedge shot usually from a downhill lie as controlling your ball is everything here.

Masters moment: The 15th  has been a pivotal hole in many Masters championships, but none more famous that the “shot heard ‘round the world” by Gene Sarazen in the 1935 Masters where he holed his second shot with a 4-wood from 235 yards on his way to winning the event.  

6) No. 11, par 4, 520 yards

This hole was a tough one to figure out to fit into our list.  On the one hand, we agree the hole is better since they lengthened it, but for some reason it doesn’t seem to carry the same drama as it did before the changes.  As the start of Amen Corner, 11 is now a monstrous 520 yards so you’ll find players playing safe to the right side of the green here a lot more often instead of taking on center and left cut pins that are protected by the pond in front.

Masters moment: The hole has been the site of several key Masters moments including the famous Larry Mize chip in to defeat Greg Norman in the 1987 Masters.

7) No. 18, par 4, 465 yards

The 18th at Augusta National is the perfect way to end your round. With the narrow shoot that must look to be about the size of a hallway for a player needing to make a par or birdie on the last, this uphill par-4 dogleg right requires a tee shot that stays short or right of the massive fairway bunkers on the left side of the fairway in the landing zone for most tee shots. From there, you are left with an uphill approach to a multi-tiered green that requires the perfect distance control.

Masters moment: The number of moments to play out here over the years are countless, but for our money it’s tough to beat Tiger’s 2019 victory and his hug with Charlie moments after the final putt dropped.  It brought us right back to the 1997 Masters when he culminated his dominant victory with a hug from his dad in the same spot.

8) No. 9, par 4, 460 yards

With one of the most interesting greens on property (and that’s saying a lot), the 9th hole favors players to work the ball right to left off the tee here in order to get their tee shots far enough down to leave a short iron to an extremely difficult approach shot uphill to the severely sloping green from back to front.  Any shots that come up short here tend to roll down the hill and this seemingly innocuous par-4 can wreak havoc on a player’s Masters hopes.

Masters moment: The 9th hole can be a momentum booster or killer during a players round at The Masters, and in 2005 Tiger Woods birdied the hole three out of four days en route to earning his fourth green jacket.  You can see his final round birdie here:

9) No. 8, par 5, 570 yards

An epic uphill par-5, the 8th at Augusta National features a long, uphill tee shot with a massive fairway bunker up the right side of the fairway that players need to avoid in order to have a chance to reach this par-5 in two.  The uphill second shot requires a right-to-left shot shape up the middle to right side of this green to get there in two.  You’ll see a lot of players bail out right here though as anything left in two is in jail.

Masters moment: One of our favorite birdies here over the years was by Zach Johnson who birdied the hole in his final round in 2007.  It wasn’t necessarily that it was a remarkable birdie, but it his dedication to playing the par-5s at Augusta National his way. Here you can see Zach hole a birdie chip from the front of this green:

10) No. 4, par 3, 240 yards

This beast of a par 3 measures 240 yards and requires a long and perfectly measured tee shot as this green that is protected short right and left by two deep bunkers has several different tiers on a severely undulating green.

Masters moment: Unfortunately, final round coverage of the 4th hole has been limited over the years and the last player to birdie the 4th en route to donning the green jacket at the end of the day was Mark O’Meara in the 1998 Masters.  Coverage starts with him at the 6th that day, but it was such a great Masters we thought we’d share the final round coverage with you anyways:

11) No. 2, par 5, 575 yards

If this hole was later in the round, it would be ranked higher on our list but as the second hole on the course it lacks the drama of the holes that players face later in their round. This downhill, dogleg-left par-5 favors players who can work it right to left off the tee here, but they must avoid the bunker on the right side of the fairway.  Reachable in two for many of the players in the field, a well struck shot can give players the chance to make an eagle or birdie and kickstart their round.

Masters moment: Louis Oosthuizen recorded the rare double eagle here in the 2012 Masters with a masterful shot that came up the center of the green and worked its way down the slope to the tucked right pin.  

12) No. 5, par 4, 495 yards

Like No. 2, this is another hole that would be more highly ranked on our list if it came into the round later in the day. This hole is an absolute beast. At 495 yards, this dogleg left is protected up the left side off the tee by two deep bunkers that would require a 315-yard carry uphill off the tee.  The approach shot to the severely sloped green where a two putt is far from a guarantee.

Masters moment: In the 2008 Masters, Trevor Immelman played this hole in 3 under  for the week including a final-round birdie:

13) No. 3, par 4, 350 yards

The definition of risk versus reward and a player knowing their strengths, the short-4 3rd hole offers golfers the ability to layup short of the four fairway bunkers off the tee to leave a short iron approach, or they can choose to pull out driver and drive it up by the green.  The green slopes hard from right to left and the false front short can leave players with a very difficult up and down.  

Masters moment: That is, unless your 2022 Masters champion Scottie Scheffler who turned a pulled tee shot and a short approach shot into a ridiculous chip-in birdie that kicked off his pull-away victory:

14) No. 1, par 4, 445 yards

There are a lot of theories on how a designer should start a golf course, and we tend to think No. 1 at Augusta National has the perfect amount of bite in it to lead golfers into their round.  An uphill slight dogleg right par 4, the 1st requires players to avoid the bunker up the right and trees up both sides of the hole and sets the field up for an approach into a rather large green with a bunker short left.  Even though the green is large, it is severely undulating, and a two-putt par is usually a great start to your round.

Masters moment: One of the best things about watching the start of The Masters these days is that a group of legends of the game kick things off with an honorary tee shot.  In 2022, that trio included Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson.

4) No. 16, par 3, 170 yards

Many people aren’t aware that the 16th as we know it today is much different from Alister MacKenzie’s original design of the hole. In 1947, the pond was added to the hole and the green was shifted to the right, drastically changing the hole and making it one of the best holes on the course. The green at the 16th hole is incredible, and it features a massive ridge that runs through the middle of the green from front to back where a matter of inches can determine having a 3-foot birdie putt or a 30-foot birdie putt.

Masters moment: It also happens to be the site of the greatest chip shot we’ve ever seen. Tiger Woods holed his chip from an impossible position long and left en route to his 2005 Masters victory. The level of imagination and skill needed to pull this off could only be done by the one and only Tiger Woods.  

4) No. 16, par 3, 170 yards

Many people aren’t aware that the 16th as we know it today is much different from Alister MacKenzie’s original design of the hole. In 1947, the pond was added to the hole and the green was shifted to the right, drastically changing the hole and making it one of the best holes on the course. The green at the 16th hole is incredible, and it features a massive ridge that runs through the middle of the green from front to back where a matter of inches can determine having a 3-foot birdie putt or a 30-foot birdie putt.

Masters moment: It also happens to be the site of the greatest chip shot we’ve ever seen. Tiger Woods holed his chip from an impossible position long and left en route to his 2005 Masters victory. The level of imagination and skill needed to pull this off could only be done by the one and only Tiger Woods.  

4) No. 16, par 3, 170 yards

Many people aren’t aware that the 16th as we know it today is much different from Alister MacKenzie’s original design of the hole. In 1947, the pond was added to the hole and the green was shifted to the right, drastically changing the hole and making it one of the best holes on the course. The green at the 16th hole is incredible, and it features a massive ridge that runs through the middle of the green from front to back where a matter of inches can determine having a 3-foot birdie putt or a 30-foot birdie putt.

Masters moment: It also happens to be the site of the greatest chip shot we’ve ever seen. Tiger Woods holed his chip from an impossible position long and left en route to his 2005 Masters victory. The level of imagination and skill needed to pull this off could only be done by the one and only Tiger Woods.  

4) No. 16, par 3, 170 yards

Many people aren’t aware that the 16th as we know it today is much different from Alister MacKenzie’s original design of the hole. In 1947, the pond was added to the hole and the green was shifted to the right, drastically changing the hole and making it one of the best holes on the course. The green at the 16th hole is incredible, and it features a massive ridge that runs through the middle of the green from front to back where a matter of inches can determine having a 3-foot birdie putt or a 30-foot birdie putt.

Masters moment: It also happens to be the site of the greatest chip shot we’ve ever seen. Tiger Woods holed his chip from an impossible position long and left en route to his 2005 Masters victory. The level of imagination and skill needed to pull this off could only be done by the one and only Tiger Woods.