Hole 13 – Azalea

PAR 5 – 510 YARDS

You used to be able to get away with a 3-wood off the tee, but now, more often than not, it’s a driver.

You have to play a 10-yard draw at least, but it’s the second that’s tough as the ball is above your feet. You have about a 4-iron and it’s easy to tug left, so some guys hold on to it too long and push it right into the hazard.

Also you’d swear blind it was flat, or even a bit downhill, but experience tells you this is five yards uphill which is why some come up short. A tricky green has a big shelf back left.

Because the carry to the right is 12 to 18 yards further, you’re aiming for the left half.

ADRIAN BISHOP: “The right-hander must hit a draw off the tee to ensure a good view of the green for the second. To hit a controlled draw shot we need to ensure the swing path (direction the clubhead is travelling) is to the right of our target with the clubface slightly closed or left of that path. Having drawn the tee shot around the corner we now have a clear view of the green, however, we’re still faced with numerous problems. The first of these problems is the fact the ball will be well above our feet. This type of lie promotes a flatter swing and greater clubface rotation and face plane tilt so the ball will naturally fly lower and from right-to-left. This is not ideal when there is a meandering stream that will catch any shot that comes in low or short. Top players will offset this right-to-left flight by opening the clubface a little at address and feeling that they hold the release off a little. To give you a great angle up the green your second shot needs to be as tight to the left of a fairway that tilts right-to-left towards Rae’s Creek.

BILLY FOSTER REMEMBERS: “I was eyeing up a putt on this hole when Tiger putted into Rae’s Creek from the back of the green. It’s the only time I can remember someone taking a penalty shot and dropping the ball back on the green from where they’d played it from. But it’s the sort of thing that can happen at Augusta – even to the best in the world.”

PETER ALLISS: “Looking down at the green from the corner is one of the most majestic and stunning scenes in golf. If you don’t get to the corner or go into the trees you have to lay-up. When the pin is half-way up the green on the little shelf you’ve only got about 20-foot square to stop the ball. You don’t have to be a big hitter to win the Masters if you lay-up on the par 5s and make a pitch-and-putt birdie.”