Nick Faldo's Guide to Amen Corner

In late April 1958, legendary golf writer Herbert Warren Wind was looking for a catchy phrase to describe the three holes at Augusta National Golf Club – 11, 12 and 13 – that provided the most drama and excitement during the Masters of that year. Baseball had “Hot Corner”, while American Football had “Coffin Corner” – what could the golfing equivalent be? His answer: Amen Corner. Fast forward to 2012 and these three holes are still just as thrilling as they were 50 years ago. Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo guides us around arguably the most famous acreage of terrain in the game.

White Dogwood

No. 11
505 yards
Par-4

Nick FaldoI have a lot of affection for the 11th because it is where I won my first two Masters titles [in play-offs against Scott Hoch and Raymond Floyd, in 1989 and 1990, respectively] but it has changed a lot since those days. The tee has been pushed back by 40-odd yards and the fairway has narrowed significantly. It used to be that if you really hit a good drive you could catch the down slope, which would leave a shorter approach, but nowadays that option is really only for the very longest hitters. Most of the guys will reach the top of the hill and still have around 200 yards in. The other thing: you can’t take the drive too far down the right side as there are now trees which can block the approach. The second shot has always been a tough one. There is the famous pond on the left [where Raymond Floyd dunked his approach on the second play-off hole to lose to Faldo in 1990], so the tendency is to go right, but from the bailout area there it is not easy to get up-and-down to a the traditional final-day pin position because the green slopes away from you and back towards the water.

A great hole.

White DogwoodHistorical Stroke Average: 4.29
Historical Rank: 3

Pages

Written by Nick Faldo

Click here to see the published article.

Soggy Victory
Although holding a six-shot lead after 54 holes, Aaron Rai had to defend strongly against an on-fire Matthew Fitzpatrick, who fired a six-under-par 64 for a four-round total of 264. The 23-year-...
Dunhill Delight - The Laughing Links!
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is now one of the longest running events on any tour worldwide and is a mainstay of the European Tour schedule. The events pro-am format isn’t the only...
The Dis-United States in Capitulation
Having taken back control of the Ryder Cup with a commanding 17-11 victory over Europe at Hazeltine in 2016, it had looked as if the good ship USA had been steadied and was preparing to sail into...
A Wild Ryder Cup
Now, the Kilted Caddie is not averse to the odd gamble either. In fact, a good friend is a very successful professional gambler on the gee-gees, and I am rather into it. However, I made a rather...
World Cup of Golf - Honour and Glory
Team competitions often bring out the best from athletes, especially when they proudly put on the national flag to represent their countries. Such a privilege can evoke an overflow of passion,...
Clearwater Bay Open 2018 in Pictures
The Kiwi King
Starting the final day five strokes clear, Voke shot a third consecutive 3-under 67 for a 14-under total at The Clearwater Bay Golf and Country Club. In a dramatic turn of events, England’s...
From Clearwater Bay to the PGA TOUR
The 2018 Clearwater Bay Open will offer prize money of about HK$2.36 million, which will be the biggest-ever purse at a PGA TOUR Serie -China event and raise the Hong Kong event’s importance in...
European Team Sweeps APGC Junior Championship 2018
Playing through wind and rain, the Europe 1 team of Sakke Siltala and Caitlin Whitehead posted a 17-underpar four-round score of 263 to win the 2018 Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation Junior...
Chloe Chan Crowned Esprit Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur 2018 Champion
Chan shot a three over 72 in the final round. Finishing on 214 for the three rounds, five ahead of New Zealand’s Rose Zheng and Jessica Huang, and also China’s Jieni Li, who won the HK Junior...

Pages