Meet the Architects Who Have Shaped Augusta National

Alister MacKenzie is the architect of record for the Masters' iconic venue, but the list of names who have contributed to the constant tinkering is lengthy.

The late golf writer Charles Price — who was a close friend of Bobby Jones and wrote the book A Golf Story: Bobby Jones, Augusta National, and the Masters Tournament — got it just right in his assessment of the fabled Georgia layout. “Augusta National was never the most revolutionary design in America," he wrote, “but it was certainly the most evolutionary." 

Indeed, the Masters mavens have never been shy about tinkering with their remarkable venue. Starting in 1935, when the club reversed the nines for the second playing of the Masters, the only constant at Augusta National Golf Club has been change.

Even sports fans from other planets know that Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed Augusta National, in collaboration with Jones. With the width they created, the lack of rough, the vast, undulating greens and the emphasis on risk/reward strategies, it was clear they intended to invoke the spirit of St. Andrews in the Peach State. Less well known is that in the 90 years since MacKenzie submitted his final design, no fewer than 10 other trained architects and seven consultants have made documented contributions to the ever-evolving design of Augusta National.

Architects

Perry Maxwell

Years active at Augusta National: 1937-1946.

Best original designs: Southern Hills, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Prairie Dunes (9), Hutchinson, Kansas; Crystal Downs (co-design with Alister MacKenzie), Frankfort, Michigan; Old Town Club, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Most acclaimed renovations: Colonial, Fort Worth, Texas; Saucon Valley (Old), Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Tweaks to Augusta National: Best known for his wildly undulating greens, dubbed “Maxwell rolls,” he was a partner of MacKenzie’s in the 1930s. Upon MacKenzie’s death in 1934, prior to the first Masters, Maxwell was considered the go-to guy for any alterations to Augusta National. In all, he fiddled with 11 holes, most prominently rebuilding the greens at the 1st, 10th and 14th hole, each rippled with beguiling contours. Most notably, Maxwell established new greens higher up the hill at both the 7th hole and at the 10th. In addition, he redesigned and rebunkered the 9th and 17th greens.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Huge. Maxwell’s new green at the 7th transformed a non-descript, drivable hole into one that while still on the short side, now requires a deft pitch up the hill. His contouring on the 14th green is considered the greatest work of genius of all 18 greens. And his relocating the green at the 10th higher up and to the left of the existing green, makes for one of the game’s toughest approaches, as well as one of its grandest stages.

Robert Trent Jones

Years active at Augusta National: 1946-1953.

Best original designs: Spyglass Hill, Pebble Beach, California; Peachtree, Atlanta, Georgia; Mauna Kea, Waimea, Hawaii; The Dunes, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Hazeltine National, Chaska, Minnesota; Valderrama, Sotogrande, Spain.

Most acclaimed renovations: Firestone (South), Akron, Ohio; Oakland Hills (South), Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Congressional, Bethesda, Maryland; Baltusrol (Lower), Springfield, New Jersey.

Tweaks to Augusta National: The hottest post-War architect had already earned the respect of Gene Sarazen and Bobby Jones, making him the logical choice to replace Perry Maxwell as Augusta National’s architect. Further burnishing his reputation was teaming with Bobby Jones on the design of Jones’ new Atlanta club, Peachtree, in the late 1940s. Jones didn’t touch as many holes as Maxwell, who made changes to 11 holes, but he effected two massive alterations, making his impact virtually equal. RTJ turned the easy 415-yard, downhill dogleg-right 11th into a fearsome 445-yard, slight dogleg left, by adding a tee box deep in the pines behind the 10th green and by damming the creek to the left of the green, resulting in the pond known today. More significantly, Jones abandoned the old par-3 16th in 1947, a hole considered too short and easy and too similar to the 12th. The new tee was well to the left of the old one, the new green well to the right. The new hole was a smash, with its angled, kidney bean-shaped green, lovely pond and amphitheater setting. Jones toiled at several other tasks as well, including softening the contours of the 18th green.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Huge. By most accounts. Jones likely deserved most, if not all, of the credit for what transpired at the 11th and 16th holes. That wasn’t quite what happened, at least in club and tournament co-founder Clifford Roberts’ eyes.

"My trouble with (Clifford) Roberts came after the (16th) hole was finished," wrote Trent Jones in his 1988 book, Golf’s Magnificent Challenge. "He told the public that Bob Jones, not Trent, had done the remodeling, that I had nothing to do with it. Well, Bob certainly had input, but the design was mine."

Roberts did make attribution in his 1976 book, The Story of the Augusta National Golf Club, but credit was half-hearted at best, and untrue at worst. He wrote: "Bob Jones designed a new arrangement for the 16th ... The golf course architect, Robert Trent Jones, implemented on a volunteer basis the plan conceived by Bob Jones. Trent also directed, at Bob’s request, the building of a bunker on the left front of the first green. This was Trent’s final contribution to the golf course as it is today."

Roberts gave Trent Jones no credit at all for dramatically altering the 11th hole. Trent Jones took full credit, while other sources give partial credit to Byron Nelson. Without doubt, a schism over receiving credit for who did what led Augusta National to find new architect in the mid-1950s — George Cobb. Whichever version convinces you most, it’s undeniable that the 11th and 16th are two of the most dramatic, impactful holes on the golf course, with 16 the least-changed hole in the past 70-plus years.

George Cobb

Years active at Augusta National: 1954-1978.

Best original designs: Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina; Augusta National Par-3, Augusta, Georgia; Bald Head Island, North Carolina.

Most acclaimed renovations: East Lake, Atlanta, Georgia; Savannah Golf Club, Savannah, Georgia.

Tweaks to Augusta National: Armed with a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia and a scratch handicap, George Cobb finished a second tour of duty with the Marines and established a practice in the early 1950s, based in Greenville, South Carolina. He took advantage of a booming golf development climate in the southeast to create more than 100 original designs, along with dozens of redesigns. Cobb wasn’t the most sophisticated designer, but he was the right regional architect at the right time to assist Bobby Jones and the South’s greatest club.

Cobb left his imprint on a fistful of holes at Augusta. His most significant efforts occurred on holes 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 15 and 17. Typically, he shifted or removed bunkers, altered mounds, and rebuilt a number of greens.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Most of Cobb’s work paled by comparison to the dramatic changes effected by Maxwell and by Trent Jones. Adding a section of putting green to the left side of the second green gave it the familiar tri-cornered look we recognize today. He was also responsible for the current framing of the 7th green, by adding two bunkers behind the green.

George Fazio

Years active at Augusta National: Only documented work was 1974, but he could well have consulted in other years.

Best original designs: Jupiter Hills (Hills), Tequesta, Florida; Butler National, Oak Brook, Illinois; Edgewood Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada; Champions (Jackrabbit), Houston, Texas.

Most acclaimed renovations: Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands), Johns Creek, Georgia; Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio; Oak Hill (East), Rochester, New York.

Tweaks to Augusta National: In the early 1970s, George and nephew Tom stretched the par-4 10th another 20 yards, and by moving the tee back and also to the left, the dogleg was further enhanced, thus demanding a sharper draw off the tee.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Small. Credit is due for strengthening the 10th, which was already a demanding, beautiful hole.

In the early 1970s, George and Tom Fazio collaborated to stretch the par-4 10th by moving the tee back 20 yards and to the left to further accentuate the downhill dogleg hole.  / Golffile | Fran Caffrey

John LaFoy

Years active at Augusta National: 1973-1978.

Best original designs: Linville Ridge (with George Cobb), Linville, North Carolina; The Neuse, Clayton, North Carolina; Stone Mountain (Lakemont), Stone Mountain, Georgia. 

Most acclaimed renovations: Country Club of Birmingham (East), Birmingham, Alabama; Surf Golf and Beach Club, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Country Club of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina.

Tweaks to Augusta National: LaFoy went to work for his best friend’s father — George Cobb — in 1968. After a three-year stint in the Marine Corps as a combat engineer officer, he rejoined Cobb’s firm as a partner and accompanied his boss on all Augusta National trips from 1973-1978. Under the Cobb banner, LaFoy renovated multiple tees and rebuilt several greens, including the legendary 13th green in the mid-1970s. He also handled many of the bunker renovations, prompting Clifford Roberts to call him his “bunker man."

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Minimal.

Joe Finger

Years active at Augusta National: 1978-1979.

Best original designs: Atlanta Country Club (with Willard Byrd), Marietta, Georgia; Cedar Ridge, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma; Colonial (South), Cordova, Tennessee; Marina Vallarta, Mexico; Concord Hotel (Championship), Kiamesha Lake, New York.

Most acclaimed renovations: Atlanta Athletic Club (Highlands), Johns Creek, Georgia; Capital City, Atlanta, Georgia; Oak Hills, San Antonio, Texas; Westchester (West), Rye, New York.

Tweaks to Augusta National: One of the nation’s most prolific architects in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, Finger directed the rebuilding of the 8th green to its earlier punch bowl existence, in the company of his frequent design consultant, Byron Nelson.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Minimal.

Bob Cupp

Years active at Augusta National: 1982-1984.

Best original designs: Liberty National (with Tom Kite), Jersey City, New Jersey; Beacon Hall (with Tom McBroom), Ontario, Canada; Pumpkin Ridge (with John Fought), North Plains, Oregon; Crosswater, Sunriver, Oregon; Old Waverly (with Jerry Pate), West Point, Mississippi; Hawks Ridge, Ball Ground, Georgia; Reynolds Lake Oconee (The Preserve and The Landing), Greensboro, Georgia.

Most acclaimed renovations: Indianwood (Old), Lake Orion, Michigan; Bobby Jones Golf Course, Atlanta, Georgia; Druid Hills, Atlanta, Georgia; Jimmie Austin at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma.

Tweaks to Augusta National: After dabbling in art and flirting with a career in professional golf, Cupp joined the newly formed Golden Bear Design in the early 1970s as a senior associate. For more than 10 years, he played a pivotal role in creating many of Jack Nicklaus’ greatest courses of the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1982, Augusta National solicited Nicklaus’ ideas on how to improve the challenge posed by left side of the 3rd hole. Nicklaus suggested adding small mounds, and breaking up a large single bunker into four smaller ones. The club agreed. However, Nicklaus felt conflicted in doing the work under his name, because he remained an active competitor in the Masters. So the club retained Cupp to perform the tasks. Likewise, in 1983, when the club sought to improve the drainage at the 13th green, Cupp rebuilt and re-contoured the putting surface and carved out a slender swale on the left side of the putting surface.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Minimal. While the bunker complex remains in place at the 3rd hole, his handiwork at 13 has been mostly redone.

Jay Morrish

Years active at Augusta National: 1982-1984, by some accounts.

Best original designs: TPC Scottsdale (with Tom Weiskopf), Scottsdale, Arizona; Forest Highlands (with Tom Weiskopf), Flagstaff, Arizona; Loch Lomond (with Tom Weiskopf), Luss, Scotland; The Boulders, Carefree, Arizona, Troon Country Club (with Tom Weiskopf), Scottsdale, Arizona; Troon North (with Tom Weiskopf), Scottsdale, Arizona; Stone Canyon, Oro Valley, Arizona; Double Eagle (with Tom Weiskopf), Galena, Ohio.

Most acclaimed renovations: Ojai Valley Inn, Ojai, California; TPC Las Colinas, Irving, Texas; Tulsa Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Las Colinas Sports Club, Irving, Texas.

Tweaks to Augusta National: Morrish apprenticed with Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Desmond Muirhead before joining Jack Nicklaus’ new design firm in 1973. He, like Cupp, assisted Nicklaus on most of Nicklaus' most heralded designs for the next 10 years, before leaving to hang his own shingle. Under the Nicklaus umbrella, Morrish and Cupp teamed in a company called Golforce, an early architecture services firm for those who couldn’t afford the Nicklaus Signature treatment. By some accounts, Morrish worked with Cupp on the 1980s changes at Augusta National. By other accounts, it was Cupp alone, with a crew of course, that performed the renovations.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Minimal.

Jack Nicklaus

Years active at Augusta National: 1980s and likely beyond.

Best original designs: Muirfield Village (with Desmond Muirhead), Dublin, Ohio; Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Colorado; Sebonack (with Tom Doak), Southampton, New York; Punta Espada, Cap Cana, Dominican Republic; Valhalla, Louisville, Kentucky; Desert Mountain, Scottsdale, Arizona; Reynolds Plantation (Great Waters), Greensboro, Georgia.

Most acclaimed renovations: Pebble Beach Golf Links, California; PGA National (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; The Greenbrier (Greenbrier), White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia; American Dunes, Grand Haven, Michigan; North Palm Beach Country Club, Florida; Ohio State University (Scarlet), Columbus, Ohio.

Tweaks to Augusta National: Nicklaus cut his teeth in the design business working with Pete Dye and then Desmond Muirhead before launching his own firm in 1973. He grew up in Columbus on a Donald Ross classic, Scioto, played his college golf at Ohio State’s Alister MacKenzie-designed courses and had a keen eye for architecture, making him an ideal judge of greatness in a golf course. Eventually, he would win six Masters titles, the most all-time, so it’s understandable why the Augusta brass would reach out to Nicklaus for his opinions on the Augusta National layout. Formally, Nicklaus’ only contributions were by having Bob Cupp execute his visions for the 3rd and 13th holes. Informally, he has likely provided feedback on many potential and actual modifications.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: More than what is documented.

Tom Fazio

Years active at Augusta National: 1998 to present.

Best original designs: Wade Hampton, Cashiers, North Carolina; Shadow Creek (with Steve Wynn), North Las Vegas, Nevada; Alotian, Roland, Arkansas; Gozzer Ranch, Harrison, Idaho; Estancia, Scottsdale, Arizona.

Most acclaimed renovations: Waterville, Ireland; Wynn, Las Vegas, Nevada; Quail Hollow, Charlotte, North Carolina; Sea Island (Seaside), St. Simons Island, Georgia; Pine Valley, Pine Valley, New Jersey; Winged Foot (West), Mamaroneck, New York; Kasumigaseki (East), Tokyo, Japan.

Tweaks to Augusta National: Having collaborated with his uncle George Fazio since the early 1960s, Fazio came into his own in the 1980s, with a succession of award-winning designs. By the late 1990s, when he began his association with Augusta National, Fazio was the most honored modern architect in the business. His many modifications to Augusta National have been both large and small. Most often, he rebuilt greens, relocated bunkers and added length to holes by creating new back tees. In doing so, he occasionally fundamentally altered the playing value of the hole. Chief among them were his twice lengthening and narrowing of the 7th hole, transforming it from a 365-yard drive-and-pitch to a 450-yard claustrophobic adventure. He also has altered the par-4 11th in multiple ways, adding back tees, trees on the right, removing trees on the right, re-aligning the fairway and rebuilding the green and the surrounding green complex.

Overall influence on the Augusta National design: Huge. While he didn’t find new green sites as Maxwell did or build a new hole as Trent Jones did, Fazio’s footprints have been planted on the majority of holes at Augusta National and some of the changes have been significant.

Consultants

Horton Smith

The winner of the first Masters in 1934 and the third in 1936, Smith made the suggestion to move the 7th green to a spot higher up on the hill, work that was carried out by Perry Maxwell.

Byron Nelson

The Masters winner in 1937 and 1942, Nelson by some accounts suggested the modifications to the 11th hole in the early 1950s that resulted in damming the creek and creating a pond to the front-left of the green. He also worked with his regular architect partner Joe Finger in 1978-79 on restoring the 8th green to more of the “punch bowl” concept that MacKenzie and Jones had envisioned.

Gene Sarazen

The man who holed a 4-wood at the 15th hole in 1935 that led him to a Masters triumph was an enthusiastic architecture critic. In 1966, he successfully petitioned the club to eliminate a dated cross-bunker on the second hole and replace it with a bunker on the outside elbow of the dogleg.

Ben Hogan

The Masters champion of 1951 and 1953 advanced the idea of placing a bunker just past the pond to the front-right side of the 15th, which was carried out in time for the 1957 tournament.

Clifford Roberts

Co-founder of Augusta National and the Masters, Roberts was never a strong golfer, but he had a remarkable eye for detail — as well as a strong awareness for what design features might enhance the gallery experience. He made many suggestions during his reign (1934-1977) and, indeed, many changes were enacted. One controversial shift involved Roberts ordering the framing mounds removed from the sides of the 8th green so that patrons could better see the action. They were later restored. He also enlisted Maxwell to eliminate the original boomerang-shaped green at the 9th and eventually had it rebuilt and rebunkered on more than one occasion. It also was on Roberts’ watch in 1967 that two bunkers were added to the left side landing area of the 18th in order to “Nicklaus-proof” the course, after Nicklaus had walloped one in that direction with no impunity during his 1966 victory.

Hord Hardin

A strong player who served as USGA president in 1968-69, Hardin went on to be chairman of Augusta Nationaland its Masters Tournament from 1980 through 1991. Certainly he had a say in every course tweak during his tenure, but one on-the-record modification that is credited to Hardin was not a popular change. Players who hit it into the creek fronting the 13th green occasionally were granted a lucky break, with their ball sitting up on the bank or on a rock to where it was playable. Hardin believed that this penalty area should yield maximum hazard value, which would prevent competitors from attempting recovery shots that would splash with mud or water. The water level was raised, resulting in a true drenched shot, with no recovery possibilities. By 1996, the old slender creek had been restored.

Arnold Palmer

A four-time Masters winner, Palmer was a pretty fair architect himself, even if he left the heavy lifting to his associates. But he was always a man of the people. While he undoubtedly made many suggestions to club brass over the years, one that resonated in 2004 — and is resonating even stronger for the 2022 event — was a plea to remove some of the new pines that had been planted down the right side of the 11th hole. The King opined that some of these new trees obstructed a wonderful viewing spot for patrons. The club yanked out some of those trees by 2011 and still others have departed in time for this year’s tournament. 

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