Augusta National Golf Club is negotiating with neighboring Augusta Country Club to purchase property that would allow the host course of the Masters to lengthen the par-5, 13th hole, Golfweek reported.
The land in question closely borders the 12th green and 13th tee.
“The tee shot at 13 would be helped by a little bit of length,” Jack Nicklaus, a six-time Masters champion, said of the final hole of infamous Amen Corner. “The tee shot is really dangerous and it needs to be hit well.
“I think we the length the guys hit the ball today, it’s a little easier than it needs to be.”
The 13th hole plays to 510 yards and is a dogleg left that sweeps around Rae’s Creek, with the approach shot going over the water. During the 2015 Masters it yielded 161 birdies or better against only 32 bogeys or worse.
The plan would be to move the tee back about 50 yards.
“They want to move the (13th) tee back,” a source told Golfweek. “They also want to build a service road behind it so they can get service vehicles around 13, down to the right, all the way around to the 12th green and up around 11.
“So they want a ton of room, and they want to put up massive, thick trees out there to completely obscure the view.”
According to the report, Augusta National reportedly made a $1-million bid for the land, with Augusta Country Club countering at $50 million before a tentative agreement of $27 million was reached.
Neither club would comment on the report.
Zach Johnson, who laid up all 16 times on the par-5s at Augusta and played them in 11-under-par en route to winning the 2007 Masters, said when asked about the proposed change:
“I won’t comment on that, but I will say I don’t like change.”
