What Are The Hardest Holes At Augusta National?

One of the hardest holes at Augusta is the 10th hole

10th hole at Augusta National

(Image credit: Getty Images)

last updated 1 April 2022

Hardest holes at Augusta National, home of The Masters

The hardest holes at Augusta National are bunched together into two groups. There is a three-hole stretch which contains the holes which historically have played the hardest, second hardest, and fourth hardest. The holes that are third and fifth in difficulty historically are also back to back.

The hardest holes over the years at Augusta National have been the 10th and 11th. The 10th hole, Camellia is a long leftwards-arcing downhill par 4, currently 495 yards. The 11th hole, White Dogwood is the start of Amen Corner, and an even longer par 4 – of 520 yards – with a lake to the left of green.

Cumulative stats for the Masters, going back to 1942, show that the average score on both these holes is 4.3. However go through a few more decimal points and the 10th narrowly shades the 11th as the hardest hole.

After coping, or otherwise, with these two holes the players then move on to the iconic par-3 12th, Golden Bell, where the average score over the years has been 3.27. This places the 12th as the fourth hardest hole, at an average of 0.27 over par. The 4th, the longest par 3 on the course, averages 0.28 over par, so slots into third spot.

However, however… should we still be considering the 10th as the hardest hole? The par-4 5th, Magnolia may only come in at number five in ranking difficulty over the years, at 0.26 over par but, ahead of the 2019 tournament, it was lengthened by some 40 yards to 495 yards so as to toughen it up.

In that 2019 tournament it played as the second hardest hole, with only the 12th hole proving more calamitous to scorecards. In 2020 it played as the hardest hole for the week, averaging a score of 4.272. In the 2021 Masters it was again the hardest hole, averaging 0.43 over par.

So the 5th, which has one of the most difficult greens on the course, is currently the hardest hole. However the 10th has historically been the hardest hole.

Which are the easiest holes at Augusta National?

Historically, in terms of score-to-par, the four par 5s at Augusta National have proved the easiest to score well on, the two on the back nine especially. These four are also the only holes on which the average score is below par. The 13th hole, which finishes the Amen Corner stretch, has historically been the best scoring hole, with an average score on it of 0.23 under par at The Masters.

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick’s particular interests and he was contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He also compiles the magazine's crossword. He is a member of Trevose Golf & Country Club and has played golf in around two dozen countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are still in print: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Beyond Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England’s Greatest Post-War All Rounder.