tough shots

“Over the first green might be the worst spot on the course that is not in water or trees. It’s easy to go there when it’s into the wind. The first 10 yards of the green are basically unusable. The ball just rolls back off the front. So you have a choice sometimes of coming up short or going over the back. That’s hard to deal with mentally on the first hole: The best spot is 25 yards short

of the pin? But it is.” . . . “The drive on 2 is tough. So is the sixth hole when the pin is up on the right. Seven is a tough drive. So is the approach to 11. And the drive at 13. And the pitch to the 15th, from short of the water or over the green. And the drive on 17.” . . . “There are cardinal sins, of course. You can’t be short on 5 when the pin is up in the front. It’s like trying to land a 6-iron on the roof of a car to get close there.” . . . “The one shot I never want to hit at Augusta is the second shot on 11. It’s hard because you’ve seen the shot so many times that you’re just petrified to hit it in the water. So you bail out, sometimes way too far—I’ve seen balls on the 12th tee—and that’s not an easy up-and-down for par. Everyone makes it into a par 4½. They’ve made that hole so long now that it’s the least-exciting hole on the golf course. If guys had 7-or 8-iron in their hands more, it would tempt them to go at some pins, and it would be more exciting. Now, though, it’s so long and uninviting—who’s going to aim at the green? No one. That’s an example of overcompensation for how far the ball goes. So now it’s a boring hole because it’s a superhard hole that no one plays properly. Everyone takes the risk out, so there’s no drama. Crazy.” . . . “The tee shot at 12 is the hardest shot there. With the wind swirling, the shallowness of the green—there’s no good bailout there. The way the hole sits, it sets up for a fade, and your eye says it sets up for a fade, but you saw what happened to Jordan Spieth.” . . . “The 12th can be the easiest hole on the course, but it can be a beast. And it’s harder with the modern ball. The ‘Pinnacles’ they play with can take off through the wind and one-hop into the garbage at the back.” . . . “The most dramatic hole is 12, followed by 13, and they’re two of the shortest holes on the course. So what does that say?”