A nature lover’s field guide to Augusta National

When Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie built Augusta National, they did more than turn an orchard into a golf course. They’ve transformed a series of fields into one of the game’s most unique ecosystems. That heritage lives on in the names of the tournament’s holes, each christened as a flower, shrub or tree, as well as the song of the birds and the marshes of life in the local lakes and streams.

The big spring tournament is getting attention. But Augusta National is for the golfers, sponsors, camera crews and team members. Here’s a local guide to the plants and animals that call it home.

FLORA

Olive for tea – 1 hole Osmanthus is a sweet fragrance

Augusta National opens with a long 4th section named after a small evergreen shrub whose small white flowers open with the most fragrant scent in the plant kingdom. The catch is that the tea olive blooms in autumn. During Masters week, it still cuts a good figure, but without its distinct smell.

Pink Dogwood – Port No. 2 Cornus florida

This par 5 dogleg gives players every reason to reach for the driver, and every reason to be aware of what’s waiting in the trees. Dogwood grows well in the basement, in the light shade of tall pines. Its pink bracts – often mistaken for petals – come just in time for the tournament, but it’s the tough dogwood trunk no one wants to get their ball behind.

Peach Blossom – Port No. 3 Prunus persica

The peach tree in this 4th plot was grown for its blooms, not its fruit. It is an ornamental, unlike its agricultural cousin in Georgia. Worth it, really. A peach blossom is a beautiful decoration, better suited to the current purpose of the landscape than to the old days of the nursery.

Crab Apple Blossom – Hole 4 Malus floribunda

The sour fruit of a crab apple usually measures less than two inches in diameter, about the size of a golf ball. Technically, it’s edible, but it doesn’t taste any better than Titleist. However, the tree itself is a feast for the eyes, blooming in showy clusters of pink and white.

Magnolia – Hole 5 Magnolia grandiflora

Before they get to the 5th hole, their competitors have hit the ground running. Magnolia Lane, the club’s famous entrance, is lined with Southern magnolias planted in the 1850s. The species itself dates back 20 million years, with almost waxy leaves that seem made to endure through time.

Juniper – Hole 6 Juniperus virginiana

The Eastern red cedar – which is what “this juniper” actually is, the common name is something of a misnomer – thrives where most other trees can’t, withstanding drought and not caring about arid soils. The pond that used to be in front of this 3rd section was removed in 1959, but the junipers in this pit were almost undisturbed, drinking from deep roots.

Pampas – Hole 7 Cortaderia selloana

A native of Argentina, like 2009 Masters champion Ángel Cabrera, this tall, fast-growing grass is considered invasive in New Zealand and Australia, where land managers are fighting an ongoing battle to contain it. It enjoyed a different kind of popularity in the United Kingdom, where the pampas grass planted in the front garden was reputed – perhaps apocryphally – to show the openness of the swing. Augusta National was not asked for comment.

Yellow Jasmine – 8 hole Gelsemium sempervirens

Centuries ago, this attractive, twisted vine was considered a folk remedy for various ailments. Alas, there is no evidence that it prevents golfers from choking under pressure. However, it can cause skin irritation. Its field, on the other hand, seems to be well-suited for bees.

Carolina Cherry – 9 hole Prunus caroliniana

When damaged, the leaves of this medium-sized flowering tree decompose into hydrogen cyanide, which makes them unpalatable to livestock. Deer find them unattractive. Golfers have other reasons to dislike them, as they have been known to block shots. The fruit of this tree, in contrast, has all kinds of fans, including songbirds, quail and raccoons.

Camellia – 10 hole Camellia japonica

In the 1935 Masters, Frank Walsh made a 12 here, the highest score ever recorded on this hole at the event. What is unknown is what kind of camellia he encountered on the way. Hole 10 is thick with both japonica again now varieties, which may be difficult to distinguish; they vary widely in flowering time, sun tolerance and flower size, differences that Walsh may not have noticed.

White Dogwood – Port No. 11 Cornus florida

The 11th was a 415-yard par 4 when Augusta National opened in 1933. It has since been extended to 520 yards from the Championship tees. The white dogwoods lining the pit have grown, too, but not to the same extent. The species usually reaches a height of 40 feet, and is usually wider than it is tall.

The Golden Bell – Port No. 12 Forsythia doubt

This deciduous shrub, which grows well along the banks of streams (and has done particularly well along Rae’s Creek) produces yellow flowers in the spring that make a pleasant sight, unless you are in them. Golden bell is also known as weeping forsythia. But feel free to refer to it as a weeping Spiethia, a tortured Molinariensis, or a battered Sharkus – a type of suffering that has no shortage of new species. The hole seems to spawn more every year.

Azalea – Port No. 13 A type of rhododendron

According to the official Masters website, this famous par 5 is surrounded by about 1,600 azaleas, which bloom during the tournament. For the average golf fan, no bloom is directly connected to Augusta. But this plant is common in many places, including Valdosta, Georgia, known as the Azalea City, about four hours south.

Chinese fir – Port No. 14 Cunninghamia lanceolota

Lanceolota is a Latin word meaning “lance-shaped,” an apt description of the leaves of the Chinese coniferous tree. As for its wood, it is soft and fragrant, characteristics that make it popular with woodworkers in Asia but of little use to golfers who find trees in this 4th category.

The Firethorn – Port No. 15 Firethorn Pyracantha

In the first round of the 2017 Masters, two-time champion Bubba Watson became the first player to use a pink ball in the tournament. The pink color is easy to see in the green grass, but it’s hard to distinguish between the flame-red berries of the evergreens in this category 5. Not that Watson had to worry about that. He tied the 15th with his pink ball before switching to the white ball in his second round.

Redbud – Port No. 16 Cercis canadensis

Legend has it that Judas Iscariot hanged himself on a redbud after betraying Jesus, which made the tree so ashamed that its flowers turned crimson red. The scientific explanation for the color is the high concentration of anthocyanin pigments. In any case, there are many other stories surrounding this hole, thanks to the Sunday actions of players like Ben Crenshaw, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

Nandina – Pit No. 17 I am at home

In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower unsuccessfully lobbied to remove the loblolly pine from this 4th subdivision. But as far as we know, he did not complain about the nandina of the hole, a flowering plant also known as common bamboo, although it is not a bamboo at all. As for the famous Eisenhower tree, the disease finally accomplished what the president could not. The blown pine was removed in 2014.

Holly – Port No. 18 The lex opaca

The holly is a medium-sized evergreen plant and several species stand near the completion hole. But as every player and fan knows, long loblollies cause the biggest piney problem, creating a chute that makes the playing corridor no wider than a sidewalk.

Animals

Smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu

Augusta National stories can be like fish stories: hard to confirm. But combine these two types, and you get some great yarns. One involves Sam Snead, who was known for broadcasting lines on the course. According to an oft-repeated anecdote, Snead once snagged a doozy of smallmouth bass and snuck the fish into the kitchen to prepare for the Champions Dinner. We cannot guarantee that. But we can confirm the following from Andy Bean, who told golf.com that he used to fish Augusta National every week of the tournament and said he once caught a seven-and-a-half-pound bass. That’s a biggie. But at Augusta National, there was plenty of time for the fish to grow. The lakes were full during Clifford Roberts’ tenure.

Brown water snake, Nerodia taxispilota

True to its name, this non-venomous snake loves water, and there is plenty of that in Rae’s Creek, which extends beyond the boundaries of Augusta National. However, unlike humans, snakes do not have to go through security to enter the area, which they do. According to reliable reports from visitors who played Augusta National just before the Masters, crews have been seen pulling snakes out of the river near the 13th hole.

A little goldfinch, Spinus psaltria

According to Merlin Bird ID, a major bird resource developed by Cornell Lab, the Augusta area is home to many bird species, including the song sparrow, American robin, Bewick’s wren and oak titmouse. Among the most abundant is the lesser goldfinch, a yellow-breasted bird with a distinctive trill. Put your ear to the TV, and you might hear it on the CBS broadcast. Whether it’s live or hosted by the network, we won’t want to guess. But there is a quieter sound, quieter than the cry of an eagle.

Common snapping turtle, Chelydra is a snake

With the Masters going, competitors tend to take aggressive angles. But there is one thing someone wants to cut off: a finger. A snapping turtle can do that for you. Especially the giant that supposedly lurks under the Nelson Bridge on the par-3 12th hole. It is reported to be the size of a pit cover.

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