Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 17 Nandina
History, Masters strategy, and expert commentary on the par-4 17th
The Basics
This tight par 4 moves uphill, sloping right to left off of a spine between the 15th and 17th fairways. Tee shots that reach the top of the initial climb garner an advantage, both in distance and in gaining a flatter lie for the approach. The green is fronted by bunkers left and right, with a false-front tongue jutting between them on the left. The putting surface has an unusual design: after the false front, the left half runs away from the line of play, while the right half slopes from back to front. Consequently, left pins call for spinnier approaches — or at least more compensation for run-out — than right pins. Most difficult, however, are pins on the plateau in the back-right corner, which is harassed by steep fall-offs behind and to the right.
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History
Initially, the 17th hole — like the seventh, 11th, and 15th — had no bunkers. Alister MacKenzie wanted the green to accept low, running approaches through a generous open front. In 1937, however, Perry Maxwell barricaded the green with three bunkers. One of these was eliminated in the late 1960s, leaving the pair that still exist today.
The other notable change to the hole is more recent. A fat pine once stood about 175 yards from the tee, blocking the left half of the fairway. After President Dwight D. Eisenhower requested that it be chopped down during a club meeting in 1956, it became known as the Eisenhower Tree. In 2014, the tree succumbed to an ice storm, and Augusta National opted not to replace it. The removal opened up the left side of the fairway, though additional tree plantings right and left have maintained the demand for precision off the tee.
Strategy Notes for the Masters
From tee to green, No. 17 is one of the simplest holes at Augusta National. Distance is not essential on the mid-length par 4, bringing 3-wood or mini driver into play for players who are not comfortable hitting driver here. The real challenge comes on the green, where three-putts can happen in the blink of an eye. –Joseph LaMagna
Our Take
“Nandina” — or “Stinky Nandina,” as our friends at No Laying Up sometimes call it — is likely the least-loved hole on Augusta National’s second nine. And yes, without the Eisenhower Tree, the tee shot is a little mundane. The green, however, is one of the most fascinating on the course; its opposing tilts are wonderfully executed, and they generate great variety for daily play.
Expert Commentary
Alister MacKenzie (1932): “The construction of this green is somewhat similar to the famous 14th at St. Andrews (reversed). It will be necessary to attack the green from the right and it will be essential to play a run-up shot if par figures are desired. We hope to make the turf of such character that an indifferent pitch will not stop on the green. Until players have learned to play the desired shot this will undoubtedly be one of the most fiercely criticised holes.”
Bobby Jones (1959): “The pine tree in the fairway, although it is only a little more than a hundred yards from the tee, has grown to such proportions that it provides a real menace to the tee shot. The proper line of play is to the right of this tree, but also to the left of the big mounds and two other trees at the top of the hill. Depending upon the wind, a fine drive may leave a second shot requiring anything from a good five-iron or easy four to a short pitch. To become involved with the mounds on the right may impose difficulties of either lie or visibility, or both. On the left side the green slopes gentle, but quite perceptibly, from front to back. With a following wind, therefore, even the shortest pitch over the bunker and the slopes off the base of the mound must be played quite accurately. A ball played too strongly to this side of the green may take a good run off a slope at the back and so leave a difficult return chip. On the right side immediately behind the bunker there is a nice little basin which provides a most inviting place for the pin on quiet days. On this side the green slopes very definitely upward toward a sort of plateau area near the back. This is a very difficult pin location when the wind is against, because a shot played boldly to get near the hole could go over the green, down a slope, whereas the safe shot may call for some difficult putts. The hole looks innocuous enough, yet it provided the decisive moments in the 1956 tournament, when Jack Burke, in a stretch run against Ken Venturi and Cary Middlecoff, scored a birdie 3 at the hole, while Venturi took 5 and Middlecoff 6. Burke won by one stroke over Venturi and two over Middlecoff.”
Geoff Ogilvy (2019): “Relatively easy tee shot, but it’s a tee shot that really gets your attention. It’s another one of those that you really want to hit it hard and hit a good one. You get a big advantage by getting it to a certain distance because [you’ll land it] on a flat and the ball runs out a bit. If you hit it 10 yards shorter, it just hits and stops. Then you’ve got a semi-blind 6-iron into the green from an upslope…. Seventeen might be my favorite green on the course. Over the back of the right-hand side is completely terrible. When the pins are on the right half of the green, you have to miss it short of the pin. If the pins are on the left, you actually want to miss past the hole. It’s a back-to-front green on the right and it’s a front-to-back green on the left…. A lot of people hit it in that front-right bunker to right pins because if you’re between clubs, you have to pick the shorter one. You can get it up and down from the front right. It’s difficult, but you can. You just can’t from long right.”
Memorable Shots
Greg Norman gets up-and-down for birdie in the final round (1986 Masters)
Course Routing
Click on a pin below to preview the hole or go to the full profile of the hole.
Augusta National
Ever since it opened, Augusta National has been in a constant state of evolution (for better or for worse), but it remains one of the greatest championship venues in the world
Hole 1 - Tea Olive
Augusta National's property is defined by a single broad downslope that ends at Rae’s Creek, and this par-4 opener is the only hole on the course that sits completely on top of it. Strategically, No. 1 at Augusta National is one of the most compelling opening holes in professional golf.
Hole 2 - Pink Dogwood
The second hole at Augusta National produces more off-the-tee variety than most par 5s in professional golf.
Hole 3 - Flowering Peach
Players face three basic options off the tee: hit a long iron or hybrid near the bunkers at the top of the first ridge, leaving a full wedge in; bash it left, past the bunkers and into the valley short left of the green; or go straight for the green in hopes of at least holding the narrow shelf short right. The most strategically complex hole on the golf course, “Flowering Peach” has stood the test of time, less affected by distance gains than most holes at Augusta National.
Hole 4 - Flowering Crab Apple
The first — and longest — par 3 at Augusta National has historically required a strong strike with at least a long iron, though club selections in the Masters have shifted as distance gains have spiraled out of control. Can you execute a towering shot with a long iron, hybrid, or fairway wood?
Hole 5 - Magnolia
“Magnolia” is like Paul Thomas Anderson’s film of the same name: brilliant, probably underrated, but a tad bloated. Nonetheless, the hole presents an honest challenge, and the green is one of the most artfully shaped at Augusta National (or anywhere else).
Hole 6 - Juniper
“Juniper” is, in our opinion, Augusta National’s second-best par 3. Each pin position presents a different range of challenges and exciting possible outcomes.
Hole 7 - Pampas
Yes, the green contours are fun, but “Pampas” has morphed into something that Alister MacKenzie likely would not endorse: a hole that merely defends itself through length and narrowness rather than asking complex strategic questions.
Hole 8 - Yellow Jasmine
This uphill three-shotter consistently produces the highest scoring average of Augusta National’s four par 5s, but it still presents a welcome birdie opportunity after the tough stretch of Nos. 4-7. “Yellow Jasmine” is the most underrated hole at Augusta National.
Hole 9 - Carolina Cherry
The ninth hole plays from a high point near the first and eighth greens, down through a valley frequently used by galleries, and up the hill where the clubhouse sits. From a risk-reward perspective, “Carolina Cherry” is a bit of a muddle.
Hole 10 - Camellia
The 10th hole kicks off the back half of the round in hair-raising fashion, plunging 100 feet into a valley shrouded by tall pines. Perry Maxwell’s 1938 transformation of “Camellia” is one of the rare cases in which a change to MacKenzie and Jones’s design represented a substantial improvement.
Hole 11 - White Dogwood
No. 11 is simply a brute, often playing as the most difficult hole to par at Augusta National. It’s also been one of the most frequently tinkered-with holes at Augusta National.
Hole 12 - Golden Bell
The focal point of Amen Corner and the center of gravity in any final round of the Masters, the 12th hole at Augusta National is as terrifying as it is beautiful.
Hole 13 - Azalea
This iconic risk-reward par 5 offers the first of a series of birdie opportunities on Augusta National’s home stretch.
Hole 14 - Chinese Fir
Although some nuances of MacKenzie and Jones’s original strategic concept for the hole have been lost, “Chinese Fir” is still a compelling par 4, rewarding precise and well-shaped shots both off the tee and into the green.
Hole 15 - Firethorn
No. 15 consistently presents one of the toughest decisions players have to make during their rounds: go for the green in two or lay up to one of the most demanding wedge shots in golf.
Hole 16 - Redbud
Set at the base of the ridge that the fifth green and sixth tee occupy, the par-3 16th hole provides a ready stage for championship-defining shots. Over the past several decades, the 16th has shown an undeniable knack for spectacle.
Hole 17 - Nandina
From tee to green, No. 17 is one of the simplest holes at Augusta National and is likely the least-loved hole on the second nine.
Hole 18 - Holly
“Holly” is a little funky, but its design is smart and elegant: bend it around the trees on the right and bypass some of the natural difficulty of the next shot.
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Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 12, Golden Bell
Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 11, White Dogwood
Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 10, Camellia
Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 9, Carolina Cherry
Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 8, Yellow Jasmine
Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 7, Pampas
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