Every Hole at Augusta National - No. 2, Pink Dogwood
History, Masters strategy, and expert commentary on the par-5 second
The Basics
The par-5 second hole at Augusta National shoots through an alleyway of trees before diving left and sharply downhill. The drive demands precision: players must carve a right-to-left shot through the trees while avoiding the large, flashed bunker on the right. Clear that hazard, and the hole becomes quite gettable. The green is located on the property's central knoll, with the seventh and 17th greens nearby, and it sits naturally on the tilt of the land, sloping dramatically back to front and left to right.
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History
Initially, the fairway bunker on the second hole sat closer to the tee, was much larger and positioned on the left side rather than the right. Players who challenged this bunker were rewarded with an opening on their second shot, as the green was originally guarded by only one bunker front right. Augusta National soon added the front-left bunker to prevent a deluge of birdies. The hole took its modern form in the late 1960s when George Cobb relocated the fairway bunker to the right side of the fairway, sharpening the demand for precision and power off the tee. Cobb also extended the green to the left, creating an additional lobe for a difficult pin.
Strategy Notes for the Masters
The second hole at Augusta National produces more off-the-tee variety than most par 5s in professional golf. Though most of the field hits driver off this tee, some choose 3-wood, which allows players both to eliminate the fairway bunker and to turn the ball more easily from right to left.
Positioning approach shots around the green requires thought as well. Generally speaking, expect golfers to miss right of the green more often than left, especially to left pin locations. –Joseph LaMagna
Our Take
Even before late-20th-century advances in equipment technology, No. 2 at Augusta National played rather short at the Masters. Over time, the club has worked to protect the hole with narrowness, trees, and penal bunkers. We’re not sure Alister MacKenzie would have relished the sight of the constricting tree lines, or the bunker on the outside of the dogleg, or the barricaded green. Nevertheless, this hole remains a thrillride. Successful drives that catch the speed slot and long approaches that feed down to a right pin are delightful to play and watch.
Expert Commentary
Alister MacKenzie (1932): “This is an interesting three shot hole down hill. Each shot will have to be placed with great accuracy if par figures are obtained. On the other hand, it is quite possible for a powerful and accurate player to reach the green in two shots.”
Bobby Jones (1959): “Although this is the longest hole of the course, a well-hit tee shot will take a good run down the fairway as it slopes over the hill. It was one of our guiding principles in building the Augusta National that even our par 5s should be reachable by two excellent shots. The possibility of using the down slope off the tee shot brings this long hole into this category. The contours of the fairway and the mounds at the top of the hill were constructed for the very purpose of aiding the player to make use of the slope in order to gain length. But to do so, he must drive accurately across the big bunker. If he should wander slightly to the right, the opposite side of the mound will turn his ball down the right side of the fairway and so increase the length of the hole. A drive too close to the corner is likely to kick into a most unpleasant p[lace. After a fine tee shot, a second player over or just past the bunker at the right front of the green may finish quite near the hole if it is placed on that side. With the flag located behind the left-hand bunker, the second shot, if played for the green, should be aimed for the center of the putting surface with the hope of getting down in two putts for a birdie 4.”
Geoff Ogilvy (2019): “My mentality was that if I could get it in that front-right [green-side] bunker or around that front-right bunker in two, I was happy. You can get it anywhere on the green close to the hole from around the front-right bunker.”
Memorable Shots
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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