Changes at Augusta National: Par-3 course to see alterations, new cabins planned for 2023 Masters

The Augusta National Golf Club’s Par-3 Course will sport a new look for the 2023 Masters Tournament.

Engineering documents filed with the city of Augusta’s Planning and Development Department outline several expected changes at one of the world’s iconic professional golf venues, including the construction of two new guest cabins.

Plans titled “Northeast Pond Grading and Drainage Revisions Phase I,” labeled with a March 2022 revision date, show proposed updated locations for tee boxes, greens, and other Par-3 Course features near the northern shore of the National’s largest body of water.

The proposed use, according to the development plans, is “redevelopment of (the) existing golf course related to five golf holes and supporting recreational facilities.”

The drawings’ marked locations of the course changes seem to mirror aerial photographs snapped in June showing site work being performed at the National. Virtually every rumored change to the National’s course layout tends to set tongues wagging in the pro-golf world, especially since the private club typically doesn’t disclose details of its pending development plans.

The National did not immediately respond to queries Tuesday from The Augusta Chronicle about the changes.

The engineering drawings depict the locations of “Cabin 1,” a 6,284-square-foot structure, and “Cabin 2,” measuring 5,556 square feet, bordering the Par-3 Course. Cabins 1 and 2 appear to sit behind the fourth and third tees, respectively.

The cabins’ locations would change the Par 3’s first four holes, according to the plans.

#ICYMI

Cabin 1: 6,284 ft2
Cabin 2: 5,556 ft2
Event Building: 596 ft2
Member Restroom: 222 ft2
Player Pavilion: 531 ft2
West Restroom: 1,383 ft2
East Merchant: 2,970 ft2
East Restroom: 1,792 ft2

Courtesy of the reporting of @johnboyette

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The new No. 1, instead of playing northward, appears on the city-filed map to point northeast toward the pond, with the new No. 1 green placed on or near the old No. 4 tee. The new No. 2, instead of playing west-to-east, points northwest. The new No. 3, instead of playing southward, faces southeast back toward the pond.

This 2015 aerial photo of the Par-3 Course at Augusta National Golf Club has been overlaid with circles and arrows to show the new routing of the first five holes as shown in submitted architectural drawings. The green circles represent where new greens and tee boxes will be constructed ahead of the 2023 Masters Tournament.

The new No. 4 tee, on the opposite side of the No. 3 green, seems to be placed to allow fewer shots to travel over open water to reach the green. The No. 5 hole would appear unchanged, according to maps.

Other plans filed separately with the city show a new concessions/restroom facility between the main course’s eighth and 18th holes.

Described as a “patron hub” in the plans, “The patrons’ concession and restroom each consist of one main level and a basement. The member restroom is a single-story, standalone structure,” according to notes accompanying the drawings.