While many are thrilled about Augusta National’s big news, Jim Dent Jr. waits in limbo at ‘The Patch’

AUGUSTA, Ga. — For all the merriment surrounding Augusta National Golf Club’s announcement last week that a new partnership would be forged with Augusta Municipal Golf Course, there was anything but a look of glee on Jim Dent Jr.’s face the day after the 2023 Masters wrapped up and Jon Rahm was fitted for his first green jacket.

The son of the former PGA Tour pro and 12-time PGA Tour Champions winner, Dent Jr. has been the head pro at Augusta Municipal, known as “The Patch,” for five years since relocating from Shreveport, Louisiana. He played college golf at Talladega College, an HBCU in Alabama, after growing up in Florida. He moved to Augusta to take the job at this historic course and be closer to his father.

Dent Jr. thinks the news is a major coup for the course, which stands to gain a considerable investment from the new partnership with Augusta Municipal, the First Tee of Augusta and Augusta Tech, which previously announced a deal with the City of Augusta to assume the operation of The Patch by 2025. As part of this new announcement, Augusta Tech will relocate its golf course management program to The Patch, creating a living classroom environment.

But while that should mean better conditions for those who play the course designed by David Ogilvie in 1928, it puts Dent Jr. in the awkward position of not knowing whether he’ll be part of the campus’s future.

“It’s good for the golf course,” Dent Jr. told Golfweek on Monday. “But we’re still in limbo because we’re with the management company. Things are going to change, for sure, and we don’t know where our jobs are going.”

As with many municipal golf courses, The Patch works through a management company, which helps handle day-to-day operations. In this case, the company is Cypress Management of Orlando, which took over the course nearly a decade ago. So it’s possible the change to Augusta Municipal and the stronger relationship with Augusta National could force Dent Jr., course superintendent Scott Giles and general manager Ira Miller to the side if Cypress Management is not retained. No details have been released on that business arrangement.

Still, Dent Jr., who clearly has the trust of regulars, has tried to stay positive for those who will reap the rewards of the new arrangement.

“Even the announcement was something. We heard when everybody else heard. At least I did. I didn’t know anything. My first reaction was, this is good, it’s great for the golf course, great for the community,” Dent Jr. said. “And then my second reaction was, am I going to have a job? That was it. I mean, it’s great for the city. Great for the course. When Augusta takes something over, they make sure it’s right. But we don’t know what’s next for us.”

Augusta Municipal Golf Course, a public course also known as The Patch in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo: Augusta National)

Like his dad, who excelled as a senior, Dent Jr. hopes to eventually crack the PGA Tour Champions and has been working toward that goal as he approaches 50. His father, who turns 84 next month, made more than $9 million in earnings in professional golf, much of it on the senior circuit.

But Dent Jr.’s focus is still clearly on The Patch, a place where many congregate even when they’re not playing golf. On Monday a group was playing cards in a back room while a number of golfers practiced on the range. The Patch is a bustling place, and while it certainly can use some more love, it’s become a community hub of sorts. The elder Dent still plays in the local skins game each week, and he’s still posting low numbers.

“You get my dad at the right tees and he’s still knocking birdies down,” Dent Jr. said. “He still hits it good. And he gets him some skins. He can still play, man.”

The course could use some renovations, for certain, including on the tee boxes, which Miller told the Augusta Chronicle are “in desperate need.” While Dent Jr. said Giles has done a great job keeping the course in good condition, Miller said the influx of  ANGC money could make The Patch something truly special.

“Oh, they could make it look like Augusta National,” Miller told longtime Chronicle reporter David Westin. “They’ve got unlimited money, they could. Whether or not they go that far with it, I don’t think so.”

Benjamin Wright, 58, of Augusta, Georgia, prepares to play Augusta Municipal Golf Course, also known as “The Patch.” (Photo by Tim Schmitt/Golfweek)

But what will that mean for many locals who now can afford to play multiple times a week because greens fees are as low as $20 for 18 holes?

Benjamin Wright, 58, of Augusta, has played The Patch for years. He hopes the changes will be good for everyone.

“It’ll bring more revenue in, number one. And it’ll get a lot more people coming here. You’ve got one golf course near here that’s closed down, and we don’t need more of that,” Wright said. “The course is in great shape and if they do come in, they’ll do some things different, I’m sure, in the fairways and making the holes longer and whatnot.

“I’m just happy to be here. I love the game. And I practice and get better. That’s all you can do.”

Jim Dent Way near the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, a public course also known as The Patch in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo: Augusta National)

But while Wright remains positive, Dent Jr. said many other regulars have expressed concern about potential changes. This is a haven for them, many of whom make the trip up Jim Dent Way as many as six times a week.

“We just don’t know anything yet,” Dent Jr. said. “It sounds really, really great for the golf course and the community, but a lot of the regular guys, they don’t know what’s going to come out of this. Any time change happens, people get a little nervous. A lot of guys come and play cards here and with Augusta Tech, that might not be something they keep going.

“Look, like I said, this is great for the course, it’s great for the community. We just don’t know what’s next.”