Sport

No excuses as players get state-of-the-art practice facility at Augusta National

PHILIP REID visited the new practice facility at Augusta National as the players sharpen their game for the Masters

Tue Apr 06 2010 - 01:00

PHILIP REIDvisited the new practice facility at Augusta National as the players sharpen their game for the Masters

IMITATION, THEY say, is the greatest form of flattery. So, not surprisingly given the golfing paradise that exists behind the boundaries that hide Augusta National Golf Club from the mundane shopping outlets on Washington Road, the new practice facility that the players are using in the build-up to the 74th Masters tournament is akin to narcissism, mimicking much of what can be found on the actual golf course.

“They’ve left no stone unturned, it just seems as if they have thought of everything,” remarked US Open champion Lucas Glover of the development that has transformed acres of gravel, used in the past as a car park for the tournament each year, into a glorious imitation of the course. It means there can be no excuses, as the pampered players – the range can cope for up to 70 golfers at any one time – can practice fades and draws and chip shots to their hearts content.

Up to now, players had used a driving range that had become obsolete for tour players. It measured just 260 yards in length – consider that reigning Masters champion Angel Cabrera leads the driving stats on the US Tour this season with an average of 302 yards, and that Robert Garrigus averaged 312 yards when topping that list last season – and add the fact that a 160 feet high net was required to prevent balls escaping the confines of the club on to Washington Road and you get a picture of why the overhaul was so necessary.

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While the likes of Pádraig Harrington and Vijay Singh spend more time on the range than they do on the course in the run-up to a tournament, this is a facility that sets a new standard and the number of players camped there yesterday provided adequate testimony to its immediate popularity and gave an up-close view of players in tournament mode to the line of spectators.

The new driving range is almost 400 yards long but is far from being just a flat field. In designing the new range, Augusta National – who first mooted the idea back in 2004 – sought input from players and discovered players actually preferred targets than shaping the shot as they would on the course.

So it is that the heart of the 18 acres range has a V-shaped formation of pine trees about 235 yards out that splits the fairways, so that players can hit fades or draws, and the four target greens are similar to ones found on the course so that players can see how their shots react on finding the putting surface. The main target green is a replica of the second green, chosen because of the number of pin locations and the distance between the front bunkers.

There is also an impressive short game area, which has under-soil heating so that players can practice their chipping even if the course is closed because of frost. The greens here, maintained to the same standard as those on the course, are designed to enable players replicate shots that require finesse and the scale. And the quality of the development – all completed inside the past year, with some 2,000 plants and mature pines positioned so as to give the effect that it has been this way for years – means players can have no excuses when executing their shots for real.