Golfweek: Augusta National In Talks To Buy A Golf Hole!
/In the latest high profile example of how much cheaper it would be just to have an Augusta National Masters ball, Alex Miceli reports on negotiations by the club to purchase more land behind the 13th tee.
The parcel in question is Augusta Country Club's 9th hole and securing that, plus other acreage would allow the home of the Masters to add as much as 50 yards to the world's most famous par-5. Once playing at 465 yards when golfers were feeble, muscle-free schlubs, this means the hole might soon be playing 100 yards longer than it had for decades.
But at least it's going to come cheap. Miceli writes:
The anticipated purchase price of the parcel is believed to be $27 million and they have offered services to an architect to build a new ninth hole for Augusta Country Club.
However, a source indicated that getting to that price was not easy, with a low initial offer of just $1 million from ANGC and a counteroffer of $50 million from ACC.
The eventual back and forth of offer and counteroffer left some residual bad feelings around town, the source told Golfweek.
Miceli says the club wants to have a service road behind Amen Corner and has offered architectural support for creation of a new ACC 9th hole.
GolfDigest.com's interactive history of the 13th hole will need updating.
**Will Gray with some interesting player comments at GolfChannel.com, including Billy Horschel saying "Golf is going in the wrong direction by adding length to the golf course," and Phil Mickelson thinking an extension would be aimed at a very select group of players.
“Wow, I thought it made a big impact when they moved it back already,” said three-time Masters champ Phil Mickelson when told of the possible changes. “But there are still guys that can take it over the corner and take it over the trees. I mean, there’s only like five of them, but there’s still some. So I guess I understand it, they’re trying probably to eliminate that for the entire field.”
