Here’s Something You Won’t See On TV Masters Officials Worry That Televising All 18 Holes Could Cut Down On Crowds

Most fans don’t know much about the front nine at Augusta National Golf Club because television is not permitted to show the first nine holes. Ever.

It’s the only major golf tournament where the front nine is a mystery to the television audience. All 18 holes of the U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA are televised.

Chairman Jack Stephens was asked Wednesday about the prospects of CBS broadcasting the opening nine holes.

“Progress is slow in that area,” Stephens said. “It’s slow because we just don’t want to do it.”

Masters officials are worried that televising all 18 holes could cut down on the crowds.

“We notice when TV comes on there is a mass exodus,” Stephens said. “Nothing would be worse than to have a golf tournament and nobody shows up.”

He added: “We give our patrons on the course the opportunity to see the front nine. It’s unusual to them. It’s not seen on TV. Besides, 4-1/2 to 5 hours of TV is a long time.”

The golfers certainly understand the difficulty of this unheralded stretch of ground. They know they can shoot themselves out of the tournament before they even get to Amen Corner, Nos. 11-12-13, where the Masters is supposed to begin, particularly on Sunday.

Nick Faldo, last year’s champion, can tell you about the one-putt double bogey he made on the devilish par-4 360-yard No. 3. It took him four shots just to stay on the green.

The toughest hole in the Masters last year wasn’t on Amen Corner, where water comes into play on three holes. It was the 205-yard No. 4 in the middle of what some players call “Little Amen Corner” on 3-4-5.

The fifth hole is a mean 435-yard par-4 that has a difficult green reminiscent of the infamous No. 17 “Road Hole” at St. Andrews.

“The only thing missing is you don’t have to chip off concrete,” said Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champion.

Mize, a native Augustan, knows a lot about the front nine. He got his first look at Augusta National when he worked as a 13-year-old on No. 3, helping post scores.

“I learned how not to play that hole,” Mize said. “The front nine doesn’t get much publicity. You have to be smart when you play those holes. If you don’t, you can damage your chances before you get to the back nine.”

In the early days of the Masters, the front nine was the back nine. But Bobby Jones decided that what is the back nine now held the possibility for more drama because of the water. His judgment was correct. Memorable finishes occur at the Masters almost every year.

The fifth hole could be one of the best holes to have never been seen on television. Jack Nicklaus performed the remarkable feat last year of holing out a 5-iron, then a 6-iron on consecutive days. Only a handful of fans saw it happen. No TV.

The feisty front nine looks like this:

No. 1, par-4, 400-yards. A slight dogleg right with a yawning bunker which is a 257-yard carry. Uphill all the way. It’s three-putt city above the hole.

No. 2, par-5, 555-yards. Dogleg left reachable in two. Deep greenside bunkers. A birdie chance.

No. 3, par-4, 360-yards. Four fairway bunkers. Green slopes right to left. Short shots roll back into fairway. Faldo hates this hole.

No. 4, par-3, 205 yards. A long iron made difficult by swirling winds. Two monster greenside bunkers. Nobody ever made a hole-in-one until Jeff Sluman did it in 1992.

No. 5, par-4, 435 yards. Uphill, dogleg left with a sloping green. Back bunker catches strong shots. Nicklaus produced a double golfing miracle in 1996.

No. 6, par-3, 180-yards. Elevated tee in which golfers hit shots over spectators. Big green with plateaus, making three-putts as common as dogwood pedals on the grounds.

No. 7, par-4, 360-yards. Three bunkers in front of the green and two behind make short iron second difficult.

No. 8, par-5, 535-yards. Birdie hole. Bruce Devlin scored the second double eagle in Masters history in 1967.

No. 9, par-4, 435-yards. Green that slopes from back to front. Balls hit on front of green spin back down slope. Downhill putts are nerve testers.