As the golf world turns its eyes Augusta National this spring, local players will find a newly renovated course in town, just a few miles from where the Masters is held. It will officially reopen to the public on the Wednesday after the Masters, and the weekday resident rate will be hard to beat: $25 for 18 holes and even less for seniors.
We talk about rethinking Augusta Municipal Golf Coursewhich has long been known as “The Patch”. Augusta National stepped in three years ago to remodel the course and its offerings — on the back of a new 50-year lease with the city — with the goal of providing jobs while increasing the area’s public golf offerings. To make it all happen, the club partnered with Tiger Woods, Beau Welling AND Tom Faziowho were tasked with building something new while retaining some of the original course design.
Its affordability has made the Patch a longtime home for Augusta’s public players, especially black players, who for many years couldn’t gain access to the city’s most famous private club unless they paid a tail. At any point in the last 40 years you could pop into The Patch and spot one or the other Jim Dent — one of the game’s greatest black players, who called Augusta home — or his son, Jim Dent. Jr., who served as head pro. (In 2020, the access road to The Patch was named Jim Dent Way.)
The patch will reopen to the public on April 15, but will offer limited play in a soft launch that begins next month. The 16-month renovation has completely relocated the course of the original course, moving the clubhouse to the corner of the property, adding a Woods-designed short course called “The Loop” and the trackman range device with Trackman Range. A 12-hole course is also coming to The Patch and will be free.
From renderings of the new course, it appears the new course will retain the design of five of the original holes, use parts of the other six and add seven new holes. (The original layout is below, left, and the new course is on the right.) While the course has yet to release an official scorecard, it will appear to be a par 73, with five par-5s, four par-3s and nine par-4s. The old driving range is now part of the 15th hole. The new driving range is located near where Augusta’s First Tee had practice holes for juniors.
Before and after.
Google Maps (left); Courtesy of The Patch
Pricing for the Patch will be as follows:
Local resident 18 holes: $25m, $35 weekend Senior/Young Resident (60 and over, 18 and under) 18 holes: $20 million, $30 weekend 18 non-resident holes: $85, $95 weekends
In other community collaborations, Augusta National has partnered with Augusta Tech’s golf course management program and the First Tee of Augusta to handle course operations. Another fun fact: According to the course’s website, the property’s two courses now resemble the shape of an elephant, which we’ve featured below.
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