Fruitful course

In the Fruitlands Nurseries Jones found the site for his dream course. He fell in love with the place and decided to buy it. Despite the Depression -when more courses were closing than opening -the project moved swiftly ahead.

The architect Jones chose for Augusta was Alister Mackenzie, who designed the impressive golf course at Cypress Point in California. Unlike many championship golfers, Jones didn't think that being a great player automatically meant he could design terrific courses. In Mackenzie he found a man who could.

Mackenzie worked out the routing of the course and the individual holes; Jones tested their playing qualities.

When the course was ready for play, Augusta was considered as a possible home for the US Open, but the Georgia summer was too hot for the championship. Instead, the Masters tournament was born and has been played at Augusta ever since.

The first event was held in March 1934 and attracted enormous attention, mainly because Jones was to play. In fact, Horton Smith was the first tournament winner and repeated his victory two years later.

Jones made a change to the course that became significant with the arrival of television in 1956. Augusta has two loops of nine holes, both returning to the clubhouse. As Mackenzie routed the course, the nine holes televised today were played first. Jones decided that they made a more dramatic finish, so they are now played last and millions of viewers can enjoy thrilling Masters Climaxes.