ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

With the 87th Masters Tournament just around the corner, Fergus Bisset gives us the lowdown on all things Augusta National

Through the colder months, golfers across the northern hemisphere look towards The Masters as heralding new beginnings and possibilities. It may not be the first professional event of the year, far from it, but it represents the start of the golfing season as many of us mere mortals recognise it. The sight of those verdant fairways, blooming azaleas and familiar creeks and bridges triggers our desire to hit the course in improving weathers with a fresh zeal for the game. Augusta delivers a much-needed tonic at the end of a trying winter.

There has been significant uncertainty in golf over the past year or so with the disruption caused by LIV Golf, but The Masters remains a reassuring constant. Magnolia Drive, the Green Jackets, the Butler Cabin – it’s elite golf as we know and cherish it. The BBC may no longer value the year’s first Major, having given up coverage rights, but we certainly do, and you’ll be able to follow comprehensive coverage of the action at golfmonthly.com for the full week. Meanwhile, let’s consider all things Augusta in our preview of the 87th Masters Tournament...

The course

Designed by the great Dr Alister MacKenzie, Augusta National is the most recognisable golf course in the world. Those who have viewed The Masters over the years, either live or on the TV, know the challenges that wait – the holes where birdies and eagles are possible and those where disasters must be avoided.

It’s a significantly undulating layout with a difference of some 152 feet between the high point, the 10th tee, and the low point, the 12th green.