Augusta National recreates a close course. It will be good

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Three years ago this week, Masters Chairman Fred Ridley made a promise. His club, Augusta National, would reach out to the community like never before, partnering with local institutions to renovate the Augusta Municipal Golf Course. The “Reserve” course had “good bones,” Ridley said, meaning that even if its appearance was shaky, its design was something Augusta National’s budget could work with.

And they worked with it, the only way Augusta National knows how: fast.

Last year, Patch was a mess. Next week, it opens to the public. On Wednesday morning, two-time major champion Retief Goosen was making his rounds for the first time, part of a soft launch for VIPs this week at the Masters.

What Goosen and a handful of others found was a beautiful golf course that would become truly beautiful over time. Great place to hang out during Masters week. Great place for Augusta juniors to learn the game. A great place for the public to experience golf at a very affordable price.

By all metrics, the Patch project should be considered a success. Course designers Tom Fazio and Beau Welling made it a very compelling track. A lot of trees were removed, opening up a vast area that was covered by the forest. After a while, its greens will grow slowly and its beautiful roads will look solid; it will be the most exciting public course in the vicinity of the Masters. You will want a tee time, and you may struggle like hell to get one.

The vibe will resonate in public, too. The patio around the clubhouse peers out over the 10th tee and 9th green – a place you’ll want to dine. Or just drink beers, like Patch Pale Ale, a new brew that you can only find locally. The Loop, a short course designed by Tiger Woods, can be a real treat. Guests played its floodlit holes until after bedtime on Tuesday night. Next to the 18-hole putting green is a large practice range, equipped with Trackman hitting areas. Everything based on golf seems to be there, and I’m excited about the power it provides.

What we don’t know about The Patch is how it will feel for those who call it home forever. For decades, not so long ago, the caddies at the private club in town – Augusta National – were black, and many of them played golf at the nearby public course – Augusta Municipal. They were the blood of the muni, and were remembered on the maps by the people who reshaped it.

In one corner of the pro shop is a shrine to Jim Dent, the Augusta-raised Black golfer who competed on the PGA Tour in the 70s and 80s. His Callaway Big Bertha driver is mounted on the wall on display, next to autographed photos and a signed trading card. Dent’s role at the muni was so powerful — it was the first course he ever shot in the 60s, the same course his son was the superintendent of — that the course’s department was renamed “Jim Dent Way” in 2020. When he died in 2025, they held an event for him at The Patch. You probably deserve a statue in front.

There are also framed photos in that corner of the pro shop, dedicated to four famous Black players: Jariah “Jerry” Beard, Willie Peterson, Willie Lee “Pappy” Strokes and Tommy Bennett. Beard, Peterson and Strokes all won the Masters as caddies. Bennett was on the bag for Tiger Woods during his debut at Augusta National.

This Patch is different from the Patch they knew. Very different. But Jim Dent was upbeat about its prospects when interviewed three years ago. He wanted it to be a partnership with his local First Tee. The world is visible, but the beauty has changed. The old clubhouse, where the Black caddies played card games for hours, was destroyed.

The Patch will no doubt be a community asset, and if you’re there, even on a quiet day during this soft launch, you can envision the magic of golf on a warm April night. But it won’t sound like the old Patch. And frankly, that might be too much to ask. It’s hard to make something better for everyone without completely changing what it was before. But the fact that it was changed, with the funding and guidance of the inspired and generous Augusta National, says something. It used to cost the locals $20 to play 18 holes. Now, it will be $25. Put your faith in that. And go back to that press conference Ridley gave three years ago.

“If we’re successful in this project,” Ridley said, “I think it’s a model for other communities, and we’re very interested in taking this on the road, as we say.”

What would that mean? Where what would that mean? The mind wanders, and so does hope.