Augusta National doesn't have a reputation as the toughest course as far as golf majors go, but that doesn't mean The Masters are a walk in the park.
In fact, former Masters champions say that if you have a 15 handicap ... forget it. You wouldn't do so well at Augusta.
All of the Masters winners were interviewed by Golf.com, which wanted to gauge just how tough, exactly, the course really is.
"A 15 handicap at Augusta National, from where these kids play today for sure would not even have a chance of breaking 100," 1998 winner Mark O'Meara told GOLF's Claire Rogers. "That's how difficult the course is. That's how much slope there is and speed in the greens. An average player would have a very difficult time getting around Augusta National in less than 100."
In other words, if you take a swing at Augusta, you'd better not be average.
"They would have a hard time breaking 100, they really would," 1987 champ Larry Mize told GOLF's Zephyr Melton. "Playing there for the first time, you're just going to be so excited. It's going to be hard to focus in on your game. It's just the nerves of playing there for the first time.
"And then maneuvering those greens, the average amateur does not play greens like that. They may get some contours similar to that but the speed is pretty unusual — they're pretty quick.
"I think a 15 handicap, because they're normally shooting mid-80s, something like that? They would have to play really really good to break 100."
The Masters tee off on April 11, before concluding three days later. Sky Sports will once again be the streaming home of all things Augusta.
"There will be lots of extra action throughout all four days via the red button on Sky Sports Golf, along with Sky Q and Sky Glass, providing plenty of bonus feeds and allowing you to follow players' progress through various parts of Augusta's famous layout,' wrote Today's Golfer.
ESPN will offer TV coverage of the first two rounds, with CBS doing the same for the final two.
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