AUGUSTA, Ga. (PGA.com) -- As sure as the azaleas and dogwoods will be in full bloom, Augusta National will have added length to its impossibly beautiful, pristine layout come Masters week.
This year is no different.
On the surface, the addition of 155 yards since last year might not seem like much. But, when you look into where those yards were added, there's bound to be some headshaking.
Take, for instance, the newly transformed par-3 fourth hole. In 2005, the uphill par 3, which was already the most difficult small hole on the course, played at 223 yards. Now, from the new back tees, this hole is more like a little par 4, playing a whopping 258 yards.
Along with No. 4, Nos. 1, 2, 7, 11, 15 and 17 were also lengthened.
But No. 4 was the hot topic of conversation for several players practicing on Monday in preparation for the 70th Masters Tournament, which tees off Thursday morning.
"Well, I played here a month ago in a similar wind to today," England's Luke Donald said after a practice round Monday. "It was strong into my face. I hit 3-wood then and I hit 3-wood today. It's a long hole. I almost think it's easier into the wind because the wind will help it land softer. You'll definitely take a 3 there."
Will Donald mess with the clubs in his bag before the tournament starts because of a hole like No. 4?
"I think I have to play a couple of more practice rounds before I decide whether or not to switch the clubs," he admitted. "I am carrying a little more lofted 3-wood and a little more lofted 2-iron, just so I can hit it higher. I might change that, but more than likely I'll stick with my normal set-up."
Two-time Masters champion Nick Faldo said, because of the added yardage, he is one of several players who has fiddled with the clubs he will carry once the tournament begins.
"I'll jigger with the clubs a little bit for the Masters," he said. "You know, trying to get the right rescue club for No. 4. That's kind of unusual, that hole. Now you've got a 240-yard carry that you've got to land on the button. That's really the only thing I've been looking at. Everything else is the same."
Augusta native Charles Howell III is one of the few players who hasn't bemoaned the changes made to the National. He likes the new look, but it hasn't stopped him from tinkering with his clubs.
"I've put a couple of different hybrids in my bag, which I'm going to put into play depending on where the pin is on like No. 4," Howell said. "I definitely took the 2-iron out and put in a hybrid. I think probably a lot of guys are doing that. You've got to get that ball up in the air so you can have something to carry about 240.
"If No. 4 plays downwind, that’s a long hole and it's going to be hard to hold that green," Howell added. "It's going to be a hard green to hit anyway. I think a hybrid is going to be a popular club on that hole."
Phil Mickelson, winner of the 2004 Masters, enters Augusta coming off a dominating 13-shot victory at the BellSouth Classic. Aside from making headlines for drubbing the field, he made headlines for carrying two drivers. That's right -- two drivers. One to play a fade and one to play a draw. The results were astounding as evidence of his 28-under-par total.
After the win Sunday, Mickelson explained why he elected to carry two drivers.
"I knew I was going to do that at Augusta, after playing there on Monday and Tuesday, I decided there were too many shots off the tee where I needed different distances and these drivers are different distances," he said. "All of the right-to-left holes, I didn't have to hit it very hard and all of the left-to-right holes I had to hit it pretty far. I hit a driver a long ways that draws and I have a driver that fades and stays in play.
"I wanted a week where I did this before the Masters, to see if I could go from one driver to the other and still hit fairways and not have it be a big change," he added. "It has worked out really well. The way the internal weighting of the club -- one draws it and takes the left side out of play and one fades it and takes the right side out of play. It's great because I only have to play with half the trouble."
Australia's Robert Allenby was asked what he thought of Mickelson's two-driver theory. Simply put, it's not for him.
"I can't comment on him, I can only comment on myself," Allenby said. "I wouldn't do it. But he has won here before. I don't remember him having two drivers in the bag last time when he won here. But it worked for him last week."
Don't expect to see any changes in the bag of Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez. He's a believer in sticking it out with what he's got.
"No. No changes," Jimenez said. "You have to use the same golf clubs for every golf course. You just have to play good golf and make good swings. The clubs do nothing if you don’t make the swings."
What about No. 4?
"The No. 4 club is 175 meters," Jimenez quipped.
Not the iron, the hole.
"Ah, the hole No. 4," he laughed. "For me, it's like a 5-wood, or 3-wood depending on the wind."
Australian Peter Lonard made a change to his bag, but not necessarily because this is the Masters.
"I'd have to say my bag is pretty similar this week to what it is every week," Lonard said. "I actually took my 3-iron out and put a 64-degree sand wedge in. That was mostly because I've always carried a 64-degree sand-wedge, but I've been missing it the last few weeks and decided to put it in this week."
When asked whether he'd like to see No. 4 play downwind, into the wind, or with no wind, Lonard shrugged and said, "I think either way it's going to be hard work to make a par, so I suppose it doesn't really matter much."
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