Augusta National’s Masters Course Transformed: Fewer Trees, New Strategies After Hurricane Damage

Augusta National is looking a little less lush this Masters week, and it’s not just your imagination. After Hurricane Helene bulldozed its way through the Southeast last September, the famed Georgia golf club lost hundreds of trees, dramatically thinning out the landscape that’s been the backdrop for decades of Masters drama.

Golfers and fans—about 40,000 of them expected on site—are noticing the change. The storm, a Category 4 beast, toppled trees across the course, especially hitting the par-four 10th hole, where players say the left side of the fairway is now much more open. Xander Schauffele, a nine-time PGA Tour winner, admitted the back nine almost felt brand new to him. "It's pretty crazy and sad to see how many trees have been removed because of the storm," Schauffele shared, adding that the risk-reward calculus on certain holes has shifted, with new gaps for the daring to thread shots that would’ve been tree magnets in years past.

Jon Rahm, last year’s champion, has heard rumors of bold new ways to attack the 10th—like launching a shot over the cabins—but he’s not buying it just yet. Still, Rahm says the visual change is obvious, and you can now see further down the property than before.

Augusta’s identity is deeply tied to its trees—think Magnolia Lane and holes named for Azaleas or Pink Dogwoods. With some of those signature overhangs now gone, even Rory McIlroy noted that tee shots on ten and three have opened up, making them less intimidating and a bit more forgiving.

Despite the changes, most players agree the course will play “pretty much the same,” though a few tee shots might look a little different. The Masters’ tradition is alive and well, but Mother Nature has certainly added her own twist this year.