It is finally time for one of the most picturesque events in the sporting calendar to get underway and take all of our breaths away.
That’s right, it is the 2026 Masters and with it comes the famous white boiler suits, the beautiful scenery and of course the green jacket.
But the Masters, as the only golf major to be played exclusively at the same course, also has some of the most iconic holes in the sport.
Augusta National Golf Course is able to boast a course that is hugely challenging and one that contains a very sacred place indeed for golf lovers everywhere.
That place is of course Amen Corner.
But what is Amen Corner and why is it so famous?
What is Amen Corner?
After navigating through the front nine and the statistically hardest to play par four 10th, the players enter Amen Corner.
It is the particularly tricky trio of holes between the 11th and 13th and is often where the Masters is won and lost.
With water particularly prevalent and a narrow par four, backed up by arguably the most famous par three in golf due to the difficulty it poses, Amen Corner finishes with a par five that is not for the faint-hearted.
What are the holes at Amen Corner?
Hole 11 – Par 4, 520 Yards
Amen Corner begins with the daunting, narrow fairway of White Dogwood that does not leave a lot of wiggle room for errant tee shots.
It looks even narrower than it appears from the viewpoint of the players too and although modern day professionals are so good at scramble shots, anything other than down the fairway here and you are up against it.
However, stripe one straight and you may feel a million dollars, but the second shot, from the top of the hill, does not get much easier.
You have got elevation to factor in and then, as it is the Masters after all, there is a pond to the left of the green to further complicate the all-important approach shot.
2025 average: 4.240 (rank 3)
Hole 12 – Par 3, 155 Yards
This hole is one that many will immediately think of when mentioning the Masters.
Golden Bell is a brutal hole that leaves so little room for error that we have seen some ginormous scores racked up here in the past.
Shooting over Rae’s Creek, which is often the cause of disastrous moments at the Masters, tests the nerve of even the very best players.
Hit it too softly and your ball will get wet, unless you get lucky and it lands in the front bunker, but holing out for a par from there is no mean feat either.
Hit it too long and you are in the pair of back bunkers or worse in the azaleas.
It would not be an overstatement to say that green jackets can be won and lost on this very hole.
2025 average: 3.139 (rank 8)
Hole 13 – Par 5, 545 Yards
Another hole that is affected by Rae’s Creek, which goes down the left side of the fairway, with trees on the right.
Azalea is one that requires confidence in your ability to take it head on, with chances to walk away with an eagle as almost every player will be aiming to be on the green in two shots.
But, be warned, the pin position is important here. If it is at the front of the green, then the creek comes back into play — especially nerve-wracking for any players who may have hit it in there on the previous hole.
And when it is at the back, it often causes players to go too long, which makes for a very tough shot to get back on the green.
Players can walk away with scores of anything from three to eight here in what is undoubtedly a tricky finish to Amen Corner, though players navigated largely well last year.
2025 average: 4.828 (rank 16)
Why is it so famous?
Aside from its beauty, Amen Corner is renowned in golf for its extreme difficulty.
Some of the game’s greatest players have gone around there in positions to come away with the green jacket, only for their dreams to be crushed by three testing holes at the start of the back nine.
There have been a number of famous blow-ups at Amen Corner over the years.
Jordan Spieth (2016)
Without a doubt the most famous Amen Corner casualty was Jordan Spieth in 2016.
Leading by five shots heading into the back nine after four consecutive birdies on six, seven, eight and nine, it looked like it was all over and Spieth was going to defend his title.
His blip started before he got to Amen Corner on the 10th with a bogey, and a second bogey on 11th did not do much to calm the American’s nerves.
It was the 12th that Spieth’s crash out will be remembered for though, as he hit the ball into Rae’s Creek not once but twice and made a quadruple bogey.
With Englishman Danny Willett scoring birdies on 13, 14 and 16, he ended up beating Spieth by three shots and the 2015 Masters Champion has finished no higher than third at Augusta National since.
Rory McIlroy (2011)
The Northern Irishman came into his second Masters championship off the back of two third-place finishes at the 2010 Open and PGA Championships.
He had a four-shot lead heading into the final round, going under par in all three rounds and it seemed like he was all set to win his first major at only the fifth time of asking.
McIlroy was one-over-par through nine and the hunting pack was closing in but he did still hold a one-shot lead.
That was until a triple bogey on the 10th was compounded by some poor putting on 11 and 12.
McIlroy three-putted from close range to bogey the 11th and then four-putted on the 12th, to score a double bogey.
He ended up shooting 80 on the final day and finishing way back in 15th.
Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg (2024)
Two years ago, all three of Scottie Scheffler’s closest competitors heading into the back nine fell apart at Amen Corner.
Heading to the 10th tee, Scheffler led by two shots over Homa and Åberg, with Morikawa a further two shots back after a double bogey on the ninth.
By the time Amen Corner was passed by all four players, Scheffler’s lead was three shots.
Åberg escaped the best, dropping only a shot despite a double bogey on the 11th, but with Homa double bogeying the 12th and Morikawa the 11th, all three had effectively handed Scheffler the green jacket in a year when Amen Corner played a particularly prevalent role in deciding the Masters.
– Masters 2026: Rory Mcllroy’s Augusta career numbers, hole difficulty ranked
– How to watch The Masters in the UK: TV channel, schedule, tee times, prize money
And what about the other holes?
Of course, as important as Amen Corner is, it does only make up a sixth of the course and at Augusta National, each hole can lead to both glorious and catastrophic circumstances.
Hole 1 – Tea Olive – Par 4, 445 Yards
If you wanted a nice easy start to the Masters, you are in the wrong place.
Don’t go left, don’t go right, hit it straight and settle the nerves with par.
2025 average: 4.166 (rank 6)
Hole 2 – Pink Dogwood – Par 5, 585 Yards
There are no easy holes at Augusta but the very best players do seem to enjoy the second more than most.
A par five that was found the easiest hole again last year, after it was in 2016, 2020 and 2023.
2025 average: 4.615 (rank 18)
Hole 3 – Flowering Peach – Par 4, 350 Yards
In the modern age, a 350-yard par four is pretty short and as a result it is not a hole the players tend to struggle with.
The shape of the green can lead to some awkward pin positions but on the whole this is a hole for birdies.
2025 average: 3.909 (rank 15)
Hole 4 – Flowering Crab Apple – Par 3, 240 yards
After a short par four, there is a long par three and this one can claim a few victims if not trodden carefully.
One of the more challenging holes traditionally and only once has there been a hole-in-one — Jeff Sluman in 1992.
2025 average: 3.209 (rank 5)
Hole 5 – Magnolia – Par 4, 495 yards
Statistically the hardest hole on the course in 2025 and that is largely down to the green, which is extremely difficult to read.
The hole was also lengthened in 2019 to make it a long par four and it often results in bogeys or worse.
2025 average: 4.324 (rank 1)
Hole 6 – Juniper – Par 3, 180 yards
A fairly standard par three by distance and the high tee only helps to club down and get even closer to the pin.
But the green has a particularly menacing slope and as a result the average score is slightly over par.
2025 average: 3.020 (rank 11)
Hole 7 – Pampas – Par 4, 450 yards
A whole that has changed for the worse if you are a player, with extra yardage added and more bunkers (five) than any other hole.
That 35-yard increase makes it a fairly long par four and with tress on either side, it is extremely narrow too.
2025 average: 4.091 (rank 10)
Hole 8 – Yellow Jasmine – Par 5, 570 yards
Green Jackets are won on par fives and the eighth hole is no different.
Statistically the second easiest hole in 2025, this is one that players can try to target with birdies or even eagles very much on the cards.
2025 average: 4.618 (rank 17)
Hole 9 – Carolina Cherry – Par 4, 460 yards
A hole that was extended in 2002 but the distance is not a problem for players these days.
What can cause issues however, is the rolling green — hit it slightly too short and your ball can fall away a good 50 or 60 yards back.
2025 average: 3.956 (rank 13)
Hole 10 – Camellia – Par 4, 495 yards
Overall, this is the second-hardest hole at the Masters traditionally.
A big drop from tee to green and huge dogleg left cause players problems routinely, although last year they handled it better than most.
2025 average: 4.162 (rank 7)
Hole 14 – Chinese Fir – Par 4, 440 yards
A hole that has no bunkers may sound easy but it is the Masters we are talking about here and it is anything but.
The green is tough and though the average last year was slightly below par, it is a hole that par is often a good score on.
2025 average: 3.993 (rank 12)
Hole 15 – Firethorn – Par 5, 550 yards
It is a par five and therefore it is one that players will target.
At 550 yards it may seem long to the average golfer but the biggest hitters will see this as an eagle chance.
2025 average: 4.926 (rank 14)
Hole 16 – Redbud – Par 3, 170 yards
Tiger Woods’ memorable chip-in in 2005 came on this hole and there have been a whole host of holes-in-one.
But this remains a tricky par three and the average score last year reflects that.
2025 average: 3.139 (rank 8)
Hole 17 – Nandina – Par 4, 450 yards
With the Eisenhower tree removed after storm damage, the tee shot has got easier but this still remains a challenging hole.
This year it has been lengthened by a further 10 yards and after players struggled last year, it could be a tough one again this time around.
2025 average: 4.230 (rank 4)
Hole 18 – Holly – Par 4, 465 yards
The final hole and the one in which all of the dramatic celebration photos are taken each year.
But, with nerves jangling, this was a hole that players struggled with a year ago and that will likely be the same this time around.
2025 average: 4.243 (rank 2)
