How Augusta National, One Of The World's Great Golf Courses, Has Been Radically Altered Through The Years

AP

See Also

This Close-Up Of The Fairway At Augusta Is One Of The Best Pictures Of Grass You'll Ever See

Food Prices At The Masters Are Incredibly Low

The 28 Most Beautiful Photos Of Tiger Woods Playing Golf

In Tiger Woods' first nine Masters tournaments as a pro, he won four times. In the last seven attempts, he hasn't won once.

What's changed? Well, the public found out that he was a serial cheater on his wife and his life fell apart. He's also changed his caddie and he's changed his swing.

In addition to all that, Augusta National, home of the Masters, was significantly altered in 2002 and 2006 in an effort to "Tiger-proof" the course.

Augusta National used to be a wide open course that let players bomb their drivers, then hit great recovery shots if they missed the fairway. That was part of the fun of the place.

When Woods dismantled the course, the people running the tournament lengthened it, planted new trees, and grew rough.

Illustrator Chris O'Riley drew up changes to Augusta National through the years for Golf Digest a few years back. He gave us permission to re-run some the illustrations.

We're going to use them to show you how the course has changed.

As a reminder of why the course was altered, here's Tim Rosaforte in 1997 describing Woods at Augusta National: "Woods reduced this once mighty track to an executive course. He was reaching the par 5s with wedges and driving it pin-high at the 360-yard third. All he did was go 18 under, set the tournament record, win by 12 strokes and turn Augusta into Indian Wells."

Woods was just the first of a generation of long hitters aided by improvements in technology. If Augusta wasn't made longer, the course would be a joke for pros.

The first changes in 2002 didn't really work. He won twice after those changes. The second changes in 2006 worked. He hasn't won since.

Here's a run down of a few holes.

HOLE NUMBER TWO

Here's the second hole, a par-5. As you can see, through the years trees have been grown along the right edge making shots that slide out right, more problematic. The green has also been narrowed, making approaches more difficult.

Chris O'Reilly

HOLE NUMBER THIRTEEN

And here's the famous thirteenth hole, the final part of "Amen Corner". It's a dog leg left. As you can see, through the years, the fairway has narrowed and trees have been grown on the right side. Also, take a look at the tee box in the back, and how it's been pushed further and further back.

Chris O'Reilly

HOLE NUMBER SEVENTEEN

Golf blogger Geoff Shackleford recently noted that when Jack Nicklaus won in 1986, he pulled his drive left on 17. Because there were no trees in the way, he was able to fire at the green. If the trees that exist today existed then, he would have been forced to punch a wedge out, then approach the green. We would have never heard the famous "Yes, sir!" call from Verne Lundquist as he nailed a birdie putt and went on to win.

Chris O'Reilly

HOLE NUMBER FIFTEEN

And finally, here's the 15th hole. This is another par-5. It's been made longer through the years. When Tiger Woods first came to Augusta, he could bomb a drive and hit a short iron in. Now it requires an accurate tee shot, then a nerve wracking long iron, or fairway wood.

Read More

Meet Guan Tianlang, The 14-Year-Old Chinese Kid Who's Playing In The Masters

Harry How/Getty Images

At 14 years old, Guan Tianlang will become the youngest-ever player at the Masters this week.
The 8th grader has an incredible individual story.
But his presence at Augusta is also an indication of the rising popularity of golf in China.
After being officially banned until 1984, courses are being built, upper-middle class people are playing, and the state is spending money on identifying young players.
China is on the edge of a golf boom, and Tianlang is at the center of it.

Read More

NCAA Stops Louisville Men's Basketball Team From Supporting The Louisville Women's Basketball Team

CBS

After winning the NCAA championship last night, the Louisville men's basketball team wanted travel from Atlanta to New Orleans to support the Louisville women's basketball team, who will play for their own national title tonight. However, the NCAA stepped in and ruled that the men would not be permitted to go.

According to Steve Jones of The Courier-Journal (via SI.com), rather than allow the men to support their own school as well as support women's athletics, the NCAA called the trip "an improper benefit."

The NCAA did finally relent and reversed their own decision at some point today, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com. However, by that point, Louisville had already made travel plans to return home.

Most of these decisions by the NCAA are not made because the overbearing organization thinks they are all that bad. Rather, the NCAA is always worried about what the next player or team will want and is worried about setting a dangerous precedent.

Unfortunately for players like those on the Louisville basketball team, the NCAA thinks it is just easier to say "no" to everybody.

Read More

Report: Jay-Z Is Looking To Give Up His Share Of The Brooklyn Nets So He Can Become An NBA Agent

Al Bello/Getty Images Jay-Z has started the process of divesting his ownership share in the Brooklyn Nets, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! reports. The rapper wants to get officially certified as an agent, and he has to give up his stake in the Nets if he wants to do that. Last week Jay-Z announced last week that he has started a sports agency called Roc Nation Sports. The firm is currently partnered with CAA, meaning agents from CAA will actually rep Roc Nation players. Even though Jay-Z is a big part of the branding of the Brooklyn Nets, his ownership stake is less than one percent, Wojnarowski reports.

Read More

An Alabama Newspaper Said Syracuse Won The National Championship

The Montgomery Advertiser's front page had a pretty big error this morning when it printed that Syracuse beat Michigan in the National Championship game.
The photo however is of Louisville forward Chane Behanan:

Read More

Why We Grunt At The Gym

Gallo Images

Mid-grunt.

See Also

China Battles Bird Flu With Spray And Mass Slaughters [PHOTOS]

What America Will Look Like Under 25 Feet Of Seawater

Food Lover Lost 13 Pounds Quick With The FastDiet

Grunting, the loud, sometimes obnoxious, noise typically produced when we exercise, has been an ongoing source of debate among psychologists. 

From a purely scientific standpoint, the grunting noise is made as we "exhale against a closed, or partially, vocal fold," said Dennis O'Connell, a professor of physical therapy at Holland School of Sciences & Mathematics in Texas.

The vocal folds, or vocal chords, refer to two bands of muscle tissue that open into the windpipe. The vocal folds are open and relaxed when we breath in, sometimes producing a rushing noise. But when the vocal folds close, as we exhale, "you are going to hear some turbulence," said O'Connell.

The reason we grunt is slightly more complicated — some experts say it improves performance, others say it's just blowing smoke.  

Belisa Vranich, a psychologist at willspace, a boutique training studio in New York City, is of the camp that believes grunting is a natural — and necessary— physical response to exerting effort.

Wikimedia Commons

"Think about tennis — when you hit the ball it's hard to be explosive and not grunt," she said. And if you're not grunting, you should be because it gives the gives the gruntee more power: "It helps you push more weight, hit harder, and throw farther."
When we do something like squats or power lifting, we take air in and hold our breath for a moment. By doing that, we squish the middle of our body together and create a pressure ball in our belly that makes our body rigid in order to stabilize and protect our spine from injury, says Vranich.
All that pressure built up inside our gut means that when we finally do exhale, "it's almost impossible to let that energy out without making a grunt," said Vranich.
Scientists don't know exactly why a sharp yell or grunt gives individuals that extra "oomph" when they pump iron or swat at a tennis ball, for example, but it's probably related to a communication signal from the part of the part of the brain that controls breathing to the part that controls muscle function, says O'Connell.
When we forcefully push air out, the brain sends information down to the muscles, which either excites muscle groups, decreases inhibition, or does both. The result is enhanced performance.
This beneficial effect of grunting was demonstrated in a study of college tennis players, where O'Connell's students found that grunting increased serve and forehand velocity by an average 4.5 mph. It didn't mater if the players were regular grunters, if they were male or female, or how they felt about grunting.
Although grunting seems like like natural thing to do, Vranich admits that unnecessary or excessive grunting is annoying. That kind of testosterone-pumped, animalistic sound designed to psych the individual up and get adrenaline going, or even intimidate a competitor, is rooted more in psychology than physiology.

Jontunnell via flickr

The controversy over whether grunting should be allowed or discouraged is growing, particularly at the gym or on the tennis court where it can be distracting during competition.

In 2006, a bodybuilder and correction officer was kicked out of a Planet Fitness for grunting, which violated the club's strict "no-grunting policy." Shortly after that incident, a man was attacked at an Equinox gym in New York City for being too noisy in spin class. 

O'Connell recognizes that grunting maximizes force production. He also believes that all the hooting and hollering can be controlled, and that there are more silent breathing techniques for achieving comparable muscle activity and peak force. 

A recent study from O'Connell's department found that in a simulated forehand stroke, athletes got the same power boost from grunting as they did just by forcefully expelling air. 

"Forced exhalation without the annoying sound is just as good at increasing force production as exhaling with the annoying sound," said O'Connell. 

The professor relayed an anecdote from his daughter's softball games, when he would overhear dads telling their kids to grunt. If you can be coached to grunt, then you could certainly be coached to exhale without grunting.

Read More

Here's When Tiger Woods Is Going To Play At The Masters

Andrew Redington/Getty Images

The tee times and pairings for the 2013 Masters are out.
Tiger Woods tees off on Thursday morning at 10:45 a.m. eastern, and he's paired with Luke Donald and Scott Piercy. On Friday, Tiger and Co. get an afternoon tee time of 1:41 p.m.
Here are the Thursday tee times for the eight juiciest pairings:

• Brandt Snedeker, Ryo Ishikawa, Justin Rose: 9:17 a.m.
• Zach Johnson, KJ Choi, Graeme McDowell: 9:50 a.m.
• Bubba Watson, Ian Poulter, Steven Fox: 10:34 a.m.
• Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Scott Piercy: 10:45 a.m.
• Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Paddy Harringotn: 10:56 a.m.
• Phil Mickelson, Louis Oosthuizen, Martin Kaymer: 1:30 p.m.
• Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Freddie Jacobson: 1:41 p.m.
• Jason Dufner, Matt Kuchar, Bill Haas: 1:52 p.m. 

Full TV coverages starts on ESPN at 3 p.m. So you'll be able to watch most of those final three groups play live.
We're assuming that Tiger will be one of the "featured groups" that you can watch live on Masters.com starting at 12 noon.

Read More

These Two Sentences About Tiger Woods And Phil Mickelson At The Masters Will Get You Stoked

It's Masters week, the best, most exciting week in sports by a mile.
To get you excited, here's a great two sentence snapshot of the relationship between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods from Robert Lusetich at Fox Sports.
Lusetich wants to see a Mickelson-Woods duel on Sunday in Augusta. In a column on their relationship he drops this

Once, at the Masters, when Mickelson watched his rival [Tiger] hit a three-wood past his driver, he asked Woods if he always hit fairway woods so far.

“No,” said Woods, pulling his tee from the ground before marching down the fairway, “Sometimes further.”

This is one of those bits that's almost hard to believe. But it does encapsulate both men. Phil being earnest. Tiger being chilly and arrogant.

Read More

The 28 Most Beautiful Photos Of Tiger Woods Playing Golf

Scott Halleran/Getty Images

Tiger Woods is the most recognizable name in golf today.
Everyone knows Woods; partly because of his scandal, partly because he's one of the best golfers to ever take the course, and mostly because his presence cannot be ignored.
Photographers at golf tournaments can't seem to ignore him either. They find ways to photograph Woods that are beautiful and artistic, and end up not just being about golf.
The 2013 Masters kicks off April 11, get excited with these awesome photos of Tiger.

Read More

Here's The Blown Call With 8 Seconds Left That Cost Wichita State A Chance To Upset Louisville

CBS

Louisville beat Wichita State 72-68 to advance to the national championship game tonight, but everyone is talking about the controversial call with 8-seconds left that sealed the deal for the Cardinals.
The score was 71-68 when Louisville's Luke Hancock (who was the best player on the court all game) missed a free throw. After Wichita State's Ron Baker got the rebound, Hancock stuck in hands into his body and got a hand on the ball. In an instant, the referee called a jump ball, and Louisville took possession.
To our eyes, it was a bad call.
Hancock had his hand on the ball for a fraction of a second. It wasn't enough to rule a jump ball. You have to hold the whistle in that situation, unless it's an actual tie-up. But it was clear that Baker had the ball, Hancock grabbed it for a split-second, and Baker immediately wrestled it back.
The whistle was just too quick.
Yeah, it still would have taken a lot for Wichita State to hit a three, send the game to OT, and eventually win. But the call was still awful, and it changed the game:

Read More