What Will The Masters Look Like in the Fall?
The Masters tournament was supposed to be held this weekend. Like most of the sporting events in America, though, it’s been rescheduled for the Fall. The green jacket will have to wait in the closet for a few more months.
Although the golf world will endure a depressing week without the world’s greatest golf tournament, it received some good news the other day. The PGA Tour and Augusta National announced Monday The Masters will now be held Nov. 12-15. The azaleas won’t illuminate the course with pink and purple highlights and the ryegrass won’t be its typical shade of light green, but The Masters will still be played in 2020. With everything that’s going on in the sports world, that simple fact is a blessing for golf fans.
What will Augusta National look like when The Masters starts this Fall?
Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most pristine pieces of land on the planet. Every blade of grass is carefully tended to. You can’t even get on the iconic golf course unless you receive a personal invitation for a membership. Unless you’re a billionaire, sports Hall-of-Famer, or famous political figure, you can kick that dream out the door now.
In April, the course is bright and colorful. The green dogwoods and redbuds line each fairway while azaleas and magnolias create a bright backdrop to the greens. Spring is the perfect time for these beautiful features to shine, but they will look a whole lot different in the Fall.
Photos of Augusta National in the Fall surfaced online the other day. To no one’s surprise, it’s still an immaculate view, just with different hues. The trees will be a mix of green and orange, while yellow and orange leaves will litter the fairways. The azaleas won’t be as bright, but they’ll still comfort the greens as best they can.
Magnolia Lane will transform from a welcoming, bright green drive to a comforting, orange pathway to greatness. Whichever colors and flowers show up this November, Augusta National will still be a sight to behold.
What’s the weather like in November at Augusta?
Below is a graph of annual temperatures in Augusta, Georgia, courtesy of Sean Martin, Mike McAllister and Helen Ross of PGATour.com. Temperatures in November are 10 degrees lower, on average than in April. It’s possible we could see a day or two in the 30s.
The wind will also be severely different in November at Augusta. The stronger north wind will make the course play much longer, as three of the four par 5s will be into the breeze. Longer players such as Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka might be neutralized because of this.
Jack Nicklaus said golf fans will love The Masters in the Fall
Golf legend and six-time Masters winner Jack Nicklaus went on Sportscenter with Scott Van Pelt Monday to tell fans what to expect later this year. Nicklaus seemed optimistic the allure of The Masters will be unchanged.
“I know you’re gonna have to fight a little bit of football, but there’s a lot of fans who want to come to Augusta, even in November,” Nicklaus told ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt. “It’s a pretty time of year; they won’t have the flowers, but the golf course — if they get the ryegrass in shape — will be good and it’ll be a good test of golf.”
Nicklaus has spent as much time at Augusta National as anyone. If anyone can assure the golf world that The Masters will be successful in the Fall, it’s Nicklaus.
It might be a tad colder and less colorful, but The Masters will still be The Masters in 2020. The winner might just need that green jacket to keep warm a bit more in November than in April.
