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AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 11: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a shot out of the the azaleas bushes behind the 13th green during the second round of the 2014 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 11, 2014 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
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Most golf holes are named for their design features, but Augusta National Golf Club takes a different approach. Its holes are named after flora selected by the descendants of the original landowner, Louis Berckmans.
“They were at the top of their field,” said Dr. Lee Ann Caldwell, history professor and director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta University. “They sold seeds and plants all over the place. They were known throughout the country and internationally.”
Source:The Masters
The land Augusta National Golf Club sits on was originally an indigo plantation, purchased in 1857 by Louis Mathieu Edouard Berckmans, whose hobby was horticulture. Berckmans’ son, Prosper Julius Alphonso, was a professional horticulturist. Together, father and son established Fruitland Nurseries, which imported a wide variety of trees and plants.
With the help of Henry Parsons Crowell, Berckmans, along with founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, planted more than 4,000 trees and plants in 1932. Each hole at Augusta features a specific plant for which it is named.
“They were creating unusual but interesting plants. The family itself and what they were doing was actually front-page news in the agricultural world—locally, nationally, and internationally,” said Nancy Glaser, executive director of the Augusta Museum of History. “They had products that weren’t being grown here before and, in some cases, may not have been grown here at all.”
Source:WJBF Channel 6
The most famous plant at Augusta National, the azalea, was brought to the club by the Berckmans—specifically for its spring bloom, timed perfectly with The Masters Tournament. The 13th hole, named “Azalea,” features more than 30 varieties and over 1,000 plants, many of them surrounding the par-five green.
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A View Down Magnolia Lane During The 1991 Masters Tournament (Photo by Augusta National/Getty Images)
Augusta National/Getty Images
Magnolia is synonymous with Augusta National and the famed drive into the clubhouse. The native tree is prominent across the property but can be found in denser concentrations on the fifth hole, which bears its name. Magnolia Lane, with its canopy of magnolia trees, was not part of the original 1932 planting but was added a decade later to enhance the club’s grand entrance.
“I shall never forget my first visit to the property which is now Augusta National,” Jones wrote in Golf Is My Game. “The long lane of magnolias through which we approached was beautiful. The old manor house with its cupola and walls of masonry two feet thick was charming. The rare trees and shrubs of the old nursery were enchanting. But when I walked out on the grass terrace under the big trees behind the house and looked down over the property, the experience was unforgettable. It seemed that this land had been lying here for years just waiting for someone to lay a golf course upon it.”
Source:PGA Tour
Originally the third hole before the front and back nines were flipped, “Golden Bell” may be the most iconic hole on the course. The short par three plays over Rae’s Creek, with bunkers guarding both the front and back of an angular green that runs from short left to long right. A steep front bank slopes dangerously toward the water. While Golden Bell could have been named many things, it draws its inspiration from the scattering of golden bell plants—a low-maintenance, bright yellow bush native to China.
Today, the naming of each hole at Augusta National Golf Club serves as more than tradition, it’s a living tribute to the land’s horticultural roots and the vision of the Berckman family. Long before the roars of patrons echoed through the pines during The Masters Tournament, the property was a canvas of botanical experimentation and innovation. That legacy still blooms each spring, as the course’s carefully curated landscape becomes as much a part of the spectacle as the golf itself.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
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