One participant who is aware of Augusta Nationwide intimately is Sir Nick Faldo. The 65-year-old received The Masters 3 times between 1989 and 1996 and wanted to show loads of management over its famously quick and sloping greens within the course of.
Nevertheless, in keeping with the Englishman, there’s one other course with tougher greens than the well-known Georgia course.
Faldo was requested on Twitter: “what’s tougher to putt? Quick Augusta greens? Or quick Royal Melbourne greens?” He responded: “Don’t assume i ever had my again to the outlet at Augusta (shut!) so most likely Royal Melbourne!”
Don’t assume i ever had my again to the outlet at Augusta (shut!) so most likely Royal Melbourne! 😱 https://t.co/scSDuhZNjdMay 9, 2023
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The comparability with Augusta Nationwide is definitely truthful given the 2 programs have the identical designer, Dr Alister MacKenzie. In the meantime, the West Course on the Australian location, which is considered one of the unbelievable on the planet, is well-known for the pace of its inexperienced complexes.
Regardless of the Royal Melbourne greens providing Faldo loads of issues over time, he as soon as stated of the course: “The West Course at Royal Melbourne may simply be the most effective golf course on the planet, interval.” He then elaborated, saying: “I like the way in which it performs agency and fast-running, the way in which the bunkering frames and nearly intrudes into the placing surfaces and the brilliance of the bunkering fashion with the native scrubby look.
“I’m additionally a fan of the customarily very large fairways that reward positioning and of the combo of lengthy and quick par-4s. Add to this the sumptuous contouring of the greens and the wealthy number of strategy pictures that you simply play into these greens.”
Faldo might consider that Royal Melbourne’s greens have the sting over Augusta Nationwide’s in problem, however he is detailed how difficult these are too. In a 2020 interview with Bunkered (opens in new tab), he stated: “It’s exhausting for anyone who hasn’t performed there to understand simply how blisteringly fast among the greens can get. You get a six or eight-footer straight downhill however, due to the character of the greens, they simply preserve working at that share.”
Faldo lately returned to Augusta Nationwide, albeit in a broadcasting capability for Sky Sports activities throughout The Masters. His finest end at Royal Melbourne got here in a tie for second within the 2003 Heineken Basic.