Augusta National Golf Course - Hole 6

The picturesque par 3 hole 6 of Augusta National Golf Club, fittingly called "Juniper," is a special challenge for players in the Masters Tournament. The 180-yard hole features a raised tee box and a huge, undulating green that slopes from back to front.

The title "Juniper" is derived from the juniper bushes that line the hole, both adding beauty and posing a challenge to golfers. The juniper bushes, which can grow up to 40-50 feet tall, are prominently displayed around the tee box and along the right side of the green.

The most unique feature of Juniper is its green complex. The green is eclectic and varied, with the potential to play radically differently on different days depending on where the pin lies. With the pin sitting on the short back-left tier, the challenge confronting golfers is daunting: how to place a mid-iron shot on what appears to be a car bonnet.

Conversely, when the pin is placed in the lower-left quadrant of the green, holes-in-one become a possibility, as seen in the case of Corey Conners in the final round of the 2021 Masters.

With regards to bunkers, Juniper has only one large bunker, and that is placed in the front left of the green. This bunker is the primary defence for the putting green, but its impact on play varies by day based on the position of the pin. The number and placement of bunkers on this hole have varied over the years. Records show that in November 1931, a watercolour painted no bunkers short of the green and two behind it. By November 1932, there was an as-built plan indicating four bunkers, two behind the green, one between the green and the creek, and another bunker near the bridge.

The Juniper hole has been altered several times since the opening of the course. The hole originally featured a Redan Green, a design element characteristic of its designer, Alister MacKenzie. The hole has actually been shortened slightly over the years, from its original 185 yards to its current 180 yards.

Statistically speaking, Juniper is one of the more innocuous holes at Augusta National with a scoring average of 3.14 and the 13th most difficult hole on the course. Despite its relatively innocuous scoring average, Juniper has seen its share of thrilling moments. Six holes-in-one have been hit during Masters history, showing the thrill potential.

From the player's perspective, Juniper requires astute strategy and precise execution. Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson says that when the pin is left, players approach the hole thinking birdie. Watson himself registered a birdie when the pin was right on the first round of his 2012 victory.

As golfers prepare for the Masters Tournament 2025, they will be forced to be vigilant about the daily location of the pins on Juniper. The manner in which the hole will play differently each day, as well as its newly restored green, will require skill and adaptability to play successfully. While it may not be the course's most challenging hole, Juniper's beauty and strategic complexity make it an archetype Augusta National challenge that embodies the spirit of the Masters Tournament.