The Masters, hole by hole

A hole-by-hole look at Augusta National Golf Club, site of the 68th Masters Tournament to be played April 8-11 (click here for an in-depth Course Tour):

No. 1, 435 yards, par 4: A slight dogleg right with a deep bunker requiring a 300-yard carry off the tee. Any drive too far left could go into the trees. Most players will opt for 3-wood to avoid both on this uphill hole.

No. 2, 575 yards, par 5: A dogleg left that can be reached in two by the big hitters. Fairway bunker on the right comes into play, but it's difficult to reach the slope, which shortens the hole. Green guarded by two bunkers in front.

No. 3, 350 yards, par 4: One of the best par 4s in golf, a hole that hasn't been changed in 22 years. Big hitters can drive the green, but not many even try because of all the trouble surrounded the L-shaped green that slopes severely from right to left. Most players hit iron off tee to stay short of four bunkers on the left side.

No. 4, 205 yards, par 3: Deep bunker protects right side of the green, with another bunker left. Mid- to long iron off the tee, but club selection is crucial because of the deceptive wind. Green slopes to the front.

No. 5, 455 yards, par 4: The hole was lengthened by 20 yards two years ago, and the fairway bunkers extended 80 yards toward the green. Bunkers are so deep that players can only see the sky. Green slopes to the front.

No. 6, 180 yards, par 3: An elevated tee to a large green with three tiers, with significant slopes marking the three levels. Getting close to the hole is a challenge.

No. 7, 410 yards, par 4: The tee shot is through a chute of Georgia pines, played to the left-center of the fairway into a slight slope. Short iron to a green surrounded by five bunkers, all of them making it difficult to get par.

No. 8, 570 yards, par 5: An accurate drive is important to avoid the fairway bunker on the right side. The hole is uphill and features trouble left of the green. No bunkers around the green, just severe mounding.

No. 9, 460 yards, par 4: Tee shot should be aimed down the right side for a good angle into the green, which features two large bunkers to the left. Any approach that is short could spin some 60 yards back into the fairway.

No. 10, 495 yards, par 4: A long hole that can play shorter if drives catch the slope in the fairway. Difficult to save par from the bunker right of the green. The putting surface slopes from right to left. Has played as the most difficult hole in Masters history.

No. 11, 490 yards, par 4: Amen Corner starts here. Three dozen pine trees have been added to the right of the fairway, putting an even greater premium on accuracy off the tee. A pond guards the green to the left and a bunker is to the back right. The safe shot is to bail out short and to the right in a swale.

No. 12, 155 yards, par 3: Perhaps the most famous par 3 in golf, and the shortest hole at Augusta. Club selection can range from a 6-iron to a 9-iron, but it's difficult to gauge the wind. Rae's Creek is in front of the shallow green, with two bunkers behind it.

No. 13, 510 yards, par 5: An accurate tee shot to the center of the fairway sets up players to go for the green. A tributary to Rae's Creek winds in front of the green, and behind the putting surface are four bunkers. From tee to green, there are about 1,600 azaleas.

No. 14, 440 yards, par 4: The only hole on the course without a bunker. Even if the drive avoids trees on both sides of the fairway, a 7- or 8-iron is needed for a green with severe contours that feed the ball to the right.

No. 15, 500 yards, par 5: A cluster of pines are starting to mature on the right side of the fairway, making it critical to be straight off the tee. The green can be reached in two with a good drive, but a pond guards the front and there is a bunker to the right. Gene Sarazen made a double-eagle from the fairway in 1935, the shot that put the Masters on the map.

No. 16, 170 yards, par 3: The hole is played entirely over water and eventually bends to the left. Two bunkers guard the right side, and the green slopes significantly from right to left. Pars from the top shelf of the green on Sunday are rare.

No. 17, 425 yards, par 4: The Eisenhower Tree stands to the left-center of the fairway is about 195 yards from the tee, requiring another accurate tee shot. The green is protected by two bunkers in the front.

No. 18, 465 yards, par 4: Now among the most demanding finishing holes in golf, this uphill, dogleg right is protected off the tee by two deep bunkers at the left elbow. Trees get in the way of a drive that strays to the right. A middle iron is required to a green that has a bunker in front and to the right.