The Hole that Boggles the Mind at Augusta National – And the Best Tip to Play It

Augusta, Ga., Masters 2026

“The problem with the 12th hole,” Tiger Woods once said about Augusta National Golf Club’s famous Golden Bell, “is that you have to hit a wedge in most conditions, but the only place you can land it is the putting surface. There is no good place to leave it.”

Sandwiched between Amen Corner’s exacting par-4 11th hole and the ultimate risk-reward par-5 13th, the 12th is the shortest hole on the course. It measures 155 yards from the tee to the green, but the walk may take a few extra steps to cross the Hogan Bridge over Rae’s Creek.

And depending on how they have hit their tee shot, players have either a spring in their steps or they will be dragging their feet in anticipation of what lies ahead.

The smallest hole has traditionally played a big role in who gets to wear the Green Jacket. In recent years, it happened with Asterisk Talley at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this year, where the American made a quadruple bogey seven there in the final round.

Jordan Spieth also made a quad bogey on Sunday, when leading the tournament in 2016. Three years later, Francesco Molinari, Brooks Koepka, and Tony Finau all hit the water and paved the way for Woods to win his 15th major title against all odds.

“I have got a very simple plan for the 12th – just aim for the middle of the green, make a two-putt par, and start that long walk to the 13th tee feeling happy. If I hole my first putt, it is a bonus,” American Sahith Theegala told me last year. “There are holes where you can become greedy and attack the pin, but the 12th is definitely not one of them.”

Akshay Bhatia, who missed the cut this year, said, “The 12 might be the best 150-yard par-3 in the world. It’s so hard. You can look like a fool; you can also look great while hitting it to 40 feet.”

The green is slender…about 100 feet wide, with 25-30 feet depth. When the greens start getting firm – which does not need any help from Mother Nature, because every Augusta National green has a SubAir system – these wedge shots need to have the brakes of an F1 car. Anything short is a dunk in Rae’s Creek, and anything longer has the danger that the return chip can run trickle down to the creek.

The biggest challenge of the 12th is determining the wind. Tall trees in the foreground and the patrons’ stand behind them as they tee off, and the fact that it is one of the lowest points of the golf course protects the green from the wind. While the portion above the green, more often than not, has swirling wind that is difficult to judge.

While holes-in-one are common on other Augusta National holes – Shane Lowry had one on the sixth hole on Saturday – the last ace on the 12th was by Curtis Strange in 1988.

Very few players know the intricacies of Augusta National better than the 1992 champion Fred Couples, and he has some practical tips.

“Wind is a big challenge on the 12th. I’d hope that I am not the first person to hit my tee shot on that hole, and instead of watching here and there, I’d pay full attention to the tee shot of my playing partner. In fact, I’d even watch the tee shots on the 12th while I am on the 11th green,” said Couples.

Australia’s Jason Day has a useful tip as well.

“The 12th is always awesome. Regardless of where you have the wind from, it’s always so tough. The one tip I gave Johnny Keefer while playing a practice round was to get your wind on the 10th tee at the highest point of the golf course, so you kind of know where things are. Get your wind on 11, and that way you can go and at least trust something, because if you don’t, you will hit it short or long because of the gust,” said Day.

The Golden Bell is a puzzle. Solving it is usually the key to the Green Jacket.