AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Tiger Woods was playing golf with Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley ahead of the Masters two years ago when Ridley mentioned the club's soon-to-be-announced project to renovate a municipal course that for nearly a century had been an affordable haven for Augusta's working-class and Black golfers.
Woods was interested immediately, Ridley said, and that kicked off more formal conversations that culminated with Monday's announcement that Woods will design a par-3 course at the renovated municipal facility, and that Woods' foundation will build an educational center for local public school students.
The five-time Masters champion's involvement in the project will expand his imprint on the Georgia city where he experienced his greatest triumphs as a player.
“We also recognize the importance of deepening Tiger’s legacy in Augusta and with the Masters,” Ridley said, “and this we felt was an enduring way that we could be forever connected with Tiger and all he’s done at the Masters and now all that he’s going to be doing in this community.”
The Augusta National-funded renovation of Augusta Municipal Golf Course — known as the Patch for the vegetable gardens that once abutted the property — was a surprise even to the facility's general manager and head professional when Ridley announced it two years ago.
The Patch closed at the end of December for a planned 15-month rebuild overseen by architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling. The municipal course — adjacent to an airport where Masters competitors arrive on private jets — is scheduled to reopen next April.
And when it does, it will have nine new short holes created by one of the sport's greatest players. The par-3 course will be known as the Loop at the Patch in honor of the Augusta National caddies who gathered there to play golf — an opportunity they did not enjoy at the exclusive club about 5 miles to the north.
Woods did not attend Monday's news conference because he is rehabilitating from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.
“It's a momentous day for all of us at the TGR Foundation to be able to have this moment, to be able to do this in conjunction with Augusta,” Woods said in prerecorded remarks, “and to do something at a place that has meant so much to me in my lifetime.”
Short courses have become a significant part of Woods’ design portfolio. His first U.S. design, Bluejack National, includes a 10-hole short course called the Playground with holes ranging in length from 35 to 105 yards. He also designed a short course across the street from Pebble Beach that opened in 2021.
“I know that this whole concept of a short course is something that's near and dear to Tiger's heart,” Ridley said.
Ridley also gave a few updates on what the Patch will look like once completed. The formerly 5,900-yard facility that opened in 1928 will be about 900 yards longer from the back tees, with a new clubhouse, driving range and short-game area.
Before the renovation, greens fees at the Patch topped out at $37 on weekends with a cart. Ridley said the new rates have not been finalized but pledged, “I can promise you that the word ‘affordability’ will continue to be the watchword. We realized that this is an asset for the community and everyone in the community.”
The head pro at the Patch is Jim Dent Jr., whose father, an Augusta native, caddied at Augusta National, played on the PGA Tour and became one of the most successful Black players on the senior tour. Jim Dent won 12 times from 1989-98 and earned more than $9 million on what's known now as the PGA Tour Champions.
Woods became the first Black and Asian American player to win the Masters with his runaway victory in 1997 at age 21.
A few months before that triumph, Woods announced the creation of the TGR Foundation, which provides educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering, the arts and math (STEAM).
The foundation's learning center in Augusta will be its fourth, alongside the TGR Learning Labs in Anaheim, California; Los Angeles; and Philadelphia. Scheduled to open in 2028, it will occupy the site of a former elementary school and be open to all public school students in Richmond County, as well as the surrounding Central Savannah River Area school districts.
“Investing in STEAM education for our youth will strengthen our community and drive economic growth,” Ridley said. “It will spark innovation and deliver a skilled workforce that will serve Augusta for many years to come.”
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