What would you shoot round Augusta National?
Alex Perry: Would you be confident of breaking 100? I know I have the ability, I just think nerves would take over. Even if I was playing on my own.
James Savage: I think it would be tough to break 100 if the greens are at tournament speed. Even if I played OK tee to green I could see a few four and five putts.
Mark Townsend: I think I could get it going at 2 and 3 with back-to-back pars, definitely double 4 and 7 but maybe bounce back with a par at 8. I then think I might spend about two and a half days either fatting wedges into the water at 15 or knifing several shots into the same water from beyond the green.
Steve Carroll: Given I struggle to break 85 a decent amount of the time, I think I’d probably be into the high 120s – at least. Those long par 4s could be a catastrophe.
Mark Townsend: It probably all depends if you can chip properly. As in hit chips with spin and the right trajectory rather than just be delighted to get the ball in the air. I’d hope to shoot in the 80s but that would depend on hitting 14 out of 18 greens.
Steve Carroll: Are you playing off the tips?
Mark Townsend: No, early February with a couple of members off the winter tees.
Alex Perry: If I shot in the 80s at Augusta National I’d have an open top bus parade in every town, village and hamlet that would have me.
James Savage: I have this idea in my head that I’ll threaten double figures on 11. And then go a bit Spiethy on 12. Reckon I can par 13 but will definitely go in the water on 15. Over compensate and go very long on 16. Settle down with a bogey on 17 but I can never see myself hitting the fairway on 18.
Alex Perry: You just hit about 50 shots between 11 and 18.
James Savage: Yeah, need to go low front nine…
Mark Townsend: If it was all going OK I don’t think I’d ever make it out into the 18th fairway.
Alex Perry: Which of your favourite shots from The Masters would you try and recreate. And you can’t say Tiger’s chip. Because I’m saying it.
Mark Townsend: That would be the last shot on earth I would try and recreate.
Alex Perry: One of, if not the most famous shot in Masters history and you’re telling me you wouldn’t drop a ball down and try it? Sir, I don’t believe you.
Mark Townsend: I’d putt it.
Alex Perry: And I’d use a 3-wood, but I’d still try it.
James Savage: I don’t think Tiger’s chip would be that hard to recreate after a few attempts.
Alex Perry: With 100 attempts each, I don’t think anyone would get it in the dustbin lid.
Steve Carroll: We’d probably struggle to hold the green.
Steve Carroll: Phil from the trees at 13. I’d fat it down the slope and, if I was lucky, land just short of the creek. Though I’d probably end up in the creek.
Mark Townsend: Something from Jack Nicklaus in ’86 – probably the putt at 17 that nobody holes. So no pressure.
James Savage: I’d like a crack at Bubba’s banana shot from 2012 just to see how utterly ridiculous it was.
Alex Perry: And we’d obviously have to try the skimmer across the water at 16.
James Savage: I’d never be able to hit Louis Oosthuizen’s albatross-making second on 2.
Alex Perry: You could catch one. Believe in yourself.
James Savage: In the hole with two blows? No can do.
Alex Perry: It’s very windy in March.
Steve Carroll: It would need to be a hurricane.
James Savage: Maybe if my greensomes partner was El Pato.
Mark Townsend: I’d like to recreate hitting myself with the ball a la Jeff Maggert from the fairway bunker at 3. I know I’ve got that shot.
Alex Perry: Which former Masters champion would you want to caddie for you?
Mark Townsend: Jose Maria Olazabal. Could you imagine? We’d arrive two weeks early, 36 holes a day and not play a practice round with anyone else. Then depart as best friends and basically brothers.
Alex Perry: If the goal is a new friend, then probably Jordan Spieth or Adam Scott. I bet Bubba would dish all kinds of dirt, though.
James Savage: I feel like Trevor Immelman has plenty of time on his hands.
Mark Townsend: How much would you be prepared to pay to play Augusta?
Steve Carroll: I’d pay whatever I had in my bank account at the time. So not much probably…
James Savage: £250.
Alex Perry: I think about this way more than I should. If I was offered to play Augusta at a time of my choosing and with my choice of playing partner for five grand, would I look back at that in a few years as a bad investment? Probably not.
James Savage: My price was factoring in a few tweets and a Played by NCG review.
Mark Townsend: £1000. I’d probably do an Arthur Fowler with the Christmas Club money and get arrested upon my return.
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