Spring arrives at Augusta National

It would be difficult to imagine Augusta National Golf Club without its dogwoods and pines.

The spectacular array of trees, flowers and shrubs that make up the course elicit almost as many “oohs” and “ahs” as the golf shots from the players who converge on the course each April for the Masters Tournament.

See photos of Augusta National in bloom

And now that spring has arrived, it’s a good time to revisit the origins of the most famous golf course in the world.

The property once was an indigo plantation, but that changed in 1857 when Belgian Baron Louis Mathieu Edouard Berckmans purchased the land. He and his son, Prosper Julius Alphonse, formed a partnership a year later to start a nursery.

Operating under the name Fruitland Nurseries, the Baron and his son began to import many different types of trees and plants from other countries. The business thrived for more than 50 years but ceased operations a few years after the death of Prosper in 1910.

The property remained stagnant until the early 1930s when Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones entered the picture.

Jones had won the Grand Slam in 1930 – all four majors he was eligible for – and the celebrated amateur promptly retired from golf. He set out to build his “dream course” with the help of Roberts.

The decision was made by Roberts and Jones in 1931 to buy the old Fruitland property for $70,000. Dr. Alister MacKenzie was selected to help Jones design the course, and construction began that summer.

Jones’ love affair with the property was immediate.

“Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come along and lay a golf course on it,” Jones said when he viewed the property for the first time.

The emphasis on plant life was evident from the start. With a good foundation to begin with, Roberts and Jones enlisted the help of Louis Alphonse Berckmans, son of Prosper Berckmans.

He returned to Augusta during the construction of the course and, at age 74, helped decide where the varieties would be located on each hole. According to club records, a few were already in the right location but most had to be planted.

Each of the holes at Augusta National is named for its distinctive plant. Some have changed through the years; No. 14, for example, used to be known as Spanish Dagger but is now known as Chinese Fir for the exotic plant that is located on the left side of the fairway.

Similarly, a few palm trees can still be found on the property. The fourth hole was known as the Palm hole in early years but is now distinguished by the Flowering Crab Apple trees on either side of the fairway.

Over the years, more than 80,000 plants of more than 350 varieties have been added to the Augusta National grounds.

Pine trees, dogwoods and azaleas are still the most identifiable plantings on the course. Many of the pines are more than 150 years old, and there are more than 30 varieties of azaleas at the course.

Perhaps Byron Nelson put it best when he won the Masters for the first time in 1937.

“The prestige one gets from winning the Masters Tournament is very great and I will not be satisfied until I win it again,” Nelson said. “As for the beauty, the course stands far superior to anything I have ever played.”