Augusta National Golf Club, considered the masterpiece of the legendry Bobby Jones, the games only Grand Slam winner, was built in the early 1930's and opened in 1934 with hardly any members, but is today rated by Americans in general as their country's most revered course.

Perhaps because it is in play year after year whereas it's rival courses have to share the other three majors on a rotational basis, Augusta has an advantage, but there is no denying it's beauty and condition which is especially evident when the Masters is held there in early spring

Every hole on the course is named after a tree or shrub that grows on the hole, some of them being Magnolia, Pink Dogwood, Flowering Crab Apple and Azalea, but perhaps the most famous holes are the testing 11th, 12th and 13th which have collectively come to be known as 'Amen Corner' after Herbert Warren gave them that name in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article.

CLUB FEATURES:

Because of its history, the club has many features, but perhaps the best known are:

The Crows Nest: Reserved for amateurs who have qualified for the Masters by winning events like to the US and British Amateurs, it provides living space for up to five individuals and golfers have to climb a narrow set of steps to get there.

Eisenhower Cabin: One of ten members cabins on the Augusta National property, it was built for member Dwight D. Eisenhower after his election as President of the United States. The cabin was built according to Secret Service security guidelines, and is adorned by an eagle located above the front porch.

Hogan Bridge: A bridge over Rae's Creek that connects the fairway of Hole 12 to its green. It is constructed of stone and covered with artificial turf. The bridge was dedicated to Ben Hogan in 1958 to commemorate his 72-hole score of 274 strokes five years earlier, the course record at the time.

Magnolia Lane: The main driveway leading from Washington Road to the course's clubhouse. The lane is flanked on either side by sixty-one magnolia trees, each grown from seeds planted by the Berckman family in the 1850s. Magnolia Lane is 330 yards (301.75 m) long and was paved in 1947.

Nelson Bridge: A stonework bridge over Rae's Creek that connects the teeing ground of Hole 13 to its fairway. In 1958, it was dedicated to Byron Nelson to honor his performance in the 1937 Masters.

Sarazen Bridge: A bridge over the pond on Hole 15 that separates the fairway from the green. Made of stone, it was named after Gene Sarazen for his sensational albatross (double eagle) with a four wood at the 1935 Masters tournament which was called "the shot that went around the world" because of all the publicity both he and golf received internationally.

MEMBERSHIP:

Georgia's Augusta National Golf Club, made famous by the legendary Bobby Jones and his brainchild, The Masters, is one of the most exclusive clubs in sport.

Membership is strictly by invitation and the golf course and the club's other facilities are available only to members and their guests.

No women has ever been invited to join the club, though some women have played the course as guests, and it's membership list of the whose-who, past and present, of US business, politics, law and other largely conservative professions is seldom allowed to grow much beyond the 300 mark.

Members, among them Bill Gates, co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, Warren Buffet, businessman and member of the Forbes 400 List and Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, are said to pay annual fees ranging from $25,000 to $50,000

Along with the legendary Cliff Roberts who led the club and established many of its fundamentals from the time of its inauguration in 1934 until 1976, Augusta has had a total of six chairman, William Porter 'Billy' Payne being the man in charge at the present time.

Other chairman included William Lane (1976-80), Hord Hardin (1980-91), Jack Stephens (1991-98) and William 'Hootie' Johnson (1998-2006), the main target of the Martha Burk-led National Council of Women's unsuccessful campaign to get women admitted to Ausgusta.

THE COURSE - HOLE BY HOLE:

1st (Tea Olive), 455 yards, par 4: No easy starter. The tee's been moved back 15-20 yards and more trees added down the left. The bunker on the right is now a 327-yard carry. Avoid long or left when playing to the testing green.

2005 average: 4.21 (Rank 6).

2nd (Pink Dogwood), 575 yards, par 5: Big-hitters come into their own here, but long or left are bad again. Nick Faldo once holed a 100-foot eagle putt on this treacherous green.

2005 average: 4.83 (Rank 15).

3rd (Flowering Peach), 350 yards, par 4: Shortest par four on the course and a real teaser. Ask Woods - a double bogey in 2003 put him out of the hunt. The pear-shaped green with steep slope in front allows for some wicked pin placings.

2005 average: 3.97 (Rank 14).

4th (Flowering Crab Apple), 240 yards, par 3:

Unchanged since 1964 the back tee - not always used - now goes back 30-35 yards. Green, guarded by sand, slopes from back to front. Jeff Sluman achieved the only hole-in-one here in 1992.

2005 average: 3.27 (Rank 3).

5th (Magnolia), 455 yards, par 4: Jack Nicklaus twice holed his second shot in 1995. The fairway bunkers down the left have been enlarged, making it more of a dogleg. It's a 315-yard carry over them. Another devilishly difficult green.

2005 average: 4.17 (Rank 10).

6th (Juniper), 180 yards, par 3: From an elevated tee down to a vast green with a huge slope in it. Jose Maria Olazabal took seven in 1991 and lost by one to Ian Woosnam. Chris DiMarco achieved the fourth hole-in-one two years ago.

2005 average: 3.18 (Rank 8).

7th (Pampas), 450 yards, par 4: What used to be a real birdie chance has had a further 35-40 yards added and the green re-shaped to allow for a new rear right pin position. Trees have also been planted left and right.

2005 average: 4.13 (Rank 12).

8th (Yellow Jasmine), 570 yards, par 5: The right bunker, about 300 yards out, pushes players left and from there it's harder to make the green in two up the steep hill. Bruce Devlin scored an albatross two in 1967.

2005 average: 4.82 (Rank 16).

9th (Carolina Cherry), 460 yards, par 4: The tee was pushed back 30 yards in 2002, leaving a longer approach to a raised green which tilts sharply from the back. Anything rolling off the front can continue down for 50-60 yards.

2005 average: 4.17 (Rank 9).

10th (Camellia), 495 yards, par 4: A huge drop from tee to green and a big right-to-left shot required to get the maximum run. One of the tougher greens to hit and over all the years of the Masters the most difficult hole.

2005 average: 4.30 (Rank 2).

11th (White Dogwood), 505 yards, par 4: The toughest hole last year now made even more demanding with the tee moved back 10-15 yards, trees added down the right and the fairway shifted left. Water front and left makes for real drama.

2005 average: 4.35 (Rank 1).

12th (Golden Bell), 155 yards, par 3: Probably the most famous par three in golf. Narrow target, water in front, trouble at the back, it's seen everything from a one to Tom Weiskopf's 13. The wind plays all sorts of tricks.

2005 average: 3.14 (Rank 11).

13th (Azalea), 510 yards, par 5: Massive dogleg left where scores have ranged from Jeff Maggert's albatross two to Tommy Nakajima's 13. Rae's Creek runs down the left and then in front of the green.

2005 average: 4.81 (Rank 17).

14th (Chinese Fir), 440 yards, par 4: No bunkers, but three putts are common on a green which is one of the most testing in golf. Joint course record holder Nick Price once took eight here.

2005 average: 4.24 (Rank 5).

15th (Firethorn), 530 yards, par 5: The tee goes back 25-30 yards and is moved 20 yards left. It could make it a tougher decision whether to go for the green in two across the pond on the hole where Gene Sarazen sank his four-wood shot in 1935.

2005 average: 4.68 (Rank 18).

16th (Redbud), 170 yards, par 3: Hole always to be associated with Woods' chip-in last year, while Padraig Harrington is one of 10 players to have aced it. There was also Billy Casper's 14 a year ago - the 73-year-old put five balls in the lake.

2005 average: 3.08 (Rank 13).

17th (Nandina), 440 yards, par 4: A new tee adds 10-15 yards. The Eisenhower Tree is in front of the tee, but control of the second shot determines success or failure. No such thing as an easy putt by this stage.

2005 average: 4.19 (Rank 7).

18th (Holly), 465 yards, par 4: One of the toughest holes again after the tee was moved back 60 yards in 2002. Fairway bunker from which Sandy Lyle got up and down to win in 1988 is now 300 yards away. Plays steeply uphill.

2005 average: 4.25 (Rank 4).

ALL THE MASTERS WINNERS

Here are all the winners down the years (See under: Year; winners name; score against par; and winning margin - or number of playoff holes):
2007 Zach Johnson USA +1 2
2006 Phil Mickelson USA -7 2
2005 Tiger Woods USA -12 Playoff (2nd hole)
2004 Phil Mickelson USA -9 1
2003 Mike Weir CAN -7 Playoff (2nd hole)
2002 Tiger Woods USA -12 3
2001 Tiger Woods USA -16 2
2000 Vijay Singh Fiji -10 3
1999 José María Olazábal ISP -8 2
1998 Mark O'Meara USA -9 1
1997 Tiger Woods USA -18 12 (Record margin)
1996 Nick Faldo ENG -12 5
1995 Ben Crenshaw USA -14 1
1994 José María Olazábal ISP -9 2
1993 Bernhard Langer GER -11 4
1992 Fred Couples USA -13 2
1991 Ian Woosnam WAL -11 1
1990 Nick Faldo ENG -10 Playoff (2nd hole)
1989 Nick Faldo ENG -5 Playoff (3rd hole)
1988 Sandy Lyle SCO -7 1
1987 Larry Mize USA -3 Playoff (3rd hole)
1986 Jack Nicklaus USA -9 1
1985 Bernhard Langer GER -6 1
1984 Ben Crenshaw USA -11 1
1983 Seve Ballesteros ISP -8 4
1982 Craig Stadler USA -4 Playoff (2nd hole)
1981 Tom Watson USA -8 2
1980 Seve Ballesteros ISP -13 4
1979 Fuzzy Zoeller USA -8 Playoff (3rd hole)
1978 Gary Player South Africa -11 1
1977 Tom Watson USA -12 2
1976 Raymond Floyd USA -17 8
1975 Jack Nicklaus USA -12 1
1974 Gary Player South Africa -10 2
1973 Tommy Aaron USA -5 1
1972 Jack Nicklaus USA -2 3
1971 Charles Coody USA -9 2
1970 Billy Casper USA -9 Playoff (2nd hole)
1969 George Archer USA -7 1
1968 Bob Goalby USA -11 1
1967 Gay Brewer USA -8 1
1966 Jack Nicklaus USA E Playoff (3rd hole)
1965 Jack Nicklaus -17 9
1964 Arnold Palmer USA -12 6
1963 Jack Nicklaus USA -2 1
1962 Arnold Palmer USA -8 Playoff (3rd hole)
1961 Gary Player -8 1
1960 Arnold Palmer USA -6 1
1959 Art Wall, Jr. USA -4 1
1958 Arnold Palmer USA -4 1
1957 Doug Ford USA -5 3
1956 Jack Burke, Jr. USA +1 1
1955 Cary Middlecoff USA -9 7
1954 Sam Snead USA +1 Playoff (2nd hole)
1953 Ben Hogan USA -14 5
1952 Sam Snead USA -2 4
1951 Ben Hogan USA -8 2
1950 Jimmy Demaret USA -5 2
1949 Sam Snead USA -6 3
1948 Claude Harmon USA -9 5
1947 Jimmy Demaret USA -7 2
1946 Herman Keiser USA -6 1
1945 No tournament N/A N/A N/A
1944 No tournament N/A N/A N/A
1943 No tournament N/A N/A N/A
1942 Byron Nelson USA -8 Playoff (2nd hole)
1941 Craig Wood USA -8 3
1940 Jimmy Demaret USA -8 4
1939 Ralph Guldahl USA -9 1
1938 Henry Picard USA -3 2
1937 Byron Nelson USA -5 2
1936 Horton Smith USA -3 1
1935 Gene Sarazen USA -6 Playoff (2nd hole)
1934 Horton Smith USA -4 1