Masters 2026: The secret 19th hole at Augusta National that was never built

Augusta National has been shaped as much by what was lost as by what was built. The riding trails that were never cleared. The tennis courts that were never laid.

The real estate lots around the property that sat unsold. Most of those ghosts have faded entirely from memory. Except one, hiding where everyone can see it.

In the winter of 1932, as Dr. Alister MacKenzie finalized his designs for Augusta National Golf Club, he drew up something not unusual — a 19th hole, roughly 90 yards. Tucked between what are now the 9th and 18th greens, running parallel to the clubhouse.

A short, cunning little thing with a narrow end where the flag would sit between two bunkers, and a wider end that offered a safer route to those without the nerve to go at the pin. MacKenzie had a name for it: Double or Quits. The concept came straight from Scottish golf tradition, where a "bye hole" — an extra hole played after the round — gave the losing player one final chance at redemption.