Renovations are ongoing at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, which is expected to reopen in the spring of 2026.
Kyle Dawson/Staff
AUGUSTA — The “old” Patch is out and the new one is coming along nicely.
No bare patches of fairways. No bumpy greens. And no more putting aircraft at nearby Daniel Field in danger.
Augusta-area media were given a site tour Sept. 3 by Augusta National Golf Club officials. The Patch, formally known as Augusta Municipal Golf Course, had been a local institution since 1928 but had fallen on hard times in recent years.
Now the future for the public course is much brighter thanks to a partnership between Augusta Technical College, The First Tee of Augusta and Masters Tournament Charities Inc. Known as The Patch Project, the stated mission is to “strengthen public golf in the Augusta community and foster opportunities to play and work in the sport.”
Some of golf’s biggest names, including five-time Masters Tournament champion Tiger Woods, are involved in the project.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters, first announced the renovation project in April 2023. A year later, he revealed that Beau Welling Design and Tom Fazio Design would collaborate as course architects for the 18-hole layout.
Earlier this year, Ridley announced that TGR Design by Tiger Woods would be the architect for the 9-hole short course that is replacing the former First Tee of Augusta layout.
“We know once this project is complete, it will strengthen this nearly 100-year-old public golf facility while keeping it affordable,” Ridley said in April. “This preservation will uplift those who have loved playing here while fostering opportunities for others to come enjoy the game.”
The Patch was closed at the end of 2024, and much has happened since then.
First, damage caused by Hurricane Helene had to be cleaned up. Construction of the new facilities began in late March.
An army of trucks began arriving in June with daily deliveries of sod. During peak delivery, 12 trucks per day carrying 30-32 rolls of sod were transported to the facility on Damascus Road.
TifEagle bermudagrass is being used for the putting surfaces, and Tahoma bermudagrass is used for fairways, tees and surrounds.
All turf on The Loop at The Patch was completed Aug. 3, and green sprigging was finished Aug. 5.
The 18-hole layout is expected to be fully grassed by the middle of October.
The topography of the “old” Patch and First Tee facilities is similar to what previously existed. And, like the more famous course that plays host to the Masters each spring, there is a dramatic rise in elevation. Some 140 feet is the difference between the highest and lowest points.
Tiger Woods’ new nine-hole short course at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course is named The Loop at The Patch.
Kyle Dawson/Staff
The main entrance of Jim Dent Way – a nod to Augusta’s most successful Black golfer – is now on Damascus Road closer to Wrightsboro Road.
Woods paid a site visit to The Loop at The Patch earlier this year, and he has a 9-hole short course that youngsters should be able to play in 45 minutes to an hour. He also made the routing clockwise, a change from the previous course.
Woods and his foundation also will open the TGR Learning Lab Augusta, a facility expected to open in 2028. It will be at the site of the former Lamar Elementary School and will deliver programming to area students.
The new version of The Patch pays homage to 11 of the course’s original holes, but is strikingly different. After Helene caused widespread damage last September, more than 120 trees were planted on the course.
It will have five sets of tees and will be a test for golfers of many different skills and abilities.
And while the old layout sometimes put golf balls in play for aircraft taking off or landing at Daniel Field, that is one hazard that won’t come into play at The Patch. In fact, the new No. 4 tee is at the end of a runway but golfers tee off away from it.
Nearby Daniel Field will no longer be a hazard at the redesigned Augusta Municipal Golf Course.
Kyle Dawson/Staff
With the clearing of so many damaged trees, new vistas have been opened throughout the layout. In the distance, smoke stacks from Plant Vogtle can be seen as golfers can view landmarks some 25 to 30 miles away.
Construction of a new clubhouse and an on-course comfort station are ongoing and will continue into 2026.
A new clubhouse is being constructed at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course.
Kyle Dawson/Staff
An opening date has not been set, but the project is on track to open to the public in the spring of 2026. The cost to play has not been finalized but keeping it affordable for local golfers is a priority, officials said.
