Architects speak about their collaboration, and the playing experience of the revamped municipal
By Richard Humphreys |
As the eyes of the golfing world turn, as usual for this time of year, to Augusta National, another golf course in the Georgia town will also come into the spotlight.
Augusta Municipal Golf Course is reopening The Patch, following an extensive renovation by Fazio Design and Beau Welling Design, plus a new nine-hole short course, The Loop at The Patch, created by Tiger Woods and his design firm TGR Design. GCA spoke with the two designers responsible for breathing new life into The Patch to find out more.
How did the collaboration between Fazio Design and Beau Welling Design work?
Tom Fazio: We developed golf course routings separately but then came together to finalise a layout (as seen in GCA’s February 2026 article). The entire teams at Fazio Design, Beau Welling Design and Augusta National Golf Club shared feedback, thoughts and ideas before agreeing on a final routing.
Beau Welling: The collaboration worked very well because we had a highly qualified team all super excited about the goals and objectives for the project. From the design and irrigation fields to other subject matter specialists and experienced contractors, everyone really worked well as a team. While responsibilities were clearly defined and divided up, everyone remained aligned around a shared objective, to create something truly special that would leave a lasting impact on the city of Augusta. The project was guided by a commitment to honor the past while thoughtfully looking forward to the future.
Could you talk about the vision of the project and what has been created?
Fazio: The goal at the beginning of the project was to enhance the existing public facility, upgrade and lengthen the golf course, construct a par-three layout, and incorporate the First Tee programme into a shared facility.
With the First Tee building already in place, it was logical to put the range and clubhouse in a similar area. The 12 acres in the northwest corner of the property was a better fit for a par-three course, allowing TGR Design the opportunity to use some of the land from the original 18-hole Patch course, and then allowing us to blend in some of the softer sloping topography in the middle of the property.
The routings that we and Beau’s team created were similar due to the configuration of the property as it related to the existing airport runway, the need to avoid environmentally protected areas, the direction of the sloping topography and the safety aspects relating to airspace at the end to the runway. The par fives and longer par fours generally play parallel to the runway with a moderately strong cross-slope that made it more efficient to use the land for straighter golf holes. We attempted to use as many existing hole corridors as possible.
What holes best encapsulate the new playing experience at The Patch?
Welling: The golf course is going to feel like a brand-new golf experience. With some holes playing within previous corridors and others having been adjusted slightly, long-time players of The Patch will find familiarity with the sense of place, yet the renovated golf course will feel different, new and completely refreshed. The new layout is a really high-quality experience. Community members are really going to be blown away with how special it is, yet it is still going to feel like ‘home’.
Fazio: The course was built in the 1920s at about 5,800 yards. It then developed into a course with narrow fairways, small tees and greens that were tiny and with severe slopes.
The new course is about 6,800 yards, with TifEagle bermuda greens that average around 5,500 square feet, wider fairways, new bunkers in more strategic positioning and modern construction, more open corridors thanks to Hurricane Helene, a new irrigation system, and improved fairway turf conditioning with Tahoma 31 bermuda.
We balanced respecting the course’s history and ensuring it met modern-day demands by getting feedback from players, teachers, programme directors, experienced management teams, operators from other facilities, hospitality specialists and more.
Why is this project so important for the area?
Welling: A lot of people learned the game at The Patch – historically, it has been one of the few places where many people were able to play in Augusta. The Patch had a long history of being an anchor in the community – a gathering spot – and I am super excited that it is only going to be an even stronger anchor for the community going forward.
The Patch will be a truly special place for people in Augusta who are interested in golf, it is going to be the place for them. I see people connecting and relationships being built around the game of golf, but what is also really meaningful is that there are spaces and experiences that non-golfers will want to go enjoy as well. Even if you don’t play, it is going to be somewhere you’ll want to spend time.
Everything that makes golf special will be happening here at the new Patch: 18 holes of golf, a fun-focused short layout, a putting course, short-game facilities and a world-class practice range. Bringing all of these golf elements with community aspects and partnerships with The First Tee of Augusta and Augusta Technical College is going to be magical. It’s going to be an incredibly important place that brings people from across the community together in an environment that feels special.
What will make it even more meaningful is the way it brings people together, the connections, the memories, the human interaction. All of that is going to be incredible. The Patch is going to be a true home for the game of golf in Augusta. How good is that?