Masters 2026: Former Masters champion reveals the hilarious ‘advice’ Arnold Palmer once gave him about playing Augusta National’s second hole | Golf News and Tour Information
Augusta National’s second hole, AKA Pink Dogwood, presents the first practical birdie alternative for gamers at the Masters. The 585-yard par-5 is reachable in two, assuming gamers can navigate the dogleg left tee shot and keep away from the deep bunkers that guard the entrance of the inexperienced. Reaching in two and holding the placing floor are two very various things, nevertheless, as 1976 Masters champion Raymond Floyd realized the arduous approach over the years.
On Friday, Floyd joined Golf Channel’s ‘Live From the Masters,’ the place he recalled the so-called “advice” Arnold Palmer once gave him about navigating Augusta National’s tantalizing, however terrifying, second.
“We’re [Palmer and Floyd] going down the second hole—this is a year or two before ’76—and I said to Arnold, ‘how do you play this hole during a tournament? You hit it in the middle of the green and, boom, it’s gone back up the hill up there.’ He looked at me and said, ‘during the tournament, you just take whatever club you need and let it hit in the middle of that green and all the gallery behind the green, they give it one of these [demonstrates being hit by a golf ball] and it drops down and you can just roll it down there with your putter. It’s easy!’”
Using the gallery as a backstop is a wild chess-not-checkers transfer, however sadly when Floyd went to strive it throughout the Masters the subsequent April, it did not work out like Arnie drew it up.
“First spherical that yr, I drive it excellent. I’m hitting I feel a 2-iron in. Perfect. Right down the slot. Hits proper in the center of the display however my gallery did not do this [demonstrates getting hit by golf ball]they went ‘pffft’ [demonstrates stepping aside to get out of the way of the golf ball]. I used to be 20 yards up on that slope coming again. I used to be fortunate to make 5. And at the moment, Arnold wasn’t my greatest buddy.”
Incredible stuff. Floyd would quickly discover ways to navigate the second, profitable the 1976 Masters by eight strokes, however one thing inform us he by no means took recommendation from Arnie at face worth once more.
