AUGUSTA — Two new projects announced Monday will further strengthen the bond between Tiger Woods and the Augusta National Golf Club.
Woods and TGR Designs has agreed to build a nine-hole par-3 short course at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course that is being rebranded as “The Patch,” the name it long has been called by locals. The new development, the walkable Loop at the Patch, is expected to open next year around the Masters.
Woods’ TGR Foundation also is going to build a TGR Learning Lab, the fourth in the United States, in the Harrisburg community of Augusta in the vacant Lamar Elementary School. The Learning Lab, with an emphasis on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math), will serve the 27 schools and 23,000 students in Richmond County. It is expected to open in 2028. Students at the Learning Lab will also have access to The Loop.
“Soon after he turned professional, Tiger began to give back,” Augusta National chairman Fred S. Ridley said. “His philanthropy has taken many shapes through the TGR Foundation. For more than two decades, Tiger’s belief in the power of education has made a positive difference in the lives of students and under-resourced communities.”
Woods, currently recovering from surgery for a ruptured Achilles, was unable to attend. He sent a video message that reiterated his excitement about the project.
The Loop at the Patch is the latest step in the revitalization of Augusta’s oldest existing public golf course. A new clubhouse with an outdoor pavilion, driving range and spacious practice area is on the drawing board.
Ridley said the new design will “pay homage” to the 11 existing holes at The Patch — which earned the name because of a cabbage garden once planted behind the 14th green and the 10th tee. Designers Tom Fazio and Beau Welling will utilize the existing corridors for the remaining holes and expand the playing area by approximately 20%.
The Patch and The Loop at the Patch will be open to the public and remain a low-cost option.
“I can promise that the word ‘affordability’ will continue to be the watchword,” Ridley said. “We realize that this an asset for the community and we have every intention and we will — I commit that we will continue to have it be an affordable place for people to play golf.”
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