PGA Features

Amen Corner will always remain the focus of one of the world's, not just golf's, greatest sporting events.

This year's Masters marks a special anniversary in the history of the Bobby Jones' inspired tournament. It's 50 years since legendary American golf writer Herbert Warren Wind coined the phrase 'Amen Corner' to describe the 11th, 12th and 13th holes at the picture-perfect Georgia course. Since then - and before of course - this trio of holes has been the making and breaking of many who have sought to don the Green Jacket.

BBC commentator and former PGA captain Peter Alliss, who turned down an invite to the Masters in 1957, will again capture all the drama and excitement of golf's first major of the year and here he gives his own appreciation of three of the most famous holes in golf...

Amen Corner is special because of the history and because of what's happened there. I'm probably blaspheming but I don't think that the 12th is actually that magical a hole. It's just a short hole but because of the glamour and the drama that has been written about it over the years going back to Bobby Jones and the greatest players of the day its status has grown. That has built up a mystique about Amen Corner which continues to be maintained to this day.

Looking at the three holes, 11 has a very unimaginative drive but it is the second shot that is frightening especially when the flag is towards the back of the green. The narrowness of the green is what makes 12 difficult as it's only about 25 feet wide. Much is made of the wind swirling around and if players go for the pin they're playing a dangerous game. Ben Hogan, probably one of the greatest tacticians of all time, always said if you walk off with a three you've done OK.

As for the 13th, the drive is very intimidating as it's been moved further and further back. It's not very inviting for the shorter hitter with some having difficulty in getting to the corner to have a go at the green.

On paper they look relatively easy, the course in general does, but it's the speed of the greens and the pin placements that toughen it up.

I think that over the years Amen Corner's reputation has been built up and other holes have been overshadowed as a result. I think the third to the sixth are very unheralded. Taking the fourth and sixth, both are par threes and both extremely difficult but no one talks about them. It's still Amen Corner that captures the attention and that's probably because it's like the last lap of a race when it all starts to get interesting.

As I've said, a lot of mystique surrounding the holes has evolved over players shooting high or chipping in. But they also look magnificent with the river and the flowers and I think that also plays a part. On paper they look relatively easy, the course in general does, but it's the speed of the greens and the pin placements that toughen it up. But the aura around Augusta comes from it being a private members' club and the stories linked with the legends like Jones, Palmer and Nicklaus and I don't see that changing in a long time.

Even though Amen Corner maybe slightly over-rated it is fair to say it has created its share of drama. There was Faldo's success via the 11th when he played a tremendous second shot into the green. A lot of talk is also about how Greg Norman blew it but I've watched it again and again and that isn't the case at all. However, Larry Mize took the invitation by chipping in on 11 to win.

There are dozens of tales and that's why Amen Corner will always remain the focus of one of the world's, not just golf's, greatest sporting events.