Augusta, Georgia, like much of the southeastern United States, faced severe repercussions from Hurricane Helene last September, significantly affecting Augusta National Golf Club, the prestigious venue for the Masters. The hurricane caused damage to some of the course’s most iconic holes.
However, the impact of Helene will not be a major focus during CBS’s broadcast. In a press call ahead of the Masters Tournament, CBS’s lead golf producer Sellers Shy indicated that the network would refrain from presenting before-and-after images of the course. “We’re covering the tournament the way it is presented to us and the way the club would like to present it. So [before-and-after images are] not in the cards,” Shy explained.
During the call, CBS analysts Dottie Pepper and Trevor Immelman noted the removal of trees from key holes, such as those behind the 15th and 11th greens, and to the right of the 9th hole, due to hurricane damage. More than anything, this choice appears to be an optics-based decision for both CBS and Augusta National, considering Helene’s widespread devastation in the region, which resulted in significant property damage and nearly 250 fatalities. Discussing the loss of a few trees on a golf course in that context seems rather distasteful.
Augusta National Golf Club has always been meticulous about how the Masters is portrayed on television. The club’s unique arrangement with CBS, where the network does not pay a rights fee to broadcast the event, grants Augusta National considerable editorial control over the presentation, influencing everything from referring to fans as “patrons” to making critical decisions about camera placement. Thus, the choice regarding how to address Helene’s impact on the course illustrates the club’s influence in ensuring the tournament is showcased as they prefer.
Longtime Masters viewers will likely notice these changes on the course. If a missing tree becomes relevant during the broadcast, it may be briefly mentioned; otherwise, the hurricane will not be a central topic throughout next week’s coverage.
