Tiger to design course at The Patch, boost education in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods will lead the design of a golf course as part of Augusta National’s redevelopment of the Augusta Municipal Golf Course, also known as The Patch, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club announced Monday.

Augusta National also is partnering with Tiger and the TGR Foundation to open a science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics learning lab in the Harrisburg neighborhood at the former Lamar Elementary, Chairman Fred S. Ridley said.

The Patch

Named “The Loop at the Patch,” the par 3 course will pay tribute to caddies who used the course as a gathering spot for decades.

Ridley said the short course will be at the northwest corner of the property – the high point.

“This nine-hole par-3 course will be great fun and serve all golfers, ranging from those being introduced to the game to the most avid players,” Ridley said.

The Patch is under construction, and there should be a grand opening in about a year.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Patch: Here’s what’s planned

Ridley said The Patch will remain an affordable golf option, as it has been for years in Augusta.

“I can promise you that the word ‘affordability’ will continue to be the watchword,” Ridley said. “We realize that this is an asset for the community and everyone in the community, and we have every intention and we will – I commit to you that we will continue to have it be an affordable place for people to play golf.”

Asked whether there may be some connection between the new facility and Drive, Chip and Putt and the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship, Ridley said “anything’s possible” and he said it will at least be a part of a two-week celebration of golf locally.

“But next year is going to be a big announcement, that’s for sure,” he said.

He said he and Woods, who couldn’t be at the announcement due to an injury, are both excited about the new project.

“This whole concept of a short course is something near and dear to Tiger’s heart,” Ridley said.

The Patch redevelopment was announced a couple of years ago after the city of Augusta turned management of it over to Augusta Technical College as part of the school’s golf course management curriculum.

Soon afterward, Augusta National ed the project.

The master plan features a redesigned 18-hole layout led by golf course architects Tom Fazio and Beau Welling, a new nine-hole short course designed by Woods’ TGR Design, and expansive practice areas to serve a variety of golfers of all levels.

Augusta Technical College’s golf course management and workforce programs will relocate to The Patch and be linked with First Tee of Augusta’s mission to teach the game and its values to juniors and community of all backgrounds.

Their alignment will create the first partnership between these neighboring facilities, to create additional employment opportunities in the golf industry and expand available pathways to welcome those interested in the sport with affordable and sustainable public golf for the community.

TGR Learning Lab

Augusta National will make a “meaningful” contribution toward a TGR Learning Lab that will open in 2028 at the former Lamar Elementary, although the curriculum will be developed before that.

“The idea is that it is free it is open to ... potentially 23,000 students,” Ridley said.

It will be the fourth TGR Learning Lab nationwide.

TGR Learning Labs provide students from under-resourced communities with inspiring learning spaces, access to the latest technologies and a community of dedicated to their success.

The programs at TGR Learning Labs are complementary and focus on STEAM educational enrichment, health and well-being, and career and college readiness. Programs are offered year-round, including during the school day, on weekends and during the summer.

The TGR Learning Lab will deliver programming available to all Richmond County School System students and the surrounding Central Savannah River Area school districts.

Contributing to the community

The philanthropic projects are among many undertaken in recent years by Augusta National.

They have come under Ridley’s leadership as Augusta National focuses on some of its core values, including contributing the the community.

“This really fit right into that,” Ridley said. “I think it really was — I don’t think we’ve really changed that much, but I think maybe we’ve refocused a little bit and realized that Augusta, Georgia, has been really good for the Masters Tournament. And we’ve always been ive of the community, but I think in recent years we’ve been a little more intentional about it, and we’ve been a little more out in the open about it.”

Woods said in a recorded message that it’s an honor for him to give back to a community that has meant so much to him.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.