Holder and four-time US Masters champion Tiger Woods. (Photo: China Daily)

It is the shortest par-three at Augusta National, but with its unpredictable, swirling winds it requires one of the most demanding tee shots in golf.

Holder and four-time US Masters champion Tiger Woods said he always feels "nervousness" and "adrenaline" when he stands on the tee at the 155-yard 12th hole.

For fellow American and double winner Ben Crenshaw, the intimidating hole named Golden Bell can make any player "look like a fool."

Gary Player, who won three green jackets, describes the 12th as the "hole of vultures."

Tom Weiskopf, a runner-up at four Masters, will never forget running up a gut-wrenching 13 there in 1980.

Deceptively simple though it might appear from the tee, Golden Bell demands pin-point club selection and the ability to anticipate accurately the effect of the wind above the tree line.

The breezes or gusts you experience standing on the tee often bear no relation to the influence above the shallow green across the inviting water of Rae's Creek.

Club selection on one of the most famous holes in golf can range from a six to a nine-iron.

Awkward angle

The green, set at an awkward angle to the tee, has two bunkers at the back and one in front.

While Rae's Creek lies in wait for any under-hit tee shot, blossoms and azaleas lining the bank on the far side will swallow up anything long.

Hardly surprising, then, that most Masters competitors experience a cold sweat, a churn of the stomach and shaking knees when they consider Golden Bell's challenge.

"It doesn't matter what the conditions are, every year the toughest shot at Augusta is number 12," said Woods, who became the youngest Masters champion in 1997 at the age of 21.

"There's just no bailout there and it's all about swirling winds, adrenaline and nervousness. It's about trying to get committed to that wind because it can switch on you in a heartbeat.

 "I remember playing there in 1998 with Davis (Love III) and we both hit six-irons.

"His carried over the back bunker and mine barely got into the front bunker because the wind switched. It was two totally different winds.

"That's the hard part, trying to determine where the wind is coming from and hitting the proper golf shot, and hopefully getting a little lucky, too."

Luck factor

Crenshaw, winner of the Masters in 1984 and 1995, agreed that luck was often a factor at the 12th.

"The hole eventually makes you look like a fool," he said. "Because of the wind there are times when you just hit and hope.

"A few years ago I was playing the hole on a windy day and I didn't know what to do. After a lot of deliberating, I finally hit the shot and it went straight left and up and landed considerably short and in the water."

Nine-time major winner Player, Masters champion in 1961, 1974 and 1978, loves the sense of theatre provided by the 12th.

"For excitement, drama and heartbreak, there's never been another like it," said the South African. "It's the toughest short par-three ever."

Britain's Nick Faldo, a three-time champion at Augusta, said Golden Bell is one of the most subtle holes around.

"Given the brutish angle of the 12th green, if you intend to go for the heart of the target area then suddenly think: 'No, I'll go left,' you will have too much club," he said.

"But if you decide to go right, you will come up short. It is one of the subtlest holes in world golf."

Editor: Donald