This painting was commisioned by Jack Nicklaus for his Sunday, prime time ABC Sports Television Special, "The 18 Most Difficult Holes in
Major Championship Golf." (1992).
In this ABC Sports TV Special, Jack would describe the history of each hole and why it belonged in this special group. During his explanation,
Nicklaus was superimposed onto each painting and walked around the scene while pointing out the different challenges of each hole, how to
play it, and the dangers each player faced - in this case, Rae's Creek which guards the front of the green.
The 12th hole of Augusta is framed by the legendary Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson bridges along with the notorious Rae's Creek. White and
pink azaleas with yellow chrysanthemums border the 13th tee box and the back portion of the 12th green. The golden bell flowers for which
this hole is named after, are located right behind the 2 bunkers guarding the backside of the green.
As Jack Nicklaus said, this is one of the shortest holes in his collection of challenging holes in major championship golf, but it is one of the
most feared and respected holes in major championship golf. Many Masters have been won and lost on this hole with the swirling winds that
haunt Amen Corner; casting balls into Rae's Creek, the menacing bunkers, or the bank behind the green where your chances of finding your
ball are slim and getting it up and down for par impossible.
Who can forget the break Fred Couples got in the 1992 Masters when his ball stopped short of rolling back into Rae's Creek?
Or the many stories that surround this hole like the famous one involving Claude Harmon and Ben Hogan where Harmon became the first
player in Masters history to ace the hole. As they strode off the 12th green to the 13th tee the silent Hogan looked over at Harmon and said,
"That's the first time I've ever birdied that hole." Hilarious in golf folklore!
The original painting is in the private collection of Jack Nicklaus.
