Augusta National’s 13th hole seems to always play a crucial role in the tournament. It’s the final hole in the famed trio known as “Amen Corner” and a hole that presents players with what Bobby Jones once coined a “momentous decision.”

The green on this par 5 is reachable for most players in the field, but they’ll need to hit a long iron or fairway wood from a sloping fairway and over a small creek that encircles the green. Those who pull it off are left with an opportunity to make birdie or even eagle.

But before they can attempt that shot, they need to execute another crucial stroke. The tee shot on No. 13 presents its own challenges, requiring a pronounced right-to-left shot to get around the corner of the hole’s dogleg and keep the ball in the fairway. The tee shot must be squeezed between trees on the right and the creek on the left side of the fairway.

The tee shot requires a balancing act of both distance and trajectory. Those unique demands, and the hole’s picturesque scenery, are two reasons why the tee shot on No. 13 is among the most iconic shots on the legendary course (the 13th tee also is one of the most famous spots on the course because it is located in a quiet corner of the property, hundreds of yards away from any patrons, offering one last moment of solitude before facing Augusta National’s final holes).

The 13th also is one of several tee shots that causes players to reconsider their equipment setup for the week. Nos. 13, 2 and 10 are among the holes that require a pronounced draw off of the tee, contributing to the long-held belief that the Masters favors players who work the ball right-to-left.

With today’s lower-spinning balls, however, a "power fade" has become the common shot shape off the tee for PGA TOUR players. A fade provides more control, and today’s technology means players aren’t sacrificing as much distance with a fade as they were in previous years. It’s also harder to hit a draw because of the high MOI (or moment of inertia) in today’s drivers.

That’s why many players have relied on 3-woods to hit draws off the tee. Because of fairway woods' smaller head sizes and more face-forward centers of gravity, it is easier to work these clubs right to left. But they also bring in a greater risk of a costly mishit.

This conundrum is where the mini driver comes in. These clubs, which have been one of the top equipment trends of 2025, offer the higher loft players are seeking while also providing a larger head, and thus more forgiveness.

Mini drivers are designed as a “best of both worlds” type of solution for the modern golfer, because they provide more distance and surface area on the face than fairway woods, but they also offer more control and workability than drivers. Think of these mini drivers as the “sweet spot” between drivers and 3-woods.

Mini driver usage on the PGA TOUR has boomed over the last several years. The craze started with the TaylorMade BRNR, which was first spotted in early 2023, and players such as Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott were early adopters. Now, nearly every major club company has a mini-driver of their own. Callaway has a new Elyte Mini, Titleist has a GT280, and Cobra has “The Deuce” prototype 2-wood.

“I call this mini driver season,” said Adrian Rietveld, TaylorMade’s senior Tour manager. “If you look at the stats around Augusta National, there are holes where you’d lose half a shot to the field if you miss the fairway. So now how do you hit the fairway? Do you hit 3-wood? Now you’re really giving up something to the field there (because of a lack of distance). But you can find that happy medium by using a club like a mini driver, get it in play, get it far enough down there, and statistically, over four rounds, you’re probably gaining on the field. … It’s a golf course where you do need every shot, and I think the mini driver adds to the ease of producing those golf shots.”

It's not just the 13th hole where using the mini driver can be an advantage at Augusta National, either.

“The second hole now with the tee further back, if you’re not one of the guys that can carry the (right fairway bunker), for me, can I hit a mini that’s short of it, knowing that it’s fine, and I’m still going to get it on the green or greenside from where I am,” Fleetwood said. "I think for me, 10 is a great mini-driver hole, unless it’s playing short and I can hit driver and turn it. Thirteen, my mini driver turns over, so that will be a nice one. … And 18, as well, I can hit it and it’s short of the bunkers on the left. So there are actually a few holes I can hit (the mini driver).”

When asked about mini driver or “2-wood” usage at Augusta National this week, Cobra rep Ben Schomin added further insight.

“I think there are enough holes, like 13, where you don’t want to hit it too far, and you don’t want to hit it too short, and if you have something where you’re a little more confident working from right to left, it could be worth (using it at the Masters) just for the 13th hole if you think about it,” he said. “It’s very important for you to have your tee ball in the right spot on that hole. And even No. 10, off the tee is a really good one to sling and get it working right to left, so if it’s easier to … hit a low 2-wood off the tee from right to left, that may be a better play.”

Hitting it right to left is important at Augusta National, and today’s players have a new option for doing it.