'This is the most complete test of golf, because it tests all areas of your game,' two-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson said. 'It's important to drive the ball well, because if you don't, you're in the trees and you don't have a chance.

'It's important to be creative and hit shots when you are in the rough.

'You have to have perfect distance control to get the ball to fly to the right sections of the greens and not run through into trouble.

'And your short game has to be impeccable, because these are the most demanding greens that we'll ever face.'

Tiger Woods, whose one-man wrecking job in 1997, when he shot 18 under par and won by 12 shots for his first Masters title, prompted 'Tiger-proofing' changes such as more length, narrower fairways, more trees and a smattering of rough.

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At 7,445 yards, Augusta, so exclusive that even the members are not allowed to play for five months of the year as the summer sun is deemed too hot for the delicate fairways, is one of the longest courses used for Major championships.

When Zach Johnson won last year, his one-over 289 matched the highest winning score in Masters history.

Score one for the course, with an assist from cold and windy weather.

Regardless of the motivation behind building a meaner Augusta National, Woods' length off the tee, his ability to spin the ball out of the first cut, his short game and his tournament success rate mean he is probably as well prepared as anyone to take on the challenge.

Still, he admits there is plenty of trouble at Augusta, and you do not have to go very far to find it.

'You've got to fight through every hole,' he said. 'It's just the nature of that golf course. I've played some interesting clubs off some holes.

'For instance, on No12, I've hit as little as a wedge and as much as a four-iron.

'It's hard to describe. People don't realise how difficult that place is until you actually get there and you see it. Any hole can get you there, so it's not just one hole.'

Since the Masters began keeping hole statistics in 1942, the toughest hole on the course has been the 495-yard, par-four 10th. The 505-yard par-four 11th is the fourth-most difficult and the 155-yard par-three 12th over Rae's Creek the second-toughest hole.

But those figures may be skewed and the 11th actually might be the toughest hole because of its recent remodelling.

In 2002, the 11th tee was moved back 35 yards and five yards to the golfer's right, and a portion of the landing area was regraded.

In 2004, 36 pine trees were added to the right side of the fairway. And then in 2006, the tee was moved back another 15 yards, more trees were added to the right side of the fairway, and the fairway was shifted more to the left.

It certainly has caught Woods' attention.

'Eleven has become by far the hardest hole. They put those trees in there, and the angle of the tee shot is tougher.'

'They've raised the green up on the right, so that you can't play - Larry Mize's shot, that shot doesn't exist anymore,' Woods said, referring to Mize's 140-foot chip-in at No11 in 1987. 'They've made that hole so much more difficult.'

None of the holes is easy, but that is the style at Augusta now. And partly because of that, the past four editions have been thoroughly engaging - two wins by Mickelson sandwiching Woods' play-off victory over Chris DiMarco, punctuated by last year's surprise, Johnson.

Still, when you drive down Magnolia Lane and your name is Woods, you know the course better than anyone.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Masters, day 1
Live, Ch24, tomorrow, 4am