Eisenhower Tree
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The Eisenhower Tree was a
loblolly pine ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pi ...
located on the
Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...
in
Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
. In the 1950s it was named after
U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
who unsuccessfully lobbied to have it taken down after it interfered with his golf game. Due to its size, history, and location on a prominent golf course, it is considered iconic of the Augusta golf course and is one of the most famous trees in American golf. It was called "among the most famous landmarks in golf" by Cindy Boren in ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' and "arguably the most famous tree in golf" by Martin Dempster of ''
The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact (newspaper), compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until ...
''. In February 2014, the tree was removed after suffering extensive damage from a major ice storm.


Description and origins

The tree species was a native loblolly pine. It stood about tall and was wider than is typical. It was located on the 17th hole at the Augusta National Golf Club, approximately from the Masters tee on the left side of the fairway. It was estimated to be 100 to 125 years old at the time it died. Eisenhower was an Augusta National member who spent considerable time at the club. Indeed, in November 1952 when President-elect Eisenhower needed to be briefed by an atomic energy official on highly classified nuclear matters, including that the first successful hydrogen bomb test had been held, a secret meeting was held in the manager's office within the clubhouse at Augusta National. But as much as he liked Augusta National, Eisenhower hit the tree on the 17th fairway while playing golf so many times that, at a 1956 club meeting, he proposed that it be cut down. Not wanting to offend the president, the club's chairman, Clifford Roberts, immediately adjourned the meeting rather than reject the request. The tree was linked to Eisenhower ever since; when Eisenhower ran for President, there were bumper-stickers that read "
Ben Hogan William Ben Hogan (August 13, 1912 – July 25, 1997) was an American professional golfer who is generally considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He is notable for his profound influence on golf swing theory, hi ...
For President. If We're Going To Have A Golfer--Let's Have A Good One!"


Golfing history

The Eisenhower Tree has played a prominent role in the annual
Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...
. One year, the Tree came into play as
Tommy Aaron Thomas Dean Aaron (born February 22, 1937) is an American former professional golfer. He was a member of the PGA Tour during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Aaron is best known for winning the 1973 Masters Tournament. He is also known for an er ...
hit a shot off the 17th tee which became known as the "Lost Ball Incident". The ball could not be located and a drop was given. The next day according to Aaron, while playing on the 17th again, the ball apparently fell from its perch within the tree.
Jack Nicklaus Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is an American retired professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greate ...
stated "I'm not sure I believe it." When the course was redesigned in 1999 to be more challenging, there were concerns about the tree blocking players but it proved not to be a hindrance. In 2011,
Tiger Woods Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in List of golfers with most PGA Tour wins, PGA Tour wins, ranks second in List of men's major championships winning golfers, men's m ...
was playing a shot from underneath the Eisenhower and damaged his left knee and
Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...
when he slipped on some pine straw. The injuries sidelined him until August 2011 and his world ranking dropped to 58th.


Damage and replacement

In February 2014, the Eisenhower Tree was removed after suffering extensive damage during a major ice storm. "The loss of the Eisenhower Tree is difficult news to accept", Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said. "We obtained opinions from the best arborists available and … were advised that no recovery was possible." The storm occurred two months before the Masters Tournament. A remnant of the tree was donated to the
Eisenhower Presidential Library The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the presidential library and museum of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States (1953–1961), located in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas. The ...
in
Abilene, Kansas Abilene (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Dickinson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 6,460. It is home of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Libra ...
and is on display. The loss of the tree brought tributes. Jack Nicklaus said, "The Eisenhower Tree is such an iconic fixture and symbol of tradition at Augusta National. It was such an integral part of the game and one that will be sorely missed." There is another tree named after Eisenhower, located at Dalmeny Golf Club in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, planted by the President during a visit to
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
to receive the freedom of the city in 1946. On hearing of the death in Augusta, the club offered to provide an acorn to plant a new oak tree. A few yards beyond the Eisenhower Tree, another tree was planted a number of years ago. This tree was also removed due to the ice storm.


See also

*
List of individual trees The following is a list of individual trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as we ...


References


Further reading

* Posnanski, Joe (February 17, 2014)
"In Memoriam: Eisenhower's Tree"
The Golf Channel Golf Channel (also verbally referred to as simply "Golf" or "NBC Golf") is an American sports television network owned by the NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. Founded in Birmingham, Alabama, it is currently ba ...
. Accessed March 2014.


External links

* {{Masters Tournaments Individual pine trees 2010s individual tree deaths Augusta, Georgia Masters Tournament Individual trees in Georgia (U.S. state) Dwight D. Eisenhower Golf culture