Challenges The Augusta National Golf Club challenge

[samhardy]

The Augusta National Golf Club challenge

The golf club at Augusta is one of the most famous sporting venues in the world, and has played host to the Masters every year since 1934. Containing 18 holes of extremely challenging moments, some a lot longer and more challenging than others, I couldn't help but link it to a potential challenge FMM wise. I acknowledge that a vast majority of the site will not be remotely interested in golf, however this 22 season long marathon will put your managerial ability to the test, no matter how skillful you think you are. Before I start introducing the challenge, let me establish a few pointers that will be important for the challenge:

• You start, and stay, as the manager of a Champions/Europa League team, in a league which contains 38 games. Yes I'm that fussy.
• There will be 18 seperate challenges set during the save that all relate to the holes at Augusta. All the holes that have a par score of 3 will be a half season challenge, a par score of 4 will be a season long challenge and a Par 5 will be a two season long challenge.
• During the challenge you will see the following terms:

1. Par - Every golfer manager will start with a score of 0. If you par a hole then you stay on 0.
2. Birdie - A birdie is something you receive if you do better than par on that hole. You will then be 1 under par for the round (-1).
3. Eagle - 2 under par for the round (-2)
4. Bogey - A bogey is something you receive if you fail to reach the target (par) for that hole. You will then be 1 over par overall (+1)
5. Double Bogey - 2 over par for the round (+2)

Confusing enough? Good. Now let's get on with the challenge.

Holes 1-9

Spoiler

Hole 1 - Tea Olive (Par 4)

So you've picked your team and are ready to start on this mammoth journey. What? Tea Olive? Yes, every hole at Augusta is named after the flower or tree that grows on that particular hole. Anyway, it's a flower native to Asia and is a fairly tricky hole to start off with. A birdie is very much achievable however it may be wise to just accept the par for the first hole, keep your score at 0 and move on. After all, you don't want to be +1 after just the first hole.

Challenge - Buy an Asian GK and ensure he concedes as few league goals as possible.

Eagle - 0-9 conceded

Birdie - 10-19 conceded

Par - 20-29 conceded

Bogey - 30-39 conceded

Double Bogey - 40+ conceded

Hole 2 - Pink Dogwood (Par 5)

This is your chance to make up some early ground and get ahead of the game before the more challenging holes start. It really is a case of risk versus reward, however, in seasons 2 and 3.

Challenge - Buy a striker from a club that wears pink. First season he must score as many as possible in all comps, must be beaten in second season. If the second season total is lower you automatically receive a double bogey. Must score over 30 first season or get the same punishment.

Eagle - 60-70 scored

Birdie - 50-59 scored

Par - 40-49 scored

Bogey - 30-39 scored

Double Bogey - Under 30

Hole 3 - Flowering Peach (Par 4)

Another fairly kind hole early on, however looks can be deceiving. Tread carefully here or risk dropping a few shots, however it's one you should be fine on given you have the whole season to do it.

Challenge - Have as many different players score a hat-trick in one season as possible. All competitions.

Birdie - 4+ players

Par - 3 players

Bogey - 2 players

Double Bogey - 1 player

Triple Bogey - 0 players

Hole 4 - Flowering Crab Apple (Par 3)

The first Par 3 on the course meaning the first half season challenge for you managers. This is a hole that requires precision and accuracy, and one that is a lot more challenging than originally meets the eye.

Challenge - In half a season (19 league games) you must get as close to the GD of +40, as possible.

Birdie - Within 5

Par - Within 10

Bogey - Within 15

Double Bogey - More then 15 away

Hole 5 - Magnolia (Par 4)

This picturesque hole is covered in the flower of Magnolia, native to the United States. A birdie on this hole is definitely possible but might be hard to get.

Challenge - Buy two American wing backs. They must get as many combined assists as possible in one season. All competitions.

Birdie - 40+ assists

Par - 30 assists

Bogey - 20 assists

Double Bogey - Less than 20 assists

Hole 6 - Juniper (Par 3)

So you're through 5 holes on the course and will have completed 6 seasons in total. If everything is going to plan you'll be under par and cruising at this point. However this short, snappy half season challenge can be a bit of a brute without the right preparation. Juniper has tripped up many world class golfers in the past.

Challenge - Team needs to score 2 or more goals every single game for half a season (up until Jan.15) in all competitions. Failing to do so:

Birdie - 4 or less times

Par - 5 times

Bogey - 6 times

Double Bogey - 7 or more times

Hole 7 - Pampas (Par 4)

With a medium level of difficulty, this hole has an air of Argentina about it, with it being distinctive for the Pampas grass growing on it. With it being native to Argentina, I'm sure you can guess where the challenge for season 8 will be going.

Challenge - Buy an Argentine winger. Get as many goals and assists combined in all competitions as possible.

Eagle - 50+ goals + assists

Birdie - 40 goals and assists

Par - 30 goals and assists

Bogey - 20 goals and assists

Double Bogey - 19 goals and assists or less

Hole 8 - Yellow Jasmine (Par 5)

A very long and drawn out hole, Yellow Jasmine is ideal for people looking to make up a couple of shots if they are falling down with their score. This two season challenge makes an eagle or a birdie the prime target for this hole.

Challenge - Buy a goalkeeper from a club that wears yellow. He must be played up front, and score as many goals in all competitions in two seasons as possible.

Eagle - 60 goals

Birdie - 45 goals

Par - 30 goals

Bogey - 20 goals

Double Bogey - 19 goals or less

Hole 9 - Carolina Cherry (Par 4)

Make the most of this hole because after this it really starts to get tricky. You may want to go for the birdie however be careful as if you underestimate it, you'll end up dropping back.

Challenge - Buy an MC from Bournemouth. Total up his goals and assists at the end of the season in all competitions. Then, if his average rating is above 7.00, then add 7 to the total. If it's below 7.00, then remove 7 from the total.

Birdie - 65 overall

Par - 50 overall

Bogey - 35 overall

Double Bogey - 34 or less overall

There. You've reached the end of the front 9. Halfway through. 11 seasons have passed, and hopefully you're currently under par and on the way to a good score. If you're over par then you're in serious trouble, as the next four holes are absolutely brutal and are known worldwide as some of the toughest challenges in the world of golf.

Hole 10

Spoiler

Hole 10 - Camellia (Par 4)

An absolutely monstrous challenge for anyone of any skill level. Arguably the toughest hole on the course, this season will require a total squad revamp. Before this point you've been able to keep *pretty much* whatever players you want. Not now. Even a bogey is tricky to get on this hole.

Challenge - At least 15 members of your squad must be Asian or American. On the 30th of every month, you must demote your 2 best performing players (Av.R wise) and never use them again. In January you may promote two players back up from the reserves of your choice. Win as many trophies as possible.

Birdie - Win all trophies

Par - Win all but 1

Bogey - Win all but 2

Double Bogey - Fail to win 3 of more

By now you would be forgiven for thinking "What have I let myself in for?" Sadly, it doesn't get any easier for the next 3 holes, in fact quite the opposite.

Amen Corner is the name given to holes 11, 12 and 13 at Augusta, due to the trickiness of the holes, and usually where most of the action has taken place in the past. Many golfers have seen their Masters dreams crushed during this section of the course. Let's hope you managers don't suffer the same fate, and come out relatively unscathed (not likely).

Amen Corner (Holes 11-13)

Spoiler

Hole 11 - White Dogwood (Par 4)

Many golfers make the mistake of thinking this is a relatively straight-forward hole from the off, which is also one of the reasons why it's statistically one of the hardest on the course. Just like the course itself, this challenge looks simple, but the targets are very tough to hit, especially seen as the squad will need some serious work from the depleted bunch that finished season 12.

Challenge - Team must keep as many league clean sheets as possible in one season.

Birdie - 30+ clean sheets

Par - 20-29 clean sheets

Bogey - 10-19 clean sheets

Double Bogey - 9 or less clean sheets

Hole 12- Golden Bell (Par 3)

Here we go then - the hole which sees more meltdowns than the Stadium of Light sees every season. This nightmare of a hole is guarded by a lake and several bunkers around it, as well as a sloped green, and when the wind is howling most players are pleased to keep the damage down to a minimum. So as you'll now expect, the challenge that awaits you managers is not particularly pleasant, even if it is just for half a season.

Challenge - From the previous season you must sell your best GK, defender, midfielder and striker (Av.R wise) and replace them with a Chinese player. If there aren't enough Chinese players on the database you'll have to do without a replacement. Must not lose any game in all competitions until Jan.15.

Birdie - 0 or 1 lost

Par - 2 lost

Bogey - 3 lost

Double Bogey - 4 or more lost

Hole 13 - Azalea (Par 5)

I already hear you all thinking "A nice pleasant two season challenge to repair the damage after season 14". Completely and utterly wrong (which you probably expect by now), in fact it's entirely the opposite.

Challenge - First season you have to win as many trophies you can, but they must be retained the second season to count at the end. Failure to win one in the first season means you can't go for it the second season.

Eagle - 5+ trophies

Birdie - 4 trophies

Par - 3 trophies

Bogey - 2 trophies

Double Bogey - 0 or 1 trophy

Well, you've reached the end of Amen Corner. Thankfully for you now, it doesn't get any worse. In fact, it gets quite a bit easier in the final 5 holes.

Holes 14-18

Spoiler

Hole 14 - Chinese Fir (Par 4)

A very attractive hole full of the originally Spanish turned Chinese flowers and one that is very possible to birdie. Just what is needed after a devilish experience in Amen Corner. It's a fairly kind challenge (really!) and shouldn't cause too much stress!

Challenge - Buy a strike force of a Spaniard and a Chinese. Must *combined* score as many between them in all competitions as possible in one season.

Birdie - 70 goals

Par - 50 goals

Bogey - 35 goals

Double Bogey - 20 goals

Triple Bogey - 19 or less goals

Hole 15 - Firethorn (Par 5)

Firethorn is one of the most famous holes at Augusta and is probably one of the easiest as well with the green make-able in 2 shots. In FMM terms, this is a great opportunity to gain back some much needed momentum going into the final three seasons.

Challenge - Buy a North American AMC who must get as many assists in 2 seasons as possible in all competitions.

Eagle - 80 assists

Birdie - 60 assists

Par - 40 assists

Bogey - 20 assists

Double Bogey - 19 or less assists

Hole 16 - Redbud (Par 3)

A very short hole but one that is played entirely over water. As long as you as managers don't do anything daft then you should be in with a reasonable chance for a birdie, but don't under-estimate the challenge of the hole either otherwise you'll be falling back yet again.

Challenge - In half a season (Jan.15) a centre back of your choice must score as many goals as possible in all competitions.

Birdie - 6+ goals

Par - 4 or 5 goals

Bogey - 3 goals

Double Bogey - 0-2 goals

Hole 17 - Nandina (Par 4)

Realistically, this will be the final chance to shape your score in a positive way because the final hole is a toughie. Typically this hole has been a mixed bag, it plays differently all the time. How will you go about it as you start the beginning of the end of this wonderful journey?

Challenge - Must buy any player age 35+ and that player must win as many Player of the Month awards as possible in one season.

Birdie - 3/4+ POTM

Par - 2 POTM

Bogey - 1 POTM

Double Bogey - 0 POTM

Hole 18 - Holly (Par 4)

This is it, the end of the journey. Hole 18. Season 22 (if you've managed to keep your job). There are no places to hide in the final hole, nothing really fancy to it. Just give your all and hope for the best.

Challenge - Every league game you fail to win will cost you.

Birdie - 0-2 failed to win

Par - 3-5 failed to win

Bogey - 6-7 failed to win

Double Bogey - 8+ failed to win

Congratulations, you've reached the end of Augusta. Now it's time to total up your score. How did you finish? Were you over par in total or under par?

Rules

• Own formations only
• No unlockables, editors, or outside software
• Must stay at the same club throughout
• Either match engine - depends on which way you want to go about it
• If you get sacked you fail to record a score
• Have fun

Leaderboard: (Completed Saves)

Nucleus (Monaco): -16

BatiGoal (A.C. Milan) -13

Leaderboard (Saves in Progress)

Grtep (Liverpool) -10 (9 holes completed)

Moe_Sakr (P.S.G): -2 (4 holes completed)

Growcanine (P.S.G): E (3 holes completed)

Can you master Augusta?

All pictures from www.masters.com

[Taff]

You sir are pure evil 

[samhardy]

@BatiGoal added to the live leaderboard. -1 after 2, solid start!

[BatiGoal]

Fantastic! If I wasn't motivated enough already this certainly will. Oh no, have I got the Taffy bug?

[Growcanine]

How do you sign up?

[BatiGoal]

1 hour ago, Growcanine said:

How do you sign up?

Just start a career in a separate thread and post your progress at your own pace. 

[samhardy]

@BatiGoal is in the clubhouse on -13! Will be a tough score to beat.

[BatiGoal]

37 minutes ago, samhardy said:

@BatiGoal is in the clubhouse on -13! Will be a tough score to beat.

For the moment there aren't many leaderboards that I'm topping so It's a joy to see my name at the very top. My it last a lifetime

[Jens]

Let's not do this. Waaaay too iffy. Me lazy. Me no play long term like this.

[Titjes]

18 minutes ago, Jens said:

Let's not do this. Waaaay too iffy. Me lazy. Me no play long term like this.

there are alot of 1 season challenges now, maybe you should look at those  

[samhardy]

@Nucleus the new clubhouse leader by 3 shots over @BatiGoal!