By Peter Kostis
GolfWeb contributing editor

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- I, like many others, was surprised when I saw the announcement from Augusta National chairman Hootie Johnson that there were changes made to the golf course for this year's Masters.

Oh, I wasn't surprised that changes were made. I was surprised that they actually made an official announcement.

The changes have probably been in the works for five or six years. Believe me, this is nothing new.

When Jack Nicklaus broke Ben Hogan's scoring record in 1965 (the record that Tiger Woods broke two years ago), he returned in 1966 to find two new fairway bunkers on the 18th hole. Why? One reason was that he decided a good way to play the last hole was just bomb it over the corner of the dogleg into the old practice area. With those two new bunkers, that was no longer possible.

At one time, the first hole was the current 10th hole. Why the change? Because 18 is a better finishing hole than No. 9? Nope. Because 10, 11 and 12 are the low points of the property, and there were always frost delays on those holes that kept the members from teeing off on cool fall mornings. So, the nines were switched to get members out on the course quicker. The famous MacKenzie bunker 50 yards short of the 10th green used to be beside the first green.

So changes are nothing new at Augusta National.

How will the changes affect the tournament this year? Let's go through them one-by-one:

The second hole: The tee on the par-5 has been lengthened about 25 yards, and a fairway bunker has been moved forward, now 290 yards from the tee and nearly impossible to carry. It's a three-shot hole for most players -- though Tiger Woods played it last Monday and hit in two with a 4-iron second shot. Most of the guys will no longer challenge the hole for a chance to hit a 250-yard shot from a downhill lie. So it now plays into the hands of players like Jeff Maggert and Brad Faxon.

The 11th hole: The green was raised about three feet, and at the same time about 1,500 square feet were added as well. The change was done primarily to avoid losing the green when Rae's Creek flooded. Also, two bunkers in the back of the green were combined into one.

As Craig Parry putts, workers treat a bunker in the 17th fairway.(AP)

One result of all this is that there are some new back-left pin placements that are going to be unbelievably difficult. Now, if you knock it long, everything will funnel into the water left of the green.

Many players hit shots to the right of the green - as I did when I played the course last Sunday. Because of these changes, the ball could bounce hard-left off the mounds guarding the right side and go right in the water - which is exactly what happened to me. So now, you have to hit it even farther right to bail out on your second shot.

The 15th hole: The mounds on the right side of the landing area of the drive on this par-5 --- added years ago to accommodate spectators -- have been taken out. Any tee shots that caught those mounds would kick back into the fairway. Longer shots that caught the downslope would be catapulted down the fairway.

Now, anyone hitting a tee shot to the right will have to contend with a second cut of rough (I'll get to that a little later), or being blocked by 24 new pine trees that were planted, all of them over 20 feet tall. Not only will it make going for the green in two more difficult, but it could even affect a layup.

They've also modified the area to the right and behind the green, so balls over the green will roll into the pond on the 16th hole.

The 17th hole: The changes here are probably the most controversial. They've added 25 yards to the hole, so it is now 261 yards from the marker on the tee to carry the ball up onto the flat area in the fairway. It you don't carry it, you're going to have a severely-uphill lie.

So, players like Woods, Davis Love III, John Daly, David Duval -- they're going to fly it up onto the flat, the ball is going to release and they're going to have short irons into the green, just as always. Maybe not sand wedges, but certainly not much more.

But, for shorter hitters that don't make the flat, it's going to mean a middle- or long-iron second shot, and that is going to make the hole much more difficult.

Will any of these changes really Tiger-proof Augusta?(AP)

The rough: You've been hearing about it for months now, and after playing the course, I can tell you that yes, there is now a second cut of rough at Augusta National.

So what will that mean?

In some respects, I think it actually may make the course play easier. The rough now very-sharply defines the fairway. When you're looking at nothing but a lot of beautiful, manicured grass, it's harder to focus on where you want to hit your shot. Now, it's more obvious. For example, the way the trees and second cut frame the drive on the 15th, I think it actually helps you line up your shot.

But it can complicate things. On the ninth hole for example, if there's no rain and conditions remain firm and fast, you're going to see players hitting 3-woods off that tee, because drives could run through the fairway into the rough.

We're not talking U.S. Open-type rough here, not even Bermuda rough like we saw last year at The Tour Championship at East Lake. But it can lead to squirtors and flyers, and it's going to be a challenge for players to gauge exactly how the golf ball will be affected.

Ultimately, it will mean that the players will have to put a little more thought into the tee shot. The veteran players always had to think their way around the course, in terms of placing the tee shot in the right spot to get to the right place on the greens. Now, there will be different bail-out areas, places to hit it, and in some cases, playing to greens with different irons than players are used to.

So when I read stories about Augusta being "Tiger-proofed" I just have to laugh. Don't these people know anything about golf history? We seem to have convenient and short memories. There have been probably 75 changes to the course in the 60-or-so years it has been open for play. None of this year's changes are outlined in stone anymore than the previous changes were.

This year, the powers at Augusta will chart the results, and if the changes don't make sense, they could just as easily be gone by next year. Keep in mind that above all, even with arguably the most famous golf tournament in the world, Augusta National is a members course. In my opinion, officials don't make changes for the betterment of the tournament at the expense of the members who play the course the other 35 or so weeks of the year.

In some respects, you can make a case that the second cut of rough, for example, will make the course play harder this week for the best players in the world, but easier next week for Hootie Johnson.

That's what makes Augusta National different … and that's one thing that will never change.

Editor's note: Peter Kostis, a commentator and analyst on CBS and USA Network's golf telecasts, and one of the game's most-respected teachers, is also a GolfWeb Contributing Editor.