After a one-year layoff, Jack Nicklaus returned to Augusta National to find a course he hardly recognized.

There's rough now. Several holes have been lengthened. Trees have been planted and replanted.

In each case, the changes were designed to make things tougher after Tiger Woods' record-setting Masters victory in 1997. Nicklaus, admittedly a traditionalist, seems a bit perturbed that club officials decided to tinker with the masterpiece created by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie.

"From a nostalgia standpoint, I don't like to see it happen," Nicklaus said Wednesday after a practice round. "But it's their golf tournament. If they make a change and I don't like it, it doesn't matter a damn."

The 60-year-old Nicklaus, a six-time champion at Augusta National, finished an electrifying sixth in the 1998 Masters, beating players less than half his age. But he sat out last year after undergoing hip-replacement surgery.

Upon his return, he commented on the changing face of the course, originally designed to resemble a seaside links amid the Georgia pines.

"They've changed the nature of the golf course," Nicklaus said. "The Masters has always been a different golf tournament than any other tournament. It's had open fairways, it's had hard and fast greens.

"Bobby Jones wanted a second-shot golf course," Nicklaus continued. "He loved St. Andrews and that style of golfing, second-shot golf courses. I think the concept of the golf course had changed greatly. It's looking more like a U.S. Open golf course than a Masters golf course."

At 6,985 yards, Augusta National is not much of a distance test for today's long-hitting players, so club officials feel they must remain vigilant to prevent their course from becoming a pushover.

This year, for instance, they altered the contour of several greens, narrowed the 10th fairway and planted trees along the 14th fairway and between Nos. 15 and 17.

"We get some criticism about changes every year," Hootie Johnson, chairman of Augusta National, said. "I'd say this tournament has a reputation for its tradition and customs. And I think we've maintained those pretty well."

Nicklaus believes the changes will serve their purpose.

"I do not believe you'll see a lot of record broken this week," he said. "That's probably what they were trying for, trying to put a little more fire into Augusta National. I certainly am not here to complain about it, by any means. My time at playing Augusta National has long passed. I'm here to have fun."

He's ready to pass the torch to his 31-year-old son, Gary, who had his best finish a week ago in the BellSouth Classic. The younger Nicklaus lost in a one-hole playoff to Phil Mickelson but still earned $302,400. He's not playing at Augusta this week.

"It's great for a father to see his son grow and mature and learn to handle situations without sitting there trying to run his life," the Golden Bear said. "I don't want him to replay my life. I want him to play his own life."