Posts tagged Augusta
Golf: ‘Adopted Welshman’ McDowell ready for Augusta test
Apr 3rd
IAN Woosnam is unlikely to be wearing the Green Jacket next Sunday night as US Masters champion, though one ‘adopted Welshman’ might.
For former Cardiff resident Graeme McDowell will head to the Augusta National this week as part of the proud European contingent at the top end of world golf, all of whom have a genuine shot at claiming the first golfing Major of the season.
“Obviously it would be a huge honour to be able to slip that jacket on my shoulders at any stage during my career,” said McDowell, who set up home in the Welsh capital with former girlfriend Kimberley Stanworth in 2003 before splitting up some time later.
“Augusta is a truly special place and the Masters is a phenomenal and unique golf tournament steeped in history.
“I was lucky enough to experience the thrill of winning a Major last year at Pebble Beach and to experience winning the Masters at some point would be a really special feeling.
“All I can do is work hard and prepare myself as best I can, but everyone who knows me knows that to be in the mix on the back nine of a Sunday afternoon at Augusta is a challenge I would relish.”
Being in that situation would bring immense pressure, but the seven-time European Tour champion showed last year he is more than equipped to handle the demands of big-time professional golf.
Two weeks after winning the Wales Open title at Newport’s Celtic Manor, McDowell kept his head at Pebble Beach to become the first European golfer in 40 years to win the US Open.
He followed that up with an ice-cool display in the anchor match of the Ryder Cup singles back at the Celtic Manor Resort, beating Hunter Mahan 3&1 to ease Europe over the winning line.
As well as having the ‘bottle’ to handle such situations, McDowell admitted that preparing the groundwork thoroughly before any Major was vital – and nowhere more so than among the azaleas.
“Augusta requires every aspect of your game to be absolutely razor sharp,” he added.
“You need to drive it well, know where to land the ball on the greens, and, even more importantly, know where not to hit it on the greens.
“Furthermore, your short game needs to be in good shape and you must putt well.
“Good preparation is key and I’ll be spending time playing Augusta this week to map out how I will play each hole.”
From www.walesonline.co.uk
Augusta an unhappy hunting ground for Australians
Apr 2nd
FOR Australians, it’s often been close … but no green jacket. But there could be a simple reason why we haven’t won golf’s ultimate prize.
THERE aren’t many gaps in Australian sport’s collective trophy cabinet.
An Olympic men’s sprint gold medal, soccer’s World Cup, the Tour de France and a men’s basketball world title aside, our global conquests know few bounds.
But among all the sports we hold dearly on an international level, there is one great chasm – the green jacket, the US Masters’ annual contribution to sporting greatness, if not fashion.
No fewer than 14 major championship trophies reside in Australia, but not one originates from Augusta National.
From Jim Ferrier to Greg Norman and Bruce Devlin to Stuart Appleby, we’ve come devilishly close so many times, but just can’t push our way into Butler Cabin to pick up what has become golf’s ultimate prize.
Australians have a staggering 37 top-10 finishes in 74 editions of the Masters, including an agonising nine “podium placings”, six of which belong to the inimitable Norman.
Of all the “traditional” tournaments still played on the US PGA Tour – notwithstanding name changes – the only two others not to have been held by Australian hands are the events now known as the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Farmers Insurance Open (formerly San Diego Open).
This against successes – most multiple – in 31 other events before what is now known as the Fall Series late in the American season.
Even relative golfing backwaters such as Fiji and Canada have saluted.
So why our continual failure at Augusta, especially when we have had a crop of golfers consistently in the world’s top 50 for much of the past three generations?
Surprisingly enough, the answer appears relatively simple.
To borrow from a phrase that has slipped into our sporting vernacular: can’t putt, can’t chip.”
Many of our best players, past and present, put it down to our inability to conquer the glassy Augusta greens and their intricate surrounds.
Jack Newton, himself a Masters runner-up to Spanish great Seve Ballesteros in 1980, goes a step further in saying we have become a country of golfers with fantastic swings, but little substance around the short grass.
“I’m amazed we haven’t won one,” Newton said.
“Especially when the course is not totally dissimilar to ones we play in Australia.
“But the big difference is the greens. The only comparison is Royal Melbourne in the old days when the greens were that hard and fast that they had this blue colour about them.
“To win at Augusta, you have to have a great putting week and we just haven’t had a bloke capable.
“What it tells me, especially now with so many good players around, is that we have become infatuated with swing looks.
“We’ve got great swings, great swing coaches, but just nobody who focuses on the short game. That’s where the Yanks have it all over us.”
Australia’s current No. 2 Robert Allenby agrees.
“Most Aussies on tour are good ball strikers, they always have been, as far as I can remember,” Allenby said.
“Which is telling me that our short games just aren’t good enough to win there. If you think back about who’s won at Augusta, there hasn’t been a bloke who hasn’t had a brilliant short game.
“(Phil) Mickelson has the best short game going around. Tiger (Woods) obviously is great around the greens, even Zach Johnson.
“And blokes like Mike Weir, he’s just an unbelievable putter.
“As well our guys hit it … I think it’s because we haven’t had anyone with one of those brilliant short games.”
Two other factors aren’t as immediately apparent.
Not unique to Augusta National, but foreign to most Australian courses, is that the partly rye grass around the greens is cut so that its grain runs away from the putting surface.
This makes short pitches treacherous with club faces regularly catching the grass before the ball, increasing the need for precision.
The second is that the course is accessible only to the special few each year, which Newton says works against overcoming its unique challenges.
“(So) if you’re not in, you don’t get to play it until the next time. You can go years without seeing it,” he said.
“Then, every year, they make subtle little changes and every time you see it, you spend a couple of rounds figuring out new nuances.
“That’s the same for everyone, obviously, but I think that’s part of it.
“And there’s no doubt the boys think about it and that probably builds up, as well.
“It will happen. We will win it. It might not be this year, it might be another five or 10, but the key for them all is to work on that putting.
“If you’re not a seriously good putter and have a hot week, you won’t win at Augusta. Simple as that.”
Testament to Newton’s theory is his own 1980 brush with history and Ballesteros.
He had fallen nine shots behind the Spaniard in the final group before the closing nine holes, but closed to within two with four to play.
But Seve’s brilliant two-putt from the back of the treacherous 14th green proved the difference.
“Then I three-putted 15 and that was the ball game – it’s all in the putter there, more than anywhere else.”
From www.heraldsun.com.au
Golf: Augusta Still Sits At Number 1 – Yeah Right!
Apr 1st
No kidding, the word is out that the Golf Digest panel are about to release (April 05) their full list of America’s 100 greatest golf courses and once again they’ve selected Augusta National as the number one golf course.
Since I’ve never played there and unlike so many, many golfers I’ve no great desire to play Augusta, I’m in need of the support of someone who is widely respected in the golf community.
Geoff Shackelford writes, ‘Longtime readers know I’ve never been a fan of the Golf Digest panel’s architectural intuition, starting back when they debuted Shadow Creek in the top 10 in 1993. And now that I’m a member of the family, well, it’s still not a secret that I think the panel needs to be shed of lots of dead weight that is tainting the work of those who take the evaluation of architecture and playability seriously. The emphasis of the panel continues to focus on hard, expensive and exclusive courses, so fittingly the panel keeps Augusta #1 in America.’
Alas #2 and #3 are also expensive and exclusive courses. Nevertheless Pine Valley at number 2 really turns me on and even more so Shinnecock at number 3. I’ve also fancied having a game at Whistling Straits however I’ll have to think twice about that one. Geoff writes, ‘And the bloated Whistling Straits, which no one in the right mind wants to play more than once.’
Granted one wish by the golfing gods I’d chose Cypress Point at number 5, of which it’s been said that Alister would still recognise his course design. Unlike…Nuf said already.
And if not granted my game at Cypress Point, I’m guaranteed a round at the Pacific Grove Muni course which has been described as “The Poor Man’s Pebble Beach”.
In my previous post I mentioned the discussion generated by Bradley Hughes’ remarks about golf club design and how swinging ‘flatter’ may just fast track the way to improving your golf.
Andrew Rice has joined in the conversation and has very valuable information on the subject. It’s a must-go-to web site if you are thinking about buying new clubs.
My eyes lit up when I read, ‘Too often we now see golfers throwing the club through impact – pushing the club head off to the right of the target or throwing the clubhead left of the target with their hand roll – FLIPPING (My choice of emphasis) the club face over by hand action trying to correct the mistake’
Having in recent weeks been told several times that flipping is my problem I was of course very interested in Andrew’s comments.
Reflecting on why this has become a real issue for me in recent months I put it down to health/strength issues with my left leg accompanied by the ageing process. Sounds logical since flipping is particularly prominent in senior golfers. But now I’ll have to think again.
According to Andrew most golfers use clubs which have too much of an upright lie and asks, ‘If flat lie angles were the choice of the game’s best ball strikers throughout history then WHY do manufacturers insist on putting upright lie angled clubs in the hands of golfer’s today?’ You’ll have to click on the link below to find Andrew’s answer to an intriguing question.
Here’s the link to Geoff and to Andrew.
Thought for the day
“The course (Augusta) is just crazy. They’ve moved the first tee all the way back to the tree where we used to hang around and drink. It’s ludicrous, but I’ll still watch it. It’s a major. It’s a great place for the galleries, and it’s beautiful. But no, it’s not a great course.” – Lee Trevino talking to Lorne Rubenstein
Slainte
Stan
From www.voxy.co.nz
Suspects fled through Augusta National grounds, deputies say
Mar 30th
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Richmond County sheriff’s deputies say they chased men believed to be suspects in an early morning home invasion on Wheeler Road onto the grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club early this morning.
Richmond County sheriff’s Investigator Darrell Turner said the suspects fled onto the grounds of the golf course.
They are believed to be the same men who had entered the home of a legally blind resident in the 2500 block of Wheeler Road around midnight. One of the men was armed with a sawed-off shotgun, Turner said. The men demanded money and forced the victim to the floor.
Turner said a deputy spotted men fleeing in the area and chased them toward the Augusta National, where two of the suspects climbed a fence and entered the course. Security staff at the golf course joined the chase but the suspects were not apprehended.
Deputies say they later arrested Justice Ellison, 26, of the 1900 block of Central Avenue, at his home, charging him with burglary, armed robbery and possession of a firearm.
From chronicle.augusta.com
Video Game Features Augusta National Golf Club For First Time
Mar 30th
The Augusta National Golf Club is no longer just for members.
For the first time in history, the famous golf course that sits in the heart of Augusta will be featured on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12.
Playing the Augusta National on a television screen has long been the desire of avid golf fans and video game gurus, but the course never sold the rights to do so until now. The added course is the headlining feature of the video game that has dominated the golf gaming market for years.
The game expects to take full advantage of the right to play the course, adding features such as “Masters Moments,” where the gamer can relive some of the tournament’s most famous shots, and “Tiger at the Masters,” where the gamer can attempt to play Woods’ four wins in Augusta.
Early screenshots and trailers show Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 has captured the beauty of the Augusta National in full effect. Such an addition will likely drive up sales of the franchise throughout the market, especially in the area of the golf course itself. A good idea is to grab the game early and while it lasts in Augusta.
Other features for the game include caddies, which offer advice on clubs to use and lining up putts. It is likely a result of expectations of more newcomers to the game with little knowledge of the sport.
The game has a total of 15 golf courses, including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews along with the Augusta National. There are 22 licensed golfers, including newcomers Rickie Fowler, Bubba Watson and Zach Johnson. Established golfers such as Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, Camilo Villegas and Ian Poulter return.
The game will be released to stores on March 29. Formats for the game are Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. Playstation 3 will also have it featured for the Playstation Move.
From www.asubellringer.com
Seve won’t be at Augusta, but memories fill the void
Mar 27th
As has sadly been the case since 2007, when he made the last of 28 Masters appearances, the stricken Seve Ballesteros will be absent this week when golf makes its annual pilgrimage to Augusta, Ga.
Absent but not forgotten, that is. How could he be? Anyone lucky enough to have seen the most charismatic, exciting and historically significant European player of the last half-century is sure to recall the dashing Spaniard — who was struck by a brain tumor in 2008 and will turn 54 on the Saturday of the tournament — as he swashbuckled his way to five major championship victories and a record 50 European Tour wins amid a worldwide total of 87.
The included two Masters victories, in 1980 and 1983.
The standard bearer for a generation of European stars who brought an end to a long era of American domination at the highest level of the game, Ballesteros at times reached heights attained only by true genius. Which is surely why the dark-haired little boy who grew up hitting pebbles with a stick on the vast sandy beach near his home village of Pedrena on Spain’s northern coast played golf in a way that was about more than numbers on scorecards.
In stark contrast to the more pedestrian style of his great rival and direct contemporary, Nick Faldo, Ballesteros was a golfing artist for whom the creation of unlikely shots was an obligation and necessity. Where Faldo was admired for his results, Ballesteros was loved and revered for his uninhibited passion.
The greatest shot the greatest golfer of all time ever saw was hit by Ballesteros, a towering and massively sliced 3-wood from under the lip of a fairway bunker on the 18th hole at PGA National in Florida during the 1983 Ryder Cup. It was enough to give Ballesteros a half with Fuzzy Zoeller and Jack Nicklaus the memory of a peerless golfing lifetime.
Almost everyone has a favorite “Seve moment” in his or her mental lockers. From the moment he burst upon the international stage with his runner-up spot behind Johnny Miller in the 1976 Open at Royal Birkdale, Ballesteros provided a vivid array of shots that linger forever in the mind’s eye.
Former U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy is but one devoted Seve fan.
When the Australian visited Royal Lytham for the first time as a young amateur, he went straight to the left side of the 18th green. It was from there, in 1988, that Ballesteros conjured a magically delicate running chip, one that softly kissed the edge of the cup before expiring only inches away. Moments later, he tapped in for what would be his fifth and final Grand Slam victory.
“I just had to see the spot where he had been,” remembers Ogilvy. “I had played that shot in my mind so often.”
But Ogilvy’s is only one of a host of unforgettable images. As an unknown 19-year-old at the Open in ’76, Seve executed an imaginative chip-and-run between two greenside bunkers to set up one last birdie on the 72nd hole. At home in Texas, no less a shot maker than Lee Trevino — twice an Open champion — leapt from his armchair in unrestrained admiration at the youngster’s nerve, audacity and touch.
Eight years later, Ballesteros was at it again, on the 72nd green at St. Andrews, the Home of Golf. Ten feet from the cup in two shots and needing to hole it for almost certain victory over his only remaining rival, Tom Watson, Seve made the putt to clinch his second Claret Jug as only he could. Two feet from the hole, the ball was missing on the topside. Even one foot away it looked like staying above ground. The great man had allowed too much borrow. But, at the last moment — as if guided by a higher power — the ball toppled into the cup, setting off perhaps the most memorable celebration in the history of golf’s oldest event.
As the ball disappeared, every single member of the huge crowd spontaneously rose as Ballesteros broke into a sustained punching of the air, images that defined his attitude to both the game he played and the people he sought to entertain. Again and again his arm swept skyward, his expressive face alive with the sheer excitement of the moment, the connection between player and spectator almost palpable.
It wasn’t all success though. Not surprisingly for one who so often veered close to the edge of disaster, Ballesteros was not renowned for consistent straightness in his shot making. The most damaging swing of his career came at Augusta National on the 15th hole of the final round in the 1986 Masters. With an embarrassingly fat 4-iron Seve found water rather than land. Had he done the opposite, it would surely have been the Spaniard rather than Nicklaus who would later win what was perhaps the greatest-ever Masters.
Still, for all his heroics in golf’s four most important events, Ballesteros’ play in the Ryder Cup provided even more distinguishing moments. On and off the course, his air of supreme confidence more than anything epitomized the previously unimaginable sense that the mighty Americans could be beaten.
“Seve was unbelievable,” says Scotland’s Sam Torrance, eight times a Ryder Cup player. “Of course, he didn’t much like the Americans. He really wanted to win.”
And he did, in a special way that was beyond the ken of all but the chosen few. As we Scots like to say of an honored guest, “Haste ye back Seve.”
From www.cbssports.com
Golf-American Fowler sees hope for young guns at Augusta
Mar 24th
American Rickie Fowler feels the recent lack of form displayed by established winners ahead of next month’s U.S. Masters gives the sport’s younger generation, including himself, a chance for glory.
Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner at Augusta and the defending champion, has yet to win this year, and Tiger Woods, a four-time Masters winner, is without a tour win since 2009.
While nobody is ruling out either Woods or Mickelson at Augusta there is a feeling that the field is wide open for a young challenger to make their name.
“I definitely think there is a possibility. A lot of the young guys are playing well right now. A few guys have already won this year,” Fowler, 22, told reporters on Thursday after firing a three-under-par 69 to leave him tied for second and three shots off the pace at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“There are a lot of us that are going to be in the field and the way I look at it, if I am in a field I have a chance to win and so I am going to try to win.”
German Martin Kaymer, 26, is currently top of the world rankings and Rory McIlroy the 21-year-old from Northern Ireland is rated eighth, but there are a host of other young players who have shown tournament winning form.
American Gary Woodland, 26, captured his first U.S. PGA Tour title at the Transitions Championship last week while Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas, also 26, won the Bob Hope Classic in January for his maiden victory in only his fifth start.
Fowler, in his second full year on the tour, has risen to 30th in the world rankings but has yet to claim a win on the PGA Tour and he says he is trying to be patient.
“I think to be playing professional golf you have to be pretty patient. Obviously I have been in contention a few times and I feel like my time is coming and I have to keep putting myself in the position (to win),” said Fowler.
From uk.eurosport.yahoo.com
Quiet Augusta has much to offer
Mar 12th
If you want to go to the quietest place on Earth, where nothing buzzes, blips, beeps, or even bleats, then you’ll need a ticket to Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters Tournament.
Although the golf course may be popping with brilliant pink, fuchsia, and white of a bazillion azaleas and dogwoods and loud with lavenderhued wisteria, you’ll not hear a human sound in the few seconds just before the best golfers in the world tee off into the Georgia sunshine.
The quietness is unreal, even despite the fact that you’re surrounded by upwards of 100,000 fellow fans. No one dares even breathe, and the only sounds you might hear are of songbirds trilling away in the tall pines.
The number of fans is a guess, as Augusta National’s not telling the closely guarded secret of the true number of tickets sold. But if you’re among those savvy enough to score tickets to the Masters – the dates are April 4-9 – there are a few things you should know before you get to Augusta.
First of all, make certain that you get your badge through a legitimate source. Every year, the Masters turns away unsuspecting fans who have fallen victim to scam artists with fake tickets.
Walking the hallowed grounds of Augusta National and following the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus is thrilling, no doubt, and with that many people you would think there would be chaos.
But Masters crowds are among the most well-behaved you’ll ever see. And for good reason. There are rules in place, and they are very, very, very (did I say very?) strict.
Take heed and leave all of your electronic gizmos in the car. If you are caught buzzing, blipping, beeping or bleating, you will be politely asked to leave and could be banned from the course forever.
You can bring cameras, but only during the practice rounds and absolutely not during the tournament.
You’ll pass through a metal detector at the entrance, which my husband and I didn’t know on our first foray to the Masters last year, and anything that resembles a weapon, like knives and nail clippers, will be confiscated. Hubby’s Swiss army knife, a gift that I had bought for him in Switzerland, was gone.
Outside of the Masters, which dates to 1934 when legendary duffer Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts came together to organize the event, the rest of Augusta is just as wonderful. This city of historic neighbourhoods, Southern hospitality and quiet beauty is worth exploring.
Visit the Augusta Museum of History, which offers a special exhibition called “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf” that takes you from the tee-box to Tiger Woods and everything in-between.
If you don’t have the pedigree or money to be a member of Augusta National – the membership roster is a secret as closely guarded as the number of tickets sold – you can still play golf in the shadows of historic golfing legends.
Take to the links of Forest Hills Golf Club, where Jones started his Grand Slam of Golf in 1930, or at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, built in 1928 and where the so-called Irish Mafia was formed in the 1950s when Sam Snead and Ben Hogan were the toast of Augusta.
The Civil War Sesquicentennial – 150th anniversary – is this year, and plenty of Augusta’s landmarks tie in nicely to the conflict that began way back in 1861.
The Augusta Canal, Georgia’s only designated National Heritage Area, is about 14.5 kilometres of towpaths and waterways, a Southern version of Venice. Built in 1845, it was the site of the Confederate States of America Powder Works.
The Canal, along the Savannah River that was a vital waterway during the war, is now a beautiful and unique aquatic ecosystem where you can hike, bike, canoe or kayak. If you don’t want that much work, take a guided tour of the Canal aboard a replica Petersburg boat.
The Boyhood Home of Woodrow Wilson is a national historic landmark and house museum. Wilson’s father was a Presbyterian minister of a church across the street from the house, and during the Civil War, the church was turned into a hospital for wounded soldiers.
This year also marks the fifth anniversary of the death of James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul,” who lived much of his life in Augusta. The James Brown exhibit at the Augusta Museum of History is a whole lot of “I feel good” fun with music, memorabilia, family photos and interactive exhibits where you can take a dance lesson from the man himself.
Driving through Augusta’s Summerville neighbourhood is like taking a step back in time. In the 18th century, George Walton, one of only three statesmen from Georgia who signed the Declaration of Independence, laid out Summerville, a hilly community that served as a summer retreat for wealthy residents and a winter retreat for moneyed Yankees who came south to escape the harsh cold.
Now on the National and Georgia Registers of Historic Places, Summerville features some of Augusta’s most architecturally distinctive homes, many of them antebellum.
Other museums include the Morris Museum of Art, Lucy Croft Laney Museum of Black History, Augusta Cotton Exchange, and the Laurel & Hardy Museum in Harlem on the outskirts of the city.
For outdoors and science, visit National Science Center’s Fort Discovery and Phinizy Swamp Nature Park of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy. And Artists’ Row, with its myriad art galleries, working studios, specialty shops, restaurants and coffee houses, is the place to find locally and internationally inspired pottery, sculpture, paintings and specialty gifts.
For more information on where to stay, play, and eat, contact the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau 800-726-0243 or visit www. augustaga.org, or the Masters at www.masters.org.
From www.montrealgazette.com
Headed to Augusta for the Masters? Here’s what you should know
Mar 6th
AUGUSTA, Ga. – If you want to go to the quietest place on Earth, where nothing buzzes, blips, beeps, or even bleats, then you’ll need a ticket to Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters Tournament.
Although the golf course may be popping with brilliant pink, fuchsia, and white of a bazillion azaleas and dogwoods and loud with lavender-hued wisteria, you’ll not hear a human sound in the few seconds just before the best golfers in the world tee off into the Georgia sunshine.
The quietness is unreal, even despite the fact that you’re surrounded by upwards of a hundred thousand fellow fans. No one dares even breathe, and the only sounds you might hear are of songbirds trilling away in the tall pines.
The number of fans is a guess, as Augusta National ain’t tellin’, no way, no how, the closely guarded secret of the true number of tickets sold. But if you’re among those savvy enough to score tickets to the Masters – the dates are April 4-9 – there are a few things you should know before you get to Augusta.
First of all, make certain that you get your badge through a legitimate source. Every year, the Masters turn away unsuspecting fans who have fallen victim to scam artists with fake tickets.
“That really happens, and you just have to be really careful when you get tickets,” says Barry White, president of the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Walking the hallowed grounds of Augusta National and following the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer is thrilling, no doubt, and with that many people you would think there would be complete chaos.
But that’s not the case, for the Masters crowds are among the most well-behaved you’ll ever see. And for good reason. There are rules are in place, and they are very, very, very (did I say very?) strict.
Take heed and leave all of your electronic gizmos in the car. If you are caught buzzing, blipping, beeping or bleating, you will be politely asked to leave and could be banned from the course forever.
Can you imagine that Phil Mickelson is about to putt for the win and your Aunt Maude decides to call with news about her arthritis? Neither Mickelson nor Augusta National would be amused.
And you can bring cameras, but only during the practice rounds and absolutely not during the series tournament.
You’ll pass through a metal detector at the entrance, which my husband and I didn’t know on our first foray to the Masters last year, and anything that resembles a weapon, like knives and nail clippers, will be confiscated. Quick as a wink, hubby’s Swiss army knife, a gift that I had bought for him in Switzerland, was gone with the wind.
“The reason the atmosphere of the Masters is just wonderful is that just about everyone complies with the rules,” says White.
Outside of the Masters, which dates to 1934 when legendary duffer Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts came together to organize the event, the rest of Augusta is just as wonderful, too. This city of historic neighborhoods, Southern hospitality, and quiet (there’s that word again) beauty is worth exploring anytime.
Do take time to visit the Augusta Museum of History that offers a special exhibit called “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf” that takes you from the tee-box to Tiger Woods and everything in-between, including a green jacket or two.
If you don’t have the pedigree or money to be a member of Augusta National – the membership roster is a secret as closely guarded as the number of tickets sold – you can still play golf in the shadows of historic golfing legends.
From news.bostonherald.com
Headed to Augusta for the Masters? Here’s what you should know
Feb 28th
AUGUSTA, Ga. – If you want to go to the quietest place on Earth, where nothing buzzes, blips, beeps, or even bleats, then you’ll need a ticket to Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters Tournament.
Although the golf course may be popping with brilliant pink, fuchsia, and white of a bazillion azaleas and dogwoods and loud with lavender-hued wisteria, you’ll not hear a human sound in the few seconds just before the best golfers in the world tee off into the Georgia sunshine.
The quietness is unreal, even despite the fact that you’re surrounded by upwards of a hundred thousand fellow fans. No one dares even breathe, and the only sounds you might hear are of songbirds trilling away in the tall pines.
The number of fans is a guess, as Augusta National ain’t tellin’, no way, no how, the closely guarded secret of the true number of tickets sold. But if you’re among those savvy enough to score tickets to the Masters – the dates are April 4-9 – there are a few things you should know before you get to Augusta.
First of all, make certain that you get your badge through a legitimate source. Every year, the Masters turn away unsuspecting fans who have fallen victim to scam artists with fake tickets.
“That really happens, and you just have to be really careful when you get tickets,” says Barry White, president of the Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Walking the hallowed grounds of Augusta National and following the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer is thrilling, no doubt, and with that many people you would think there would be complete chaos.
But that’s not the case, for the Masters crowds are among the most well-behaved you’ll ever see. And for good reason. There are rules are in place, and they are very, very, very (did I say very?) strict.
Take heed and leave all of your electronic gizmos in the car. If you are caught buzzing, blipping, beeping or bleating, you will be politely asked to leave and could be banned from the course forever.
Can you imagine that Phil Mickelson is about to putt for the win and your Aunt Maude decides to call with news about her arthritis? Neither Mickelson nor Augusta National would be amused.
And you can bring cameras, but only during the practice rounds and absolutely not during the series tournament.
You’ll pass through a metal detector at the entrance, which my husband and I didn’t know on our first foray to the Masters last year, and anything that resembles a weapon, like knives and nail clippers, will be confiscated. Quick as a wink, hubby’s Swiss army knife, a gift that I had bought for him in Switzerland, was gone with the wind.
“The reason the atmosphere of the Masters is just wonderful is that just about everyone complies with the rules,” says White.
Outside of the Masters, which dates to 1934 when legendary duffer Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts came together to organize the event, the rest of Augusta is just as wonderful, too. This city of historic neighborhoods, Southern hospitality, and quiet (there’s that word again) beauty is worth exploring anytime.
Do take time to visit the Augusta Museum of History that offers a special exhibit called “Celebrating a Grand Tradition, the Sport of Golf” that takes you from the tee-box to Tiger Woods and everything in-between, including a green jacket or two.
From www.miamiherald.com
