Welcome to The Masters

It’s almost amusing when you hear people talk about how Augusta has been “romanticized” beyond reality. Clearly, they’ve never been there.

Attending my 45th Masters this week, I’ve been asked several times, “How has it changed?” While a dissertation on the litany of changes would take some time, the short answer is, “Everything isn’t just better, it’s the best.”

And that’s no surprise. When offered different options on how to do things, how to improve the tournament, former Chairman Billy Payne’s attitude was always, “Why not the best?”

Yes, the tournament had a very homey feel, and a very genteel touch for decades. You could focus on how some of that has changed with new buildings, new technology and new characteristics on the grounds. But if you did that, you’d miss the point: It’s the people that haven’t changed.

Unfailingly, you’re greeted with a “Good Morning,” or “Welcome to The Masters” by both the volunteers and professional staff each day when you step on the grounds. The security guards say hi, and open doors for you. Members, in their Green Jackets, are extraordinarily polite and accommodating. There are expectations of decorum and dress that might start with the members and the staff, but it extends all the way to the patrons and it’s just part of being there. Nobody has to tell you. Nobody pushes the boundaries of the expectations. And nobody wants to. People just know how to act.

With no cell phones allowed on the course, there are spontaneous conversations popping up on every hole. It’s not uncommon to have the person standing next to you just turn and say, “How’s your day going?” Or “Did you see him hit that? Wow!” And if you’re wearing a watch, expect to be asked a least a dozen times during the day, “Do you have the time?” It seems everybody is so used to referring to their phone for the time, watches are rare, and thus, unique when you’re on the grounds at Augusta National.

I took my normal walk when I was able to when I arrived. While I was in Augusta Monday afternoon, the weather didn’t allow anyone on the course after 11:25, so Tuesday morning I checked in and headed to meet some family and friends by the scoreboard on the first fairway. Some were attending their first Masters, and it’s always fun to accompany somebody who’s seen Augusta National on television their whole life all of the sudden see the grandeur, the gradient and the splendor of the grounds and golf course in person.

“You could try and tell somebody about it,” my brother Gust explained, “But it wouldn’t come close to what it’s really like.” That’s so true. It’d be like trying to explain a rainbow to somebody who’s never seen one. How do you tell somebody that, no, not a blade of grass is out of place? Or that the grass is mowed in one direction on one side of the fairway, and in the other direction coming back?

Up the hill to the clubhouse, it seemed that the first tee was even further back than it had been. We rounded the corner toward the 10th tee and ran into Fred Couples coming off the 18th green. I’ve known Fred since the early ‘80’s, but he and my brother are actual friends, and it was nice of Freddie to stop and say hi.

Heading down Number ten, you could see how much damage had been done by Hurricane Helene as it swept through the Southeast. Not that any trees were broken or out of place, but it was clear that the forest had been thinned out by the weather. Augusta National took care of the golf course, but was also instrumental in helping the city of Augusta get back on its feet. There are still parts of town that are recovering. A big branch from a magnolia tree was hanging down toward the 10th fairway, precariously hanging on to the tree’s trunk as we walked by. By Wednesday, it had been neatly removed as if it had never been there.

“The scope of everything just plays with your perception,” my friend Bob quickly noticed. “You’d have to get your mind wrapped around the thought that ‘I just have to hit this shot’ when you’re playing here.” Bob’s a nice player, so it was interesting to see his perspective from a golfer’s eye.

I could have sworn they planted three trees in the middle of the 11th fairway as I walked by. The National doesn’t comment on changes, but it’s clear they’re asking the player to hit their drives down the middle or the left side of the fairway. No more bailouts to the right and just hitting your second shot over toward twelve tee.

As we walked over to the 13th fairway, my friend Mike kept sliding up the rope trying to see how far back they’d moved the tee after acquiring some land from Augusta Country Club. “Honestly, I don’t know how far back it goes,” he said, shaking his head. “But unless you’re really bombing it out here, it’s a three-shot hole.” Watching two groups go through there confirmed his thought, as everybody laid up short of Rae’s Creek.

The walk back up, across the 14th and 15th fairways and around the 7th green gave more insight to the genius of the design of Augusta National. Certain trees were allowed to flourish toward the fairways at the tops, giving the sense that the landing areas were narrower than they actually are. If you think seven is one of the “easy” holes on the course, know that it’s now 450 skinny yards uphill to a tabletop green surrounded by bunkers. And if you don’t know the green, a six or more will easily appear on your scorecard.

As we walked behind the 8th tee, I encouraged Bob to walk back to the 18th to get a look at the chute the players have to hit their drive through just to hit the fairway. He was gone for a while. “That would be nerve wracking, coming here with the lead,” Bob said, also shaking his head. “You’d just have to say to yourself, ‘I need to make one more good swing,” and hope you hit it out there. Wow.”

The one common comment from all first timers is about the strenuous nature of the walk. Half-way up the 18th fairway, you still can’t see the flag on the green, and everybody stops and says the same thing: “You’d be tired after that walk.” And all professional golfers agree. A survey of PGA Tour players asked to name the hardest walk of the year among the courses they play, named Augusta National almost unanimously.
But of course, Augusta National. At the top every list.