Dispatches From The Masters: Augusta National and The Masters
Every competitor who’s ever played in the Masters will tell you; no matter how much you practice, no matter how early you get to Augusta National, the golf course is completely different when you tee it up in the first tournament round on Thursday. Part of it is how the golf course it set up for competition. The greens are a bit faster; the fairways are cut a bit shorter and the wind always seems to change. The other part is now it counts. Playing Augusta National is one thing, playing in the Masters is completely different.
Nobody is making a nine on the fifteenth hole in a practice round. But that number popped up on a few scorecards in Thursday’s round. A putt off the green would elicit generous laughter from your fellow competitors Monday through Wednesday. A sympathetic “Ooooh,” from the patrons attending the first round is what you’d hear.
Those patrons know it’s possible, and they have genuine empathy for players difficulties all over the course. As much as the roars from Amen Corner are a part of being at The Masters, knowledgeable golf observers and their reactions to successes and failures are also part of the soundtrack of the tournament.
While the golf course changes from practice rounds to tournament rounds, the patrons change as well. On Thursday, those in attendance are a little older (thus, I fit in) but not too old. In fact, this year it seemed there was an influx of the next generation of Masters Patrons. Those on the golf course are quieter, more respectful, more knowledgeable, a little better dressed, and not weighed down with bags of merchandise. While the club and the course are still the stars, the patrons in attendance are there for the golf.
There are many different ways to watch play at Augusta National. There are no hospitality tents on the golf course. The focus is on the golf. There are concession stands, tucked away in the Georgia pines, easily accessible but not visible. You can grab a beer and a sandwich, at legendary low prices, and walk right up to the ropes to see the best players in the world right at arm’s length. There are some tournaments that bring the fans close to the action, but at the Masters every time you look around, some player is right in front of you trying to execute a shot that would seem impossible for mere mortals. Sitting on a hillside in front of the 6th tee, the players tee off over your head. To the side of sixteen, there are chairs that overlook action on the par three and the scoring shots on fifteen.
There’s a tradition at the Masters where patrons bring their official green tournament chair early in the day and even early in the week, place it in a nice viewing spot and leave it. Nobody bothers it, nobody moves it, the chair just stays there. You can come and go, other people can sit there while you’re not there, but it’s part of the landscape of the week.
We’ve seen golf courses built with “spectator mounds” and “viewing areas” but while Augusta National was built with hosting a tournament in mind, the natural elevations and mounds that were part of the design of the course provide viewing spots on every tee, fairway and green complex.
Playing golf, or watching golf at Augusta National, like Jim Nantz says, is a tradition like no other.
