The Masters

If you have been a regular reader of my blog you know that I have a love of the Masters golf tournament. I just find it so perfect. I love the exclusivity of the Masters, the green jacket, the history, the course, etc... Well, this past week I was able to attend the Wednesday practice round and the traditional par 3 tournament. If everything else in life was like the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters then life would be great. Currently, you are not able to get regular round badges. They haven't had a lottery since 1972 (I was 1, actually 0 yrs. old) and the waiting list closed in 2002. But I was able to secure a practice round ticket ($41, it ain't about the money there) and travel to Augusta, GA via Charlotte, NC and Columbia, SC with friend Dave.

I don't think there are adjectives to describe the course... perfect, well manicured, cleaner than a brain surgery operating room? You could lick the fairway and I'm pretty sure it would be cleaner than your kitchen counter. I didn't see one weed and only saw one bug under a tree. The azaleas were in full bloom, in fact, they spend millions of dollars to make sure they bloom this specific weekend. TV doesn't do the course justice as far as seeing the elevation change, it is just unreal. The greens are so fast I'm sure I would putt off the green from about 6 feet anywhere. I had two sandwiches (pimento & cheese, and egg salad - traditional), a bag of chips, a bag of peanuts, and an import beer and the total was $8.50! Unreal.

We got to see a lot of golfers in the morning as on Tuesday it was cold and everybody played on Wednesday. I saw guys like Jim Furyk, Paul Casey, Geoff Oglivy, Luke Donald, Bubba Watson, Ben Crenshaw (playing in his last Masters), Bubba Watson, and of course, Tiger Woods. I was close enough to slap him in the back or grab his club in mid-swing. I thought about jumping the ropes and grabbing his tiger head cover, but I decided not to. At the par 3 tournament we saw everybody. We saw two holes-in-one. One about 15 feet from us. We saw Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player playing together. Tom Watson tee off. Phil Mickelson playing and much more.

I will hopefully go back someday and I encourage anyone who loves golf to come along. If you remember a past post, I have made Liam sign a binding legal document saying if he every gets to play I get to caddie for him. Hopefully that dream will come true.

I have so many pictures that are great that the only way to show them all is through a slideshow... enjoy!