My Monday at Augusta
Below is an article I wrote after my first trip to Augusta National – the Monday practice round prior to the 2006 Masters. I thought it might be good to give us some spring time hope during the winter doldrums.
—-
There are very few things in life that live up to expectations and build up. Especially in today’s world where everything from the absurd to the real McCoy is built up to unbelievable levels to get some attention in our 24 hour, short term memory, news cycle.
When something lives up to expectations, though, it’s a wonderfully pleasant surprise. Such an occurrence befell me on Monday when I had the chance to visit Augusta National Golf Course for a Monday practice round for this week’s upcoming Masters Tournament, for which I’m very grateful for the ticket from my Aunt and Uncle.
It’s a place that I am intimately familiar with, yet until Monday, I had never been there. Or at least been there in person – in my mind’s eye, I’ve played that course a hundred times. Many times over a regular golf shot, I will picture myself on the 12th tee at Augusta National striking a perfect 7-iron and landing just a few feet from the hole. The mental picture would help me focus on the shot at hand and give me a positive swing thought.
As a kid, I would dream of walking up the 18th green – hat in hand, enjoying a two shot lead and certain victory. The green jacket would soon slip over my shoulders. I imagine nearly every golfer imagines themselves in that position – even to this day – even if they’d never admit it in public.
Augusta National Golf Course is a fairy tale – a golfer’s Disney World. We know that what we’re seeing isn’t “real”, that the real world doesn’t have this kind of perfection.
But Augusta lives up to every expectation you have of the place. The silliness of it all suddenly becomes not so silly when you walk through the gates. In fact, they do have Pimento Cheese sandwiches and they do cost just $1.50 and they are wrapped in a green bag. Amen corner is stunningly beautiful and being able to take in all three holes with the turn of the head is a bit surreal – you just can’t possibly believe that this place you’ve seen a hundred times on TV really does exist. And yet there I was, taking in the wonderful sights, sounds and smells – yes smells – of Augusta National.
My favorite hole is the 13th – a short (by pro standards) par five of 510 yards. The name of the hole is Azalea and for good reason because nearly 1,500 Azaleas call this hole home. It’s a great, strategic par five. Many of my fellow students of golf course architecture would disagree with me. They will say that the 13th is a penal hole because there is a forced carry over water on the hole. Again, we’re talking about a course designed and created for the best golfers in the world. The decision to lay up or go for the green can make or break a round. There’s a legitimate shot at an eagle 3 is real, but so is a bogey 6.
While many critique the changes to the course – and the criticism is at least deserved for the absurd number of trees added to the place – once you’re there, you realize just how special this place really is. Many people who are passionate students of golf course architecture could go there and get caught up analyzing how changes have “ruined” the golf course. Not me – I could only appreciate the beauty and the ambiance. Augusta National isn’t a real golf course anyway. The perfect fairways, the unrealistic green speeds, the landscaping and a major golf tournament every year is all out of the league of every other golf course in America, so to try and critique the course for its changes is pointless.
Some of the things that really caught me by surprise were how open the course is. The openness actually leads to more intimacy, which may seem the exact opposite of what you would expect. Being able to see across the golf course is really neat, which is why I don’t particularly care for the addition of the trees on 11, 15 and several other holes. Getting to see the famous greens of Augusta up close really gives you a new appreciation for how undulating, difficult and fast they are. There’s a lot of bamboo on the course – used as a screening in many areas. I know it’s an effective screening plant, but I don’t really care for the look of it in this setting.
The golf course is set up so that a player really knows his options off the tee. The simplicity of the course makes it a rather straight forward challenge. There is no rough on the course, there are few bunkers and the greens are anything but subtle. You either execute a perfect golf shot or pay the price. The luck of the draw with a good or bad lie in the rough is eliminated. For this reason, that is why I think the Masters is a real national championship rather than the gimmicky US Open. You could make the case that the greens are a bit “gimmicky” – and certain pin positions certainly are. However, if you’re smart (and good) enough to put the ball in the correct position, a par is a very attainable score on every hole for the world’s best golfers. If you attack a pin position that’s in a tight spot, you’re gambling. Sometimes you’ll win, sometimes you’ll lose. Just remember, the odds are always in the house’s favor.
Thursday the Masters will begin for the 70th time. I’ve always looked forward to the golf tournament, but this year, I’m fortunate enough to have a wonderful new perspective on the golf course.
