The Masters
Last weekend I had the
unbelievable opportunity to attend the Masters Golf tournament. I would like to
share some impressions and things I heard.
For the non-golfer, I want to
give some background. It has been contested
in early April since 1934. It lasts from Thursday to Sunday, ignoring the par
three and putting contests on Wednesday. Certain players earn the right to
enter (those who have won in the past, for example), others are invited. Each
year a few amateurs are invited. Each day from early in the morning to the
afternoon, the field plays 18 holes on this 7,435 yard course (now, that is a long course!). At
the end of play of Friday, the field is reduced to those with the best 60
scores (or so). To make the cut, one usually needs to shoot close to par. On
Saturday and Sunday pairs start at 9 or so, with the best players teeing off last.
If one stays in one place, he or she sees players every ten minutes or so, the
spacing between groups. Since it takes about 4 hours to play a round, the
tournament lasts seven or eight hours a day. Following a player in the gallery is tricky
since they can move quicker than you can, and many choose to stay in one place,
obviously taking the best vantage places early. The winner is the competitor
who finishes the 72 holes with the lowest score. In case of a tie, as was the
case this year, those tied go back and play until one player has a lower score
than the other on one hole (“sudden death”). To make things interesting, the
weather sometimes plays a factor, given wide ranges of temperature and
sometimes rain.
Its History
Bobby Jones was a golf pioneer in
the 1920s. He remained an amateur throughout his career, and in 1930 he won the
US and British Amateur, US Open, and the Open Championships in 1930. (At that
time, that was considered the Grand Slam, which now includes the Masters. His legacy
also includes his prominent role in creating the Masters. After retiring from
competitive golf, Jones and Cliff Roberts acquired the 365 acres of the former Fruitland
Nurseries, and commissioned Dr. Alister Mac Kenzie (designer of Claremont
Country Club) to design the course. The course opened in 1933. The first tournament
was contested in 1934, and won by Horton Smith who beat Craig Wood, runner up
in the first three events. (Wood subsequently won in 1941).
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| Jones directs Roberts in 1956 |
Golf can be a tough game. Anyone
who can shoot close to par is an exceptional player. At Augusta every three par
has had at least one hole in one recorded, as all five pars have had double
eagles (a score of three under par), and all four pars have had eagles (a score
of two under par). However, things don’t always go as planned. Someone shot a
13 on 12, a 155 yard three par. Consider this range. The best score for each
hole adds to 32, 40 under par. The worst, an incredible 166. Typically most tournament
scores come in the range of 65 to 80 per round.
One of the invitees each year is
the club champion from Augusta. He plays in the first group, but his scores are
not shown on the daily pairing sheets. The player is shown on the sheet as
“Marker”, again reflecting the privacy of the club.
The Rules
Augusta National Golf Club is
private, very private. Other than members, few know who are “in”. In 2004, USA
Today published a list of about 300, said to be the membership list. Last April
the club made news as it admitted the first female members, Condoleezza Rice
and Darla Moore. Its leadership has a firm hand on what is done, and how. During
its nearly 80 year history it has had only 6 Chairmen. The first, Cliff Roberts
served for 42 years. I was told that after his election into the club, Dwight
Eisenhower attended his first annual meeting.
At the conclusion, Roberts asked if
there were any questions. Ike raised his hand. Roberts then announced the
meeting was closed without addressing the puzzled former president.
Small portable viewing chairs are
widely used, but can’t be left on the course. However, when the gates open at
8AM we saw many desirable areas already filled. The rumor is certain caddies
“take care of friends”, and place the chairs before 8 AM. No one seems to move
others chairs, or squeeze in. If a chair
is unused, it is OK to sit, but when the owner returns, you are expected to
leave immediately.
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| Master's Chairs |
The gallery of 50,000 people or
so, must follow strict rules of demeanor, or they may be asked to leave. There
is no running within the club. No requests for autographs.
Beer sales stop each day at 4PM. Sunday
we headed to one of the huge food buildings a bit after noon. Time for a beer
and sandwich, then back to watching. Unfortunately, no beer was offered. We
came to understand that each Sunday the Preacher of a local Baptist church calls
when the service is over. Only then can beer be sold. He ran long our year, and
thus we enjoyed the lemonade.
No Beer Before It's Time
My biggest frustration of the
weekend was the club’s strict policy (no need to say so, since all policies
seemed strict) forbidding cell phones or cameras. I get it, taking pictures of
golfers swinging can be distracting, but I wish I had been able to take
pictures of the grounds. (Go to www.masters.com,
and you will see what I mean.) Here is a
picture of the beautiful, but treacherous 12th hole.
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| The 12th Hole Beckons |
Our Way
When a golfer’s club cuts into
the ground while striking the ball it is called a divot. Go to most courses and
you see lots of divots on the fairways. You also see the “gouge” where the
divot was removed. Good courses fill those gouges with sand and lawn seed to
replace the grass. I was amazed to not see divots on the fairways. Grounds-men
pick them up, and gouges are filled quickly with green tinted seed and sand.
Golfers pick up their tees after teeing off, thus the tee boxes are pristine
each time.
The 12th is often a
critical hole in a round. Even though it is the shortest hole on the course,
winds, and other conditions can dictate between a 6 to 9 iron. Rae’s Creek has
spoiled many a round. To assure more
consistency, the club has installed systems under the green which regulate the
amount of moisture in the ground, and thus the “softness” of the green.
Each year the prior year champion
hosts a dinner of all previous winners as the tournament begins. Last year’s
winner, Bubba Watson, won a playoff by making an incredible shot out of
the trees on 10. (See the shot by going to www.pgatour.com
and typing Bubba’s 2012 shot). Being a good Southerner he offered chicken breasts
and macaroni & cheese for the dinner last week. Nick Faldo quipped :”I was
a little stunned we didn’t get a coloring book with the menu”.
This Year
I won’t spend time talking about
what happened, other than saying Australian Adam Scott sunk a birdie putt on
the second play-off hole to edge Angel Cabrera for the win. However, I will
share a couple things which we saw. Not quite half the field hailed from the US
with the balance of finalists coming from 14 countries. South Africa topped the
list with 6.
The youngest competitor ever was
a 14 year old amateur named Guan Tianlang of China. He is a lanky kid who has a
spine which seems to move with the ease of Jell-O. He was able to make the cut,
despite falling short in distance off the tee. That made him one of two amateurs to play on the weekend. He
has a wonderful game, but Sunday wasn’t his best day. On the 440 yard 17th,
his drive sliced (went right) into the trees. Here is where it gets weird. A
spectator was standing in the area carrying a plastic bag of merchandise.
Guan’s ball landed in the bag. A commotion ensued, as an official had the
gentleman stand exactly where he was. We happened to be only yards away, so we
get there quickly. Soon, the embarrassed player came to hit. It was ruled the
bag was a man-made object, and thus the ball could be removed without penalty.
It was dropped, as proscribed. Then Guan, showing his knowledge of the game,
asked if the area was ground under repair. (Golf gives players few advantages.
However, the rules allow for relief of a ball lands in ground under repair.
Since the man was standing in one of the paths across a fairway, the official
ruled that was the case). Thus, Guan got further relief, no closer to the hole.
Here is where it gets interesting. Unfortunately, the ball was 30 or so yards
from several trees which looked to be 50-60 feet tall. Guan steadied his
stance, swung smoothly (but with power), and the ball cleared the trees by 10
feet or more, and landed in the 17th fairway. Try that shot
sometime, much less with millions of people watching around the world.
One remarkable accomplishment of
Guan. To shot par, it is assumed you two putt each hole. Of course, it never
works out that way. The bane of all golfers is to three putt (or more), on any
hole. He never three putted the whole tournament.
Guan was also involved in one of
the two “issues” of the tournament. Pros are expected to play quickly, despite
all the money on the table. If an unacceptable gap opens in front of a player,
he is warned to speed up play. Failure to do so results in a stroke penalty.
Guan was assessed such a stroke on Friday, which almost made him miss the cut.
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| Guan Ripping |
Tip to Guan, try earth tones or
more neutral colors next year. Those orange pants were a bit strong.
The far more severe penalty was
assessed on Tiger Woods. Friday, as part of a charge he was making, he hit a
near perfect shot approaching 12, which regrettably hit the flag pole which
shows the pin location. The ball rolled back and ended in the water. Tiger took
a drop assuming the measure point was where his entered the hazard (i.e.
crossed into the hazard). As Jay Cassell taught me the week prior the rule
states relief is granted from where it last
enters the hazard. In this case that was the other side of the water, thus
Woods took a more favorable, and incorrect drop. He was assessed a two stroke penalty
after his round was finished, when the error was seen by the officials. That
change from a great score to an 8, cost Woods the tournament.
Pay Day
Adam Scott had a good week at
Augusta. He won first place, earning $1,440,000. That is about $5,000 for every
shot he made, or about $70,000 per hour of play (counting warm up time). His
caddy is also happy. By tradition professional caddies earn a couple thousand
per tournament, plus a negotiated share of his player’s winnings. Most say that
is between 3-10% of winnings. In addition to the check each winner has his name
inscribed on the permanent trophy which stays at the club, and also receives: a
sterling replica of the trophy, a gold medal, and a Green jacket. The jackets
are custom made for each player by the Brooks Uniform Company in New York. The
winner can wear the jacket for the first year, but them it comes back to the
club where it can be worn when available. Regrettably, those who have won more
than once, get only one green jacket.
Cabrera finish was a mixed
blessing. While he pocketed $864,000 for his considerable talent, the putt he
missed in the second hole of the play off cost him just under $600,000. You do
the math. I must say he was very gracious in his concession. He also captured
the essence of golf when he said “Golf gives and takes, sometimes you make the
putts, sometimes you just miss them, but that’s golf”.
The club also recognizes those
who excel, such as the low amateur, any who record a double eagle ( only four
have been recorded, and each on a separate hole), eagles, and holes in one (23
recorded prior to this year, 15 of which occurred in 16). Those win crystal
vases, medals, or trophies.
I was told the 300 or so members
of Augusta receive a bill once a year. That bill reflects usage and their share
of expenses. Most think this great club is very inexpensive because of the significant
Master’s related revenue.
The sale of merchandise would
make a retailer’s mouth water. Nearly every visitor gets something, and many “load
up” with goodies to take home. Unlike most sports venues prices are very
reasonable. Golf hats, shirts, and the like were normal prices.
The food concessions are almost
always crowded (but move quickly), this is no big money maker. Sandwiches are
$1.50 for a Classic Chicken to $3 for the BBQ. Beers are $3 (domestic), and $4
(imported). Compare those prices to any other pro event you frequent.
It Takes a Village
CBS has had the right to televise
the Masters for some time. They do an excellent job of coverage. In talking
with one of their technical people, I was told they have 800 employees assigned
to the event. Some come three weeks before the start to “get things ready”. By
Wednesday of the following week, all of the TV towers (as well as bleachers,
and other signs of the tournament) are gone.
Our club has a dozen or so
groundskeepers who work hard to keep it looking good. I was told Augusta has
80. I was told they sometimes ice or heat the azaleas to assure maximum color
for the tournament. The grounds are surrounded by pine trees, but you never see
a pine cone on the ground. I have no idea how many “clean up” people work, but
it has to be hundreds. I never saw a trash box more than half full. I never saw
a garbage on the ground.
Face it, when you have that many
people in one place, all be it spread out, you need a lot of rest rooms.
However, here again the Masters has this down. For men there is a long line but
it moves very quickly, since inside are “spotters” who direct patrons to open
areas.
These guys are good
The record for the front nine is
30, while the record for the back nine is 29. Five of those six scores were
recorded on the final round of the tournament, when pressure is the highest.
On Sunday morning I watched Phil Mickelson
warm up for about twenty minutes. I watched him hit a wedge a dozen or so
times. Each time he took a divot of maybe an inch of ground. The next shot did
the same, just one inch back. And on and on. However, Phil played poorly,
despite winning in 2004, 06 and 10. He was widely quoted as saying “he had an
off year”, and his well known swing coach Butch Harmon are continuing to work
on “technical and fundamental” issues.
I also watched Bubba Watson, the
defending champion, practice a fairway wood. He hit a low cut shot, then a high
fade shot, then a low fade, then a high draw, then a low draw. He shaped the
ball with incredible consistency. Each shot was about 200 yards. However, golf
had a mean turn of events for he and his playing partner Kevin Na. Both
recorded 10’s at the par three 12th hole. Both filled Rae’s Creek
with three golf balls.
When you sit behind the seventh
green, your first impression is its uneven topography. (Perhaps a very verdant
lunar surface?) Depending on the pin placement, golfers will either hit below
the pin and try to roll up, or hit above the pin, and roll the ball back. The
later often looks like a teenager jumping in a car and putting it in reverse.
Seven is also a great place to watch putting skills. Given the pin placement on
Sunday we saw those who were on the far side of the green start their putts
heading away from the hole, knowing the ball will roll about 270 degrees
counter clockwise. Most of those putts ended up within a few feet of the hole.
Tips
If you are ever invited to
attend, drop everything and make your plans. This is a chance in a life time,
and is incredible in light of the beauty of the course, its rich history, and
the ability of the players.
As discussed above, golf stuff is
available at the masters. Shirts, jackets, ball markers, etc. Go to the
merchandise store early your first day. Then pay to have your things shipped
(or store them in your car, if close). Don’t schlep the bag around, and don’t
wait as many popular items sell out quickly.
Your first morning should be
spent walking the course. See the tee boxes and greens, by moving around.
Stands are a great play to watch on many holes. Buy a chair and place it early
each morning where you want to end up. Late holes will be active late in the
day, obviously. Bring or buy binoculars.
Do some reading before you go to
get a sense of the course and its history. Learn about Greg Norman’s horrific
collapse in 1996, or Gene Sarazan’s double eagle on 15 (the shot heard round
the world) to force a play-off in 1935. See the 2004 movie Stroke of Genius
which chronicles Bobby Jone’s life.
Spend some time at Amen Corner.
There are few places in the world which are more beautiful, and there are some
very interesting golf shots made in the area.
Follow the rules, and do nothing
to jeopardize your host’s “loss of credentials”. Reselling tickets, acting like
a jerk, etc. can result in “loss of credentials”. i.e. the ticket holder losing
future ticket rights. That would be a very bad day.
Finally, if you go, try the palmetto
cheese sandwich and tell me how it is.
