THE MASTERS AND MORE...

FIRST, "MORE"
It has been two weeks  last wrote a post. Have been making little posts in Facebook, but that is it. Short posts, let me revisit some of the latest ones:

- March 14: Posted a picture of a lost (great looking) dog who was roaming at the golf course... he looked like a coyote from the distance... he was big! Also posted an album with 54 pictures.

- March 17: Posted announcement to President's Ball Party (it took place on 3/21)

- March 20: Announcement that all holes are open (for those who didn't know, #16 and #17 had been closed due to construction going on in that area of the course

- March 20: posted the sad news that our friend Terry Nichols had passed. By the response, I can say that I was only one, out of literally hundreds, if not thousands, who will miss his smile.

- March 22: Posted a few pictures and short notes about the President's Ball Party and an album with pictures of that night.

- March 24: posted a notice about the upcoming tournament in benefit of Judy Rheaume to be played on April 11.

Before I go into "The Masters",  I can report that the greens were aerified yesterday and today, and that they will be playable by week's end (the procedure used last year is still being used) and that holes #16 & #17 will close only from time to time to finish some work, but that in tournaments and busy weekends, these will be open. So, other than the sad news of Terry Nichols, the rest have been the normal items that we announce, or post.

THE MASTERS:
I cannot thank the group of Ann Cowan, Joe & Dewana Wynn and Charlie & Gina Kauk enough for inviting me to be part of their group to visit Augusta National during The Masters last year. That was in my "bucket list", but I never thought 2014 would be my time, until a few weeks before.

It was a visit to this wonderful place that I will never forget, particularly the lonely visit on Tuesday and Wednesday. What a blessing it is to have become a PGA member in 1986!! We are allowed to go in for free by merely presenting our PGA card and an ID. And we better not mess up and respect the place and rules or else!! It didn't cross my mind. I took over 1,200 pictures between Monday and Wednesday!

On Wednesday, about 90 minutes before the first tee time was scheduled for the Par-3 Tournament, I parked myself about 50 feet from the first tee and never moved. I wanted to take pictures of all golfers, but more than anything, I wanted to take a look and some pictures of "The Big 3", always last to start: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. Thirty Four major championships between them! Thirty four!!! Anyway, given the things I had seen on Monday and Tuesday, I did not want to lose my spot... and didn't. About 15 minutes after I parked myself there, I saw a familiar face, Steve Chambers... then his wife Vicky! So we had a good time together.

Mona and I headed back on Thursday, so we did not go to any of the playing rounds, but watched the weekend rounds at home. Was cheering for young Jordan Spieth, but he came up short. Hopefully he wins one or two of those and some other majors. He looks like a kid I could like personally.

The Masters, being the first of the majors, brings a new season every year. It is a major championship, yet, it is not called a championship by the hosts. It is called The Masters Tournament. Simple. Allowing history being its judge on whether or not it is a major. It is an invitation only tournament> Yes, there are a number of ways to get an invitation: top 50 in the world rankings, past champions, top 16 on the last Masters, a winner of a PGA Tour event in the last 12 months. winners of the last 5 PGA Championships, last 5 U.S. Opens, last 5 British Opens and last 3 Players Champions and other ways to invite the best foreign players. But, among the best tradition, is the invitation of top amateurs, including the U.S. Amateur finalists, the winner of the British Amateur. In all, about 6-7 amateurs play the tournament.

The Masters is a tradition. Period. It was not supposed to be what it is now. It was first organized by the late Bobby Jones and his pal, banker and Augusta Chairman Clifford Roberts as the "Augusta National Invitational", and later renamed The Masters... first by the media, then by the club.

Here are some of the Masters unique traditions:
- Only Tournament, major or not, where you can have lunch and a Coke for less than $5!!! True!!
- First Tournament to have scoreboards all over the course
- First tournament to be a major while being an invitational
- Only major that has a par-3 tournament before the main tournament
- Only major who awards crystal goblets for any eagle or low round of the day to the participants
- The defending champion and current Amateur champion are paired on the first round.
- The cabins in the premises are used to host the amateurs so that they do not have to spend in hotels (one of the cabins is called the "Crow's Nest"... I'll give you $100 if you know why.
- Only major who has a "Champions Dinner" (the defending champion chooses the menu and pays the bill).
- Only tournament who has a one year contract with TV. True, they have been with CBS from the start, but the contract is for the next Masters only. One screw-up and bye bye!
- If you go place a chair early at a spot, you can bet your life that it will be untouched when you come back. Try that at the Phoenix Open!
- Each hole is named. Not the only club who does that, but to my knowledge, the only club who names the holes after the flower or plants that abound and adorn that hole.
- Only club to have named three bridges for previous champions: the Sarazen Bridge (#15) since Gene Sarazen made the only double eagle on that hole on his way to win in 1934, the Ben Hogan Bridge (#12) and the Nelson Bridge (#13). Sam Snead was always upset that they named a bridge for players who won less times than him at Augusta.
- Of course, Arnold and Jack have plaques in their honor.
- It has the smallest field of any major (usually around 90 players), yet, it usually has the top 60 players i the world.
- No other tournament gives back to golf like the Masters... (ask The First Tee, the LPGA and many other golf entities).
- Augusta National, during the 1958 Masters, was the birthplace of "Arnie's Army". In those days, The Masters was not a "sold out" tournament, so any left over tickets, were sent to nearby Fort Gordon. That year, Arnold Palmer, a former Navy man, and the only veteran in contention, was cheered by these Army boys, and the term "Arnie's Army" was born and given to all his fans afterwards. So, Arnie's Army was, at first, real Army boys!
- Only club ever to deny a U.S. President's plea: "please take down that tree" Ike Eisenhower had asked, to which Clifford Roberts said, "No, but we will name the tree after you", thus, the Eisenhower tree lived on #17 fairway until 2014, when it was killed by an ice storm.
- Augusta National has "Amen Corner" (first referred to by the great golf writer Herbert Warren Wind) and while we have Oilmen's Corner, their corner is more famous.

In one of the next few posts, I will give a little history of champions and my prediction...