THE MASTERS
There has always been an attraction for golfers towards the hallowed grounds of
Augusta National. The Masters is one of the most unusual events in
sports. It’s all about tradition, and it’s defined by a set of old
rules and customs that just do not exist in other tournaments. To
commemorate such an amazing place, I have collected some of the most
interesting facts about Augusta National, that you can share with your
friends.
1.
In the Beginning
The Masters as we know it would never have been, if the USGA hadn’t
turned down Bobby Jones’ request to host the
1934 US Open. Angry at the rebuff, Jones and Clifford Roberts decided
to stage their own event.
2.
Bitter Sweet
Course architect, Alister McKenzie, never saw his famous course
completed. He died January 6th 1934, just 2 months before the
Inaugural Masters Tournament.
3.
The Language
You should never hear the word “championship” on the telecast. The
U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA are championships held by the major
ruling and organizing bodies of the sport (or a vestige thereof in the
case of the PGA).
The Masters is an invitational tournament held at a very pretty golf
course, given prestige by the involvement of Bobby Jones. The winner
is not the champion of anything.
Other words you shouldn’t hear: “fans,” “bleachers,” “sand traps,” “front/back
nine.” The officially preferred words are “patrons,” “observation
stands,” “bunkers,” and “first/second nine.” That last distinction is aimed at
avoiding use of the phrase “front side” for the first nine holes,
leading inevitably to the so, so vulgar “back side” for the next nine.
4.
Respect
Some amateurs have always been invited to the Masters, out of respect
for the career of club founder Bobby Jones. But Jones himself was no
longer considered an amateur by the USGA by the time Augusta National
opened. He never competed for prize money, but his equipment deals and
Hollywood instructional short films made him a professional in the
eyes of all, except for the eyes of the Masters hierarchy, of which he
was a part of.
5.
Ahhh…the Green Jacket
If you just happen to be the winner of the Masters, you get the honor
of topping off the standard ensemble with a shamrock green blazer.
Professional golf’s version of a beauty queen crowning ceremony, the
presenting of the Green Jacket by the previous year’s champion to the
current champion at the conclusion of the tournament dates back to
1949, when Sam Snead won the Masters. However, the signature jackets
started appearing at Augusta National 12 years prior, when members
started sporting them during the tournament so that they would be
easily identifiable by patrons in need of assistance or directions.
Also, when a member hosts guests in the clubhouse, the green jacket
designates who gets the bill. The Masters website has more on the
sartorial back story:
The club purchased the Jackets from the Brooks Uniform Company in New York and
urged members to buy and wear them at the Masters.
Initially, the idea met a lukewarm reception from the membership, for
the heft of the coats made them warm to wear during a typical April in
Augusta. Within a few years, the Club introduced a lighter-weight
version more suited to the season. Today’s single-breasted,
single-vent Jacket bears the Club’s logo on the left chest pocket and
on the brass buttons adorning the front of the coat and each sleeve.
The unmistakable color is known, simply, as Masters Green.”
So does the Masters winner get to take home that fetching piece of outerwear? He
sure does. After the presentation ceremony, a custom version of the
Green Jacket is tailored to the champ’s exact measurements and he gets
to call it his own for an entire year. So, to be clear, a single
jacket isn’t passed on from winner to winner. During the following
year’s tournament, he must return to Augusta National and relinquish
the Green Jacket, at which point it’s placed in a locker but available
any time he returns to play at the club. Seve Ballesteros famously
challenged the decision by saying to the Augusta committee: “If they
want it, they can fly to Spain and come and get it.”
6.
The Template
The Masters invented the template for what we know as tournament
golf. It was the first 72-hole four day event and the first to use the
over/under par system. The Masters also saw the first grandstands for
viewers.
7.
Strict But Polite
The level of respect that the patrons of The Master’s have is only
surpassed by their understanding of the game.
It is awesome to witness. In the 10+ years I have been to this
tournament, I have never seen a single spectator get out of line, say
something in appropriate or make a scene.
It is as if everyone has collectively agreed to be on their best
behavior. There is no need for marshals to hold “Quiet Please” signs
because everyone respects the tournament so much.
As mentioned earlier, they are not fans, they are not a crowd or even a gallery.
They are patrons. You’ll hear it often during the CBS broadcast.
Also, while on the grounds, patrons are told not to run. Walking only.
If you watch any pro tournament, behind the golfers you’ll see a cadre of
sign-bearers, reporters, photographers, broadcast personnel and
cameramen. Not at Augusta. Between the ropes, competitors, caddies and
rules officials only.
Patrons who show up early and place their chairs and leave will find their chairs
waiting for them when they return. Try that at any other PGA event
and let me know what happens
More than 40 years ago, during one tense moment, CBS commentator Jack Whitaker used
the term “mob” to describe the scene around a green. The Masters
leadership let his bosses know that he wouldn’t be invited back, and
he wasn’t.
8.
Value
It’s one of the best-kept numbers in sports—the initiation fee to
Augusta National. With barons like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates,
among others, as members it goes without saying that money isn’t the
object. And it isn’t. To join is reportedly under $100,000, which
might be one-tenth of other high profile clubs in the country. And if
you were lucky enough to play the course with a member, you can
probably afford it. Guest fees are said to be about $40.
9.
The Reagan Appointment
On October 23, 1983, President Ronald Reagan was playing at Augusta
National as a guest of his secretary of state (and club member) George
Schultz when his round was interrupted at the 16th hole by a
disgruntled local named Charles Harris, who had crashed his truck
through the gate and was demanding to see the President. Harris held
hostages at gunpoint in the pro shop for two hours before Secret
Service agents subdued him.
10.
Clifford Roberts’ Demise
Augusta National’s co-founder Clifford Roberts, a quiet investor
turned autocrat, was at turns beloved and despised.
In the fall of 1977, at age 83 and in failing health, Roberts walked
to a slope next to Ike’s Pond and ended his own life with a single
pistol shot to the temple.
11.
The Crow’s Nest
Located above the main clubhouse at Augusta, this is where the
amateurs stay for the Masters week. Bobby Jones spawned the idea and
the rest is quite literally history, lots of it. Eight youngsters who
stayed in this infamous bedroom and gone on to win the green jacket;
Nicklaus, Aaron, Watson, Crenshaw, Stadler, O’Meara, Mickelson and
Woods – that’s quite a list. There are four beds, a bathroom and a
living area which is lined with paintings of historical moments at the
Masters and books about the history of the game.
12.
Sweet Georgia Peaches
The history of Augusta is much more than golf; it was once home to
Fruitland Nurseries. Owned and operated by P.J.
Berckmans and his family the nursery was one of the most successful
horticultural sites of its time in the South.
Located on Washington Road, approximately 3 miles northwest of
downtown Augusta, Fruitland planted millions of peach trees in the
1800s and early 1900s and made Georgia famous for its sweet Georgia
peaches. In 1931, the land was purchased and transformed into the most
famous golf course in the world, Augusta National. The Berckmans’
family home still remains on the Augusta National property and serves
as the clubhouse.
This piece on the Masters history is provided by Hal Yost a retired PGA Professional living in Florida who has served on the AAU Golf National Championship Committee.
