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David Bown at The Masters
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David Bown at The Masters
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David Bown at The Masters
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David Bown at The Masters
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David Bown at The Masters
My Trip to The Masters
“You have been successful in your application for Masters tickets”. I blinked in amazement as I read the confirmation email that arrived from Augusta National back in September. My dream had come true!
Fast forward seven months and here I am with my wife in Augusta for the very first time with our very valuable Masters tickets for the Practice days and raring to go.
As a PGA golf professional and coach, having watched the Masters on TV since 1972, stepping onto the hallowed turf was a special moment.
Let’s see if it lives up to it’s billing?
When we arrived in the US the news had hit that the world’s number one, Tiger Woods was going to miss the 2014 Masters golf tournament. On the TV before the event they are talking about Tiger’s back surgery and are foolishly speculating the game of golf is possibly over and will never be the same. Tiger will be out for several months and they predict he will miss this season’s majors.
It’s certainly a big disappointment not having Tiger here, but the Masters and Augusta National is much more than any one player.
It’s all about the tradition, the history, the memorable shots played, the legends of the game, the beauty of the course, the excitement, Amen Corner, spectacular victories and of course the disasters and for the champion the prized Green Jacket, it is a unique event.
This is so true as I will explain.
This is the only Major that is played every year at the same course.
Television just cannot do it justice - you cannot appreciate it totally; the condition, the colours, the organization is immense and the changes in elevation are surprising. It’s a long walk round.
The Masters is different to other golf tournaments because there are no advertising hoardings around the tees, or anywhere for that matter. Everything is done with great taste. On the practice days all you see are the players and caddies inside the ropes - no coaches, photographers, family members or friends, which is unique for any golf tournament I have been to.
We enter the holy ground of Augusta National, we approach the security checkpoint, the staff check my bag, I go through a metal scanner like you do at the airports, everything is out of my pockets and my camera bag is checked. They were thorough but friendly with it.
My wife had a bottle of water and was told she could take it through security as long as she removed the label! No advertising here, it’s the Masters! There are absolutely no advertisements allowed on Augusta National.
As a seasoned golf professional I have been to countless golf tournaments all over the world, be it the Majors, PGA or European tour events, but this is special. I am excited, would my expectations be met?
You can only buy the merchandise for the Masters actually at the event. You cannot buy it anywhere else and everyone wants some Masters memorabilia. I had my shopping list at the ready!
The girl that served me in the afternoon said I was her 400th transaction on this one checkout that day, bearing in mind she was one of a bank of thirty cashiers. This gives an idea of how popular these items are!
A great feature at Augusta is how they look after the fans - sorry, they are called Patrons here. When you buy your merchandise you can go to the check stand area where they put all your purchases in a plastic bag, staple it closed and give you your tags. You just collect them when you leave.
How thoughtful as who wants to carry round Augusta all the temptations they have for sale.
This also encourages you to buy more goodies, which I did. I thought a nice Masters-logoed umbrella, in green and white, would be most useful in our British climate.
What impressed me was the friendliness of all the patrons, the staff and the marshals. Everyone had a smile, a word of welcome to the Masters. It was not just a “have a nice day” welcome, it was so special!
The number of staff and marshals at the event are incredible. I counted twenty on one hole alone.
Another eye opener was when I needed the restroom. When it was my turn, a member of the staff showed me which cubicle was free. When I washed my hands, I turned round and another member of staff was on hand to wish “have a great day at the Masters”.
The restroom facilities are not the usual temporary facilities you see at all other tournaments,. These are permanent buildings. Indeed, all the buildings that are used for the telephones, restrooms, food and camera towers are discreetly painted in the Masters green. And they are permanent structures - no temporary plastic huts and food franchises here.
This is the Masters.
People talked to each other. It was fun, friendly and every step on the course was a picture opportunity.
It felt like it did when the Olympics came to London. The atmosphere and respect every fan showed was incredible. We all knew we were on sacred ground and that created a special feeling.
I went to the practice ground first. It’s huge and everything is perfect. It’s the best I have seen. The grandstand seats behind the range are different. These are no ordinary seats, they are all padded!
Because I am a disciple of the golf swing and golf coach I wanted to use this opportunity of going to the Masters to build up my slow motion video collection of golf swings for my YouTube channel.
I decided to go straight onto the course, a great move as I went to the eighth hole, the long par five and had a prime position right behind the tee. I watched the greatest players walk straight up into my line and hit drivers around 280 to 300 yards; perfect!
I spoke to a patron next to me, a pro from Missouri, who had driven 13 hours through the night to get here!
He and his friend had two chairs in perfect position on the hole which, when they left, they said we could use. These chairs cost $45 each. It’s a Masters tradition that when you put your chair down you are reserving your place for that day.
We decided to go to Amen Corner, which is the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth holes. What amazing holes they are; strategic, beautiful and legendary. My mind went back to all the history I had seen on TV over the years. Seve, Faldo, Woosnam, Lyle, Nicklaus, Tiger, the list of champions is a who’s who of golf legends.
After that experience and looking at many of the holes, I decided to walk back to the eighth hole and again my luck was in. A couple next to us left their chairs and said we were welcome to use them.
This time we sat right inline on the tee box in the warm Georgia sun. We watched as past Masters champions Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Schwartzel, Woosnam, Lyle and Bubba Watson, the eventual 2014 Masters champion, and so many others walk on the tee and tee off right in front of us. I never moved from my Masters chair filming these golf legends. Sorry, not true, I had to move to film Bubba Watson as he is left handed!
No jostling for position or fans pushing to get a good view of their heroes here. This was great for my filming.
I really felt as if I was in golf heaven!
I was told there was no running by a marshal. It’s not allowed at the Masters! I told him I wasn’t, I was just moving quickly to get past him to cross to the next fairway!
He laughed, and all was good in the world!
The food is good too. There were Masters crisps, cookies, sandwiches and more, all branded with the Masters logo. It was great value for money. Beer was just $3! Everything you could think of in the various merchandise shops were all branded with the Masters logo.
Our last port of call was to the front of the famous Augusta National clubhouse, the front drive of which is called the Founders’ Circle. This is where we were told we could have our picture taken by the official photographer. There was a biq queue but it was worth it, as we posed outside the clubhouse looking down Magnolia Lane.
Did the Masters live up to its billing?
Yes, one that we will never forget.
It hit all your senses. The beauty of the course, its tranquillity - you could hear the birds singing and then you would hear the patrons’ roars through the trees giving their approval as the pros played another spectacular shot.
For a golfer the month of April means only one thing. If you would like the opportunity to go next year, you can go to the Masters website and enter the ballot.
I hope to see you there next year.
Note to self for next time; don’t wait all day for a $3 Masters beer! They stop selling beer after 5pm!
Good luck and happy golfing.
David Bown is available for golf lessons locally. You can contact him by phone on 07973 746872 or by email at david@bowngolf.com
David Bown PGA AA Professional
Authorised Golfing Machine Instructor | Lynn Blake Certified Instructor
Twitter @davidjbown | YouTube golf channel at David Bown PGA - Youtube.com/bowngolf