The Masters: Sport's Last Truly Great Event

I’ve been to the Super Bowl.

I’ve been to NBA playoff games.

I’ve been to World Series Games.

I’ve been to the U.S. Open Tennis tournament.

I’ve been to the U.S. Open golf tournament.

I’ve been to the PGA Championship.

And last Sunday my uncle and I attended our first Masters.  It was a day comprising of one shock after another, and I’m not even talking about what transpired on the golf course.

The first shock came as we were approaching Augusta National and saw a large sign saying “Free Masters Parking.”

Free? Are you kidding me?

The parking fee at the 2010 Super Bowl in Miami was $75.

Heck, I pay $30 to park for three hours at a New York Mets game.

So with an astonished look in our eyes, we left the car in the free lot—which by some Augusta National miracle still had grass more pristine than 90 percent of all municipal golf courses in the country despite tens of thousands of cars parking there for seven straight days—and headed for the security gate.

The security was the only downside in an otherwise perfectly run event.  The lines were somewhat unorganized and it took more than a half hour to get through what amounted to be a more stringent security check than they had at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Once inside we immediately headed for the 16th green, dropped our chairs off in the spot we had chosen, before heading out to walk the golf course.  

Yes, you did read that last sentence correctly.  You can put your chair down, leave it there for hours at a time and it will be honored by all the other patrons.  No one will steal your spot; no one will run off with your chairs, no one will take your merchandise or programs. 

Heck, one man that has attended the Masters for 25 years said that you could literally leave your wallet on your chair, walk around the course for five hours and it would still be there when you return. 

My uncle and I, coming from New York, were of course a little apprehensive about any unspoken honor code still existing amongst human beings on this planet, but we decided to give it a shot anyway and left our chairs and our programs (we stopped short of leaving our wallets) and headed out to see the golf course. 

We walked two holes of this incredibly hilly course and were ready for a drink and a snack, so we found the nearest concession stand.

As we approached the concession stand and had a quick look at the menu, our jaws could be seen dragging along the floor.

Sandwiches ranged from $1 - $2.50.  Sodas and iced tea were $1.  Beers were $3.  Cookies and potato chips were $0.50.

Are you kidding me?

Sandwiches for $1?  They must taste terrible!

No.  They were absolutely delicious, as were the cookies, the iced tea and everything else.

I paid more for a medium cup of coffee at LaGuardia Airport than I did for my entire lunch at Augusta National.

Can you believe it?  A sporting event that doesn’t rip off its patrons?  The green coats of Augusta National must be out of their minds.  Or perhaps they are the last governing body of any sporting event that actually cares about their patrons.

So, we walked the course for a while, which, needless to say was the most magnificent golf course either of us had ever seen.  As it was a hot afternoon, we were throwing back our $1 ice teas pretty good, so we eventually had to locate a bathroom.  

We finally found one, entered it and quickly realized that this was no porta-potty or grimy Citi Field bathroom.  Heck, this bathroom was nicer than what you’d see at a five-star hotel.   

You almost felt guilty washing your hands because you didn’t want to get any water on the counter around the sink because one of the bathroom attendants would then have to immediately come with a towel and dry the water after you left.

By this point, we were so dumbfounded by what we had already seen, all we could say to each other was “ridiculous” after leaving the bathroom.

But, about 30 seconds later it would get even more ridiculous.

We saw one of the many telephone blocks that were situated around the golf course and decided to go over and give my aunt a call so we could ask her to record The Masters so we could watch it when we returned home.

My uncle picked up one of the phones, and of course immediately started reaching for his wallet as surely this would be some kind of expensive credit card call. Only it wasn’t.

As soon as he picked up the phone, a dial tone came up and he just dialed his home phone number.  The calls were completely free, and not only were they free, the caller ID came up as Augusta National on my aunt’s phone.

So, needless to say, like two big kids who had just gotten their hands on a cool new toy, we started calling everyone we knew just so Augusta National would pop up on their caller IDs.

Being that we had entered the ground at around 9 AM, not much was happening around the 16th green yet by lunchtime.  So, we found another concession stand, dropped $3.50 each for BBQ pulled pork sandwiches and ice teas and had some lunch before heading over to the practice tee.

What we saw on the practice tee might have topped all else we had seen on this already mind-blowing day.  When a player was done hitting balls, an Augusta National worker would come out and pick up every last one of the divots the player had made as to ensure that messy looking divots would not be scattered all over the practice tee. 

Yes, at least five workers were given the sole responsibility of picking up every single divot made on the practice tee.  What would possibly be the job title for a position like that?  Driving range divot picker-upper?

Incredible. 

By this time, some of the players in contention were making their way to the first tee, so we decided to camp out around the tee box at the par-five second to watch players bomb their drives.

We stayed at this same spot until Tiger Woods came through at around 2 PM and then decided to head back to our seats which we had placed right behind the 16th green more than five hours earlier.

Despite everything we had already seen at Augusta National, coming from New York, we were still slightly concerned that our seats would no longer be there when we returned.

But, of course they were; as were our programs which had been sitting on our seats all day.

As we made our way through the crowd around the 16th green, a path was cleared so we could return to our seats.  After all, we had awoken at 6 AM, got to Augusta National early and placed our seats there.  That effort should be, and was, honored by the rest of the patrons.

We spent the rest of the afternoon watching spectacular golf amongst a large group of spectators that all truly knew the game inside and out.

They knew every player, they knew the history of the Masters, heck, most of them even knew what each roar meant before the scores would even pop-up on the scoreboards.

The best way I can describe Augusta National and The Masters is that it’s a step back in time.

Between the prices, the southern hospitality and everything they do to make their patrons feel comfortable, Augusta National has resisted evolving into yet another over-priced over-commercialized major sporting event.  

As a result of Augusta National taking a step back in time every April for the Masters, I feel as if the patrons instinctively take on the same mind set upon walking through the gates.  They are courteous to one another.  Seats are honored.  Nothing is stolen.  There is no pushing or shoving to get a better view of the action.

Patrons treat each other as they would treat their own family members.  And this may be because, in essence, for one day we are all one big family.  We all feel honored, privileged and fortunate to attend this fantastic event, and we all know that the guy standing next to us feels the same way. 

For one afternoon, despite age, financial or social status, we are all in the same boat.  We are just a large group of people that love golf and love everything about The Masters.

In two words, it’s perfect.

For more Masters news, Insight and analysis, check out The Tour Report.