We packed up and headed to Charlotte on Tuesday, teeing it up as soon as we landed at The Golf Club at Ballantyne, a well maintained resort course. The greens were running about a 13 on the stimpmeter. The layout was straightforward, with not many holes that would cause an average player to shoot high numbers, typical of a resort layout. I enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area...a great value at $60 for 18 holes with a cart. Charlotte golf is so much more affordable than Boston! All of us played pretty well. My brother was the most consistent I have ever seen him play with great touch around the greens and good tee shots. I had one of my best nine holes in a while, shooting 2 under 34 on the back nine, including 3 birdies and 1 bogey. I was very close to birdieing three other holes on the back. I shot 75.
After a nice evening of free beer and nachos at the hotel and a solid dinner at Mac's Speed Shop, we set our alarm clocks for 430am departure to Augusta. The excitement was so high! I couldn't believe we were on our way to Augusta. What would the event be like? Would it live up to the hype? How would the crowds be? Would we have time to get merchandise and see everything we wanted to? The ride in from Charlotte was smooth. We made one stop about 50 miles outside of Augusta at a McDonalds. It was 6am and after we walked in, two cars full of other Augusta bound fans came in. You could feel the energy, we were all on a dream mission.
As you get off the exit to Washington Street, immediately you start seeing people holding signs 'need tickets', 'buying and selling tickets'; then as you drive 1.5 miles down a main road with retail locations on both sides of the road, each retailer offers parking or has signs related to the golf tournament. We passed the Hooters where John Daly's motor home was set up to sell merchandise, sports illustrated had a party tent, ticket companies had tents. The FREE masters parking lot is a gigantic rolling field with stadium lighting, volunteers directing you exactly to your grass spot. From there, its walking distance to the entrance. No shuttles necessary!!
Walking into Augusta, was like a kid walking into Disney World for the first time. Thousands lined up at the gate waiting for the 8am opening. Hundreds and hundreds went through the mini merchandise building that is set up for spectators to get at before they enter the gates. We hit up both the mini merchandise and the large, department store like merchandise building inside the gates. Wow I spent money fast on shirts and other memorabilia!!
I think I could write a book on this experience. I am going to cut this short with a bullet point list of some key memories:
- You have no idea how beautiful this place is until you see it in person
- Driving range and practice facility is a dream for the practicer
- Every blade of grass is impeccable
- The hills on the golf course are very big, you can't really get the perspective on TV
- Augusta roars must be unbelievable, on a Wednesday 16 was loud and the stands weren't even half full...in person, i found it surprising how close 15 green, 16, and 17 tee are to each other...i now know what they mean when they say you can hear the roars almost everywhere on the course
- 12th hole is good as it gets and looks just like you see in the pictures, but even better
- Masters tournament operations knows how to run an event better than anyone I have ever seen - the concessions were immaculate and so efficient, same with the merchandise tent and bathrooms, all cables were underground, green gravel is used on certain edges of the grounds, tv towers were permanent fixtures, no corporate advertising allowed
- Buy your merchandise first thing and bring it back to your car, its worth an hour of your time
- Par 3 tournament was phenomenal, a pure party, fun-loving atmosphere where everybody is so laid back including the players...you really need to spend time here, more than we did, get there as soon as it starts and plant yourself near a green
- 16th hole water skipping tradition is worth seeing
- Rory McIlroy is the real deal
- You can't beat the price of food and drink, cost me $5 for a sandwich, lemonade, and cookie..beer was less than $4
- My Dad snuck us into the clubhouse area and we met Gary Player's wife and mingled around Nick Faldo, Brandt Snedeker, Stewart Cink, and many others
- We walked all 18 holes
- There is literally no rough worth a trouble for these players
- The pine trees are so tall it hurts to try to look up at the top
- The greens are way more undulating in person than on TV
The day following Augusta, we played at Springfield Golf Club in Fort Mill, SC. This is rated the hardest public golf course in the Charlotte area. A great layout. The greens are very firm, roll good, but speeds are inconsistent. The condition is fair, not well groomed, but you get good greens and a solid layout. The value was very good for $51 with a cart. Again, I recommend it! I actually liked the layout much better than Ballantyne. A local person recommended we try Edgewater next time, a Fuzzy Zoeller course - claimed to be best greens in the area. My brother and Dad played great golf, again both driving it beautifully and producing steady results. I shot an 82 and felt I played well for most of the day, a brutal course at 145 slope and 73 rating from the tips.
The memories are unforgettable this week! Thanks Dad, Derek, and Mike! I want to go back!
Happy 2012 season,
Kurt
