Augusta, the Cathederal of Golf

Multiple golf polls ask golfers what golf course they would like most to play and invariably the cathedral of golf known as the Augusta National Golf Club comes out first or second. While Pebble Beach also is mentioned as a most desired golf destination, most golfers will point out that The Masters is the first golf major of the year. Another reason for the revelry is this golf course is the beautiful girl most guys will never have the chance at dating or in this case play. Augusta makes no apologies for its snob appeal. It has outlived protests from feminists, been Tiger proofed and taken full advantage of the snob appeal it holds over the public as it keeps a stiff arm from the public.

     Well, this is about to change. This club has always considered anyone with a bank account of under 3.2 billion to be white trash. Well that charge seems harsh but few people outside of corporate American get the chance to be a spectator … I mean patron at Augusta. For generations, this has been the hardest ticket to obtain in sports. Yes, harder than the Super Bowl or a chance to be a season ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers. One score and seven years ago, Augusta experimented with allowing the public to have access to the course and allowed public sale of practice round tickets on the Tuesday and Wednesday before the tournament. Within a few short years, the course was overrun with entrepreneurs and scalpers who were charging thousands of dollars to the limited access tickets that the Augusta National Golf Club would allow and turned the event into a circus. For a day trip visit to the course, it would cost some golfers thousands of dollars to walk the course during practice rounds in combination with airfare. There were no available hotel rooms so like Allen Iverson and his aversion to practice, Augusta tightened the rules and once again kicked out the average golfer. In a scandal that caused the loss of club membership and access to the tournament, some members allowed the use of their yearly badges to be rented or sold and those caught were put in the eternal damnation hell hole known as a public golf course.  Let’s move to two score and 2012.

     That change I alluded to is an announcement that Augusta has approved and will once again allow members of the public to participate in a lottery where winners will receive the right to purchase practice tickets and a few daily tournament tickets to watch real tournament action. It is a lot of money to watch the azaleas bloom and purchase the world famous pimento and cheese sandwiches. While most of the golfing public will never get the opportunity to step between the ropes and hit a ball in amen corner or drop a second ball where Gene Sarazen hit his double eagle back in 1935, this announcement still gives the club control of their course and lucky lottery winners an opportunity to breath the fresh air of golf’s hallowed ground. While the course makes no apologies for being elitist, it knows that he who has the gold makes the rules. For the public, the relationship is dysfunctional but with a potential foot in the door, it is a step in the right direction. If I was offered the opportunity to go, I have no idea if I would go but just writing this blog would disqualify me from ever attending.