This week marks a year since I attended my first Masters and a year since I had the honor of teeing it up at Augusta National the day after Scottie Scheffler slid on his second Green Jacket.
I’ve been unbearable company ever since, offering every poor soul who crosses my path an in-depth analysis of each shot I hit on what became the best day of my life.
A few weeks after my trip, I bumped into England cricketer Chris Woakes in a bar and, instead of asking him questions about his decorated professional career, decided to talk him through my bogey, double-bogey, bogey annihilation of Amen Corner.
So, I was thrilled when I was asked to write a piece describing my time playing Augusta National. Don’t worry, this isn’t a shot-by-shot analysis of how I nudged my way around, but some of the key takeaways I had from getting in behind the ropes at the most famous course in the world.
‘How did you get to play the course?’ I can hear you yelling at your screen. Well, each year, there are 20 places put aside for the media to play Augusta National the day after the tournament finishes.
Augusta and the Masters Tournament have a very strong relationship with the media that cover the event, and the 20 tee times each year are something of a ‘thank you’ to the media who come and cover the event each year.
On the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday morning of the tournament, members of the media are invited to put their name into the draw, which takes place on Friday afternoon.
It’s sort of like a raffle (I even have my entry ticket, lucky number 24), and 20 names are given a formal invite to play the course on Monday morning. So, how did I get on, and what surprised me about this once-in-a-lifetime experience?
It’s surprisingly ‘gettable’
(Image credit: Future)
Hear me out on this. I’m not saying it’s easy by any stretch of the imagination, but I can see how single-figure handicap golfers could put a score together around Augusta, just not on their first time.
For some context, guests play off the member tees, which are some 1190 yards forward of the Masters tees. So, at 6365 yards, it isn’t the longest course in the world.
Throw in the incredibly hot week we’d had and the subsequent dry fairways meant my ball was rolling out significantly farther than normal. I’m far…
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