BY DAVID TAGGART
W
hen you first set foot on Augusta National it is hard to shake the feeling that you aren’t watching it through the TV. When you have seen it so many times and know it so intimately, you can’t help think that Jim Nantz is going to start speaking from somewhere. Each morning I was tasked with cleaning the already pristine ‘Second Nine’ fairways (ANGC consider it uncouth to say Back Nine, preferring First and Second Nine). As the sun rose and we made our way down the 11th fairway, mist billowing off Rae’s Creek, it stops you in your tracks and you just stand and stare at it. Then a bird chirps, the sun breaks through the trees, gleaming off one of the brilliant white bunkers and you can’t help but smile, it just knows how to show off. Distilling the attention to detail into one article is impossible, compounded by the fact that everything they do is a fiercely guarded secret, even to the army of grounds crew volunteers that work the event each year (There is over one hundred of them, many of whom have worked more than 15 Masters). None of us know what height they cut the grass, how many times they cut it or roll it, how fast the greens are rolling, how dry or firm the greens are or what chemicals they have applied to the grass. They are a very friendly, hospitable ‘Southern’ team but as soon as you probe too far, the shutter comes down and the conversation awkwardly ends. The amiable southern disposition belies a deep commitment to science and data. The Superintendent carried a ‘Heat’ map of each green every morning, detailing, to minute detail, the temperature and drought stress of each green. This isn’t uncommon elsewhere in the world but the level of precision is unprecedented, quite literally every inch is measured. Secondly, the pins are not set to the yard/foot/ or inch but by the millimetre. A committee of at least 15 walk every green in the morning, comprised of members, the world’s best superintendents and an army of over qualified staff to assess ‘exactly’ where the hole should be cut. I am assured that a centimetre
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here or a centimetre there can make all the difference. Normally I would scoff at this but having seen the movement in the greens and just how firm and fast they were playing, I have no doubt they were right. Pins are tested to the n’th degree before they are selected and then GPS’d, tape measured and cross referenced. In the mornings I was part of the fairway cleanup team and in the afternoons I was stationed to the 12th Green with 2 other volunteers. Between groups we would scurry on to the greens, brush any sand splashes and hand pick the leaves and pine needles that had blown onto the green. It is certainly a special spot, tucked away from view with special access to a part of the course that very few people ever get to see. It is so quiet and you can hear every word the players say, some more colorful than others. Once tournament play starts you can follow the roars from around the course which was especially exciting as Rory built momentum on the final day and when Cam Smith birdied the 11th it elicited the loudest cheer of the week from the Amen Corner crowd. Whilst seeing all of those classic images from the television coverage in person was surreal, what was even more special was getting to see views of the course and around the clubhouse you don’t see on TV. Two that stick in my mind are the view from the 5th Green/6th Tee. The elevation from here means you get a birds eye view of the 6th Green/7th Tee as well 16th Green and the amphitheatre that is forming around it. Incidentally the ‘skimming’ of balls across the lake during the practice rounds draws bigger cheers than most of the regular competitive golf. Deafening pantomime boos rain down for any player that threatens to not take part, it would be interesting to know whether this new tradition is equally as popular amongst the Green Jackets as it is the Patrons. The second memorable view and my favourite spot to watch golf was the 7th green. It is such a tough green for the players to navigate but until you stand there, you would never know just how close the holes are to each other. The 2nd Green, 3rd Tee, 8th and 17th fairway are so tightly packed and the trees are thin
