www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
Thursday, April 11, 2013
R1
Greater Lafayette
Golf Guide Final round Lafayette Municipal course may be closed but memories remain
BRENT DRINKUT/JOURNAL & COURIER
R2
Thursday, April 11, 2013
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
LOCAL GOLFERS CHERISH MEMORIES OF MUNICIPAL City course remembered for friendly atmosphere
By Jeff Washburn jwashburn@jconline.com
I
t never was Tippecanoe County’s most challenging golf course, nor did it provide the scenic backdrop associated with Coyote Crossing or Purdue’s Kampen Course. However, soon after it opened for play in 1974, Lafayette Municipal acquired the reputation as a family place, one where golf was played in a relaxed atmosphere, regardless of age, social status or skill set. Some of the Lafayette area’s finest players picked up a driver, wedge or putter for the first time at the par-72 layout bordering the Wabash River. The memories are rich, which makes the recent announcement that the Muni is closing just short of its 40th birthday a sad time for many who spent countless hours there. But multiple floods, especially during the past 15 years, have made the financial risks involved overwhelming to the Lafayette Parks and Recreation Dept. As the loyal base of Municipal players says goodbye and seeks other playing options, so many have a favorite story or stories to share. These are some of the best from some the course’s best.
Kate Burklow found a second home at Municipal, both as a player for Lafayette Jeff and as an employee. MICHAEL HEINZ/JOURNAL & COURIER
A champion’s home Multiple Lafayette Men’s City champion John Weast graduated from high school the year Municipal opened for play but he did not become a regular until the summer of 1979, several months after returning home from a stint in the Navy, where he began to play golf seriously while stationed in Spain. Realizing his skills were improving each time he played, Weast sought a course that was neither stuffy nor flooded with corporate types who were more interested in transacting business than saving par from the sand. Weast, who now lives in Lubbock, Texas, and is married to Texas Tech women’s golf coach JoJo Robertson, liked the comfortable feel at Municipal and the men and women who played there regularly.
John Weast won several Lafayette Men’s City championships because he was able to develop his golf game on Municipal. FILE/JOURNAL & COURIER
Larry Morris running the snack bar and taking care of the course, word spread quickly that if you wanted a good game, Muni was the place to stage it. When the Men’s City was staged there, almost every good player in Tippecanoe County jumped in. Now in his mid-50s, Weast literally has played thousands of rounds of golf, but two Men’s City matches at Muni are the two he never will forget. The year after Mike Chadwick won the Big Ten championship at Illinois, he needed 19 holes to beat Weast in the Men’s City. During one of Weast’s championship runs, he beat Brian Green in 22 holes, keeping the match alive by rolling in a 30-foot par putt. “Those are moments you don’t forget,” Weast said. “And I won’t forget Muni.”
Player, manager
“I formed every golf relationship I have to this day at that golf course,” Weast said. “In that time when Bob Morrow was the pro, it probably was the most fun golf course I’ve ever been a part of. It wasn’t the most lush golf course, but it was the most fun golf course. “It was the people. It was a family down there. That’s where I met (former City champ) Ted Dawson and all
those guys. To this day, I still like to play golf courses just like that with people just like that. I miss the atmosphere at that golf course.” Weast remembers the signature elevated greens and that the layout taught him to hit the ball a bit higher and bit further to compensate for the elevation. Weast picked up a metal driver for the first time at Municipal. With Morrow as the pro and
For Jason Biddinger, who managed Lafayette Municipal for eight years and four months until it closed for play in March, the golf course was a slice of life. The 2000 McCutcheon graduate, 31, met his wife (former Lafayette Jeff golfer Casey Deaton) at Municipal and honed his own game there while playing for the Mavericks and then attending Purdue. Biddinger began working at the course in 1998 as a high
school sophomore, chipping and putting when he wasn’t assigned to a course-related task. “The biggest thing that is going to be missed is the atmosphere,” Biddinger said. “It was a place with little to no intimidation for junior golfers or beginners, whether they were young adults or senior citizens. If you wanted a place to learn or a place to practice, you could even come down at lunch hour and hit a bucket of balls. “You would pull into that parking lot, and nine out of 10 times, you would see somebody you knew. That’s one of the biggest things that is going to be missed. For me there are a lot of memories. Remember, I started working there when I was 16. It’s the place I watched a lot of junior golfers come through and improve.” Biddinger said the bond for all was the love of golf and the comfort players felt, whether it was drinking a soda in the snack shop or standing over a 15-foot putt for par. The staff was helpful, and Junior golfers were encouraged to ask questions about rules or etiquette without the fear of being chastised. “My goal as manager was always to promote a friendly atmosphere,” Biddinger said. “That’s what I recognized and had there when I was younger and what I recognized when I started working there for (former pro) Tom Kern. It was important to me that everyone who came down there felt welcomed.” The large group of regulars, according to Biddinger, put a face on the golf course and made it a special place.
A place for kids Lafayette businessman Tom Decker, the boys and girls golf coach at Central Catholic, was fortunate to have access to the Lafayette Country Club’s ninehole course on 9th Street when he was learning the sport in the 1970s. But once Decker and his fellow CC golf buddies began hitting range balls at Municipal in 1978, he found a second home. Not the community’s best course, Decker never thought about leaving it, even when floods ravished it. In fact, he calls the city’s decision to close it a huge loss but understands why. Decker, 49, claims that because of Morrow, George See MEMORIES, Page R3
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
MEMORIES Continued from Page R2
“Chief” Bender and Sue Beam and the CIJGA program, Municipal became the place for kids, many of whom have gone on to become good high school and college players. “Chief spent hours down there with kids who didn’t have any means or did have means ... didn’t matter,” Decker said. “He would work with anybody. He would find ways to get kids there who otherwise might not be able to get there. “It was centrally located. Kids could come out there and hit balls for a very inexpensive price. That’s not available anyplace else in Tippecanoe County.” Decker points out that while there are driving range areas at Purdue, Coyote Crossing, The Ravines and The Elks, the venues are not centrally located like Municipal. That’s especially important for youth golfers. “Muni gave everybody the opportunity to play at an affordable price, and it was close to home,” Decker said. “Now, I’m concerned about the Junior programs. Everybody is limited to how many kids they can involve. We have so many kids that want to play.”
Obstacle course Now 19 and a freshman member of the DePauw University women’s golf team, Lafayette’s Kate Burklow experienced Municipal from many perspectives. She honed her skills there. Worked there. As a Lafayette Jeff sophomore in the fall of 2009, Burklow played one of those rounds that she likely will share with peers at her 25th class reunion.
On the morning of the Lafayette Regional, Burklow awoke with what can best be described as flu-like symptoms. That’s a nice way of saying it. A quick trip to the hospital and a shot for nausea later, Burklow found herself at Muni, where coach John Hatter asked if she could play. She sat in the snack bar where she was employed until it was tee time, then carded a respectable 92 to help the Bronchos advance to the state finals. Without the comfort level she acquired as a sixth-grader at Muni, Burklow wonders if she would have survived that round with a score of less than 100. “It was like a family ... kind of like a second home,” Burklow said. “For me, it was a place to go as a kind of escape and a place for practicing. Golf is a passion for me. It was where I got my escape from everything else going on in the world. “It was nice to always be able to go down there. I started practicing there when I was in middle school. Then, it became an easy transition to high school. Then I started working there. It became this comfortable area I could come to.” As an employee, Burklow learned why it became a comfortable area to socialize as well as play. “I would see the same people at the same time of the day,” Burklow said. “I worked in the mornings, and the same guys would come in every morning, play, and then get their cup of coffee. They would come back in later on and get another cup of coffee. “When they got done playing, they would sit there and talk to each other for an hour or two. When there were football games on TV, they would sit there and watch. For a lot of them, it wasn’t necessarily
Thursday, April 11, 2013 about the golf, it was more about the aspect of communicating with each other and socializing.”
Father’s Day Municipal was in its third season of operation in 1976 when Tim Adams, then 6, asked his father if he would drive several neighborhood friends to the course so they could teach themselves to chip and putt. Now 43 and a West Lafayette insurance salesman, Adams can’t begin to thank his dad enough for driving him from home or from school to Municipal. It was there he developed lasting friendships with Lafayette golfers Brent Hofman, Brian Ferguson, Paul and Russ Barrick and Mark Vaughn. The way Adams sees it, Municipal helped create a strong generation of selftaught players along with being associated with the Men’s City tournament. “When we were little kids, it was a safe place for us to go,” Adams said. “You went down there and played all day and practiced. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times my dad picked me up at school, and we went down and played golf. Back then, if you weren’t a member of a country club, it was about the only option out there. “It was just a great environment. Not just in Lafayette, but today, I don’t know if you have a lot of that anywhere. When I would go down there with dad, we always played with somebody, but we rarely had prior plans to play with somebody. You got down there and found out who was down there and went out and played. It wasn’t all that organized, but maybe that’s what made it so much fun.”
R3
COURSES SEEK MUNICIPAL’S CUSTOMERS Battle Ground trying to attract seniors By Jeff Washburn jwashburn@jconline.com
N
ow that Lafayette Municipal no longer is an option for Tippecanoe County golfers, where will the Muni crowd land this spring, summer and fall? Shane Weist, general manager at the Parks’ Foundation Battle Ground course and at the John Scheumann-owned Coyote Crossing, and Brent Wills, Purdue’s assistant golf professional for events and marketing, believe all other Tippecanoe County-based courses will reach out to players who for decades called Municipal their home course. For the first time in course history, Battle Ground is offering a Senior membership, which for $950 a year allows Seniors to play unlimited golf on weekdays. Single-round weekday rates for Seniors are $25 at Battle Ground and $29 at Coyote Crossing. “I would think everyone would reach out to these golfers,” Weist said. “Right now in this community, we’re blessed with an abundance of golf courses. Everybody is jockeying for rounds. We have so many golf courses and a lack of golfers to fill those courses. “The majority of the play that was (at Municipal) was family play. There were a lot of
evenings when the parents took the kids. When I worked there for five years, we had a huge Senior group in the mornings. Municipal appealed to all age levels, which at Battle Ground, I think we are going to be able to do as well. The difficulty of the course makes it a very friendly course.” In terms of its degree of difficulty, Battle Ground, according to Weist, should appeal to Seniors, women and kids. He hopes Muni’s displaced group also comes to Coyote but believes Battle Ground probably will get more play. “Coyote is a course for a serious golfer,” Weist said. “If a skilled player from Municipal wants to come to Coyote, they’re going to come to a course in great condition. We’ve seen more of an influx at Battle Ground, in large part because of the age level of the people who play at Muni.” The Women’s League that was staged at Muni now is scheduled for Battle Ground, and 60 former Senior members at Municipal have joined Battle Ground. Like Weist, Wills is eager to introduce former Municipal regulars to the two Birck Boilermaker Complex courses, especially Ackerman Hills, which is the less difficult layout. The Pete Dye-designed Kampen Course can be overwhelming for those with double-digit handicaps. “We’re absolutely excited about it,” Wills said of picking See COURSES, Page R5
R4
Thursday, April 11, 2013
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
NICE KNOWING YOU, MUNI Flood waters covered the 11th fairway at Lafayette Municipal Golf Course in 1998, which forced the postponement of the Men’s City tournament.
JEFF
WASHBURN COLUMNIST
I
n my profession, there are assignments and events that get the heart pumping and the emotion flowing a bit more than others. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament. A Purdue-Notre Dame football game. The boys basketball state tournament. The Colt World Series. And any golf event staged at Lafayette Municipal. Unfortunately, after 39 years in operation and enough floods to keep Noah building Arks, Municipal — the friendly place to learn and play — is closing. The Wabash River’s banks were not kind to the fairways, tees and greens where young and old honed their skills. Repair and upkeep costs, especially with no guarantees of flood prevention, made it impossible for city officials to extend Muni’s life. Those who played rounds there, honed their chipping and putting skills on the property or spent time in the clubhouse snack bar sipping coffee and solving the world’s problems will miss the gathering place where countless friendships, and even a few romances, were made. Depending on the degree of difficulty and the location, golf can be an expensive sport. Equipment startup costs alone can put some with meager financial means in debt. Green fees, riding carts, a sleeve of golf balls and an additional new club or two often aren’t cheap. While Municipal’s degree of
FILE/JOURNAL & COURIER
difficulty paled in comparison to several other area courses, it was the family atmosphere and relaxing environment that made it a sanctuary for school teachers, factory workers, politicians, retirees and kids seeking to learn how to play within the sport’s rules and regulations. The large, elevated greens created unique challenges for area golfers. At the same time, there were enough sand and water challenges to force a scratch golfer to think through more than just a handful of shots. A good player could post a solid score and feel good about the accomplishment. A poor player could use the layout as a place to improve without breaking clubs or walking off the course, vowing never to play this game again. Municipal, when players didn’t need a rowboat to get
from tee to tee, was a popular place for families. Husbands helped wives learn to appreciate the game without an element of intimidation. Moms and dads frequently placed clubs in their little ones’ hands for the first time. And then those little ones grew up to take their own kids to Muni when it was time to teach yet another generation. Regardless of the course manager, most recently Jason Biddinger, Junior Golf participants always were welcomed there. Those involved with Muni understood that the youngsters are the next generation of paying customers. If a kid feels like he is welcomed, he or she will return there as an adult. Loyalty often is instilled at an early age. Many who played there as adults in the 1990s and into the 21st century learned to play at Muni in
the 1970s and 80s. The fact that for years the Men’s City was staged at Municipal created a legend of its own. Whether it was former Big Ten Conference champion Mike Chadwick, the late Joe Heath, John Weast, steady Jeff Walkey or the long-hitting John Hunter, countless terrific matches were staged there, many requiring more than 18 holes to determine a winner. When those thrilling matches were complete, the participants huddled in the snack bar to wet their whistle or devour one of those tasty polish sausages that were far better — and much less expensive — than the ones at most ballpark or stadium concession stands. In the spring and fall, the high school sectional and regional tournaments for boys and girls frequently were staged there, showcasing many
of the youths who had honed their skills years before on the same trek. Whether it was Annie Deets, Chad Cooper, the Kramer twins, Jackie Schult or Brian Ferguson, there always were enough stories and title-winning shots to make a sportswriter’s task an easy one. This area always has been one of the state’s best for high school golf, and Municipal’s willingness to embrace and cater to that age group is a big reason why the Lafayette area has produced so many talented young players. The retirees were there early in the morning, the factory workers rolled in shortly after 3 p.m., and mom, dad and the kids showed up in the twilight hours. From sunrise to sundown, Muni had a steady flow of customers who came in all shapes and sizes. Municipal, you see, was that venue for all ages, skill sets and interest levels. Casual or serious. A scratch golfer or a double-digit handicap. Those with wealth and those with limited means. All were welcomed. All felt at home. And all were encouraged to come again and again. The basic, yet charming, layout along the Wabash is closed now, leaving behind enough memories to fill a lifetime for those who felt at home at Municipal. As many regulars have reminded me during the past week, it was like having a second family. The memories of that family, they say, will never die. Washburn is a Journal and Courier sports writer. Contact him via e-mail at jwashburn@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter @JeffWashburnJC.
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
COURSES Continued from Page R3
up additional play from those displaced by Municipal’s closing. “Those who are eager to see the quality and condition of our golf courses, I think they definitely will see an improvement. “Along with that also comes a cost. Unfortunately, our price range probably was not quite as competitive as what they were paying at the Municipal course. But they obviously are more than welcomed to come and play. We would enjoy having them.” Wills said that Purdue is offering Senior League play Monday through Friday before noon for $25, which includes a riding cart. The nine-hole rate and twilight rate for those who want to walk is $15 during the week and $25 to ride. Willis reminds players that if they use the front tees, Ackerman Hills will play at less than 6,000 yards. Seniors also may purchase a walking-only season pass for Ackerman Hills for $800. The same pass is $1,300 for those who want to use a riding cart. “It’s definitely playable and is a family friendly course,” Wills said of Ackerman Hills. “We offer family golf on Sunday afternoons.” The Elks, the Ravines and Edwood Glen also are options for golfers who grew accustomed to playing at Municipal.
General manager Shane Weist believes Battle Ground’s course will be appealing to golfers of all ages now that Municipal is closed. FILE/JOURNAL & COURIER
Thursday, April 11, 2013
R5
R6
Thursday, April 11, 2013
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
YOUR GUIDE TO GREATER LAFAYETTE GOLF COURSES TIPPECANOE COUNTY 1. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex 1300 Cherry Lane West Lafayette 494-3139 or 494-3216 www.purduegolf.com Ackerman Hills Course Men’s par: 71, yards: 5,918 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,325 Kampen Course Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,874 Women’s par: 72, yards: 6,067 2. Coyote Crossing 5801 Augusta Blvd. West Lafayette 497-1061 www.coyotecrossinggolf.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,839 Women’s par: 72, yards: 4,881 3. Edwood Glen 1601 East 600 North West Lafayette 463-1100 www.edwoodglencc.com Men’s par: 70, yards: 6,135 Women’s par: 75, yards: 5,642 4. Lafayette Country Club (private) 1500 S. Ninth St. Lafayette 474-3461 www.lafayettecountryclub.net Men’s par: 36, yards: 2,992 Women’s par: 37, yards: 2,774 5. Battle Ground Golf Club 5505 Pretty Prairie Road Battle Ground 567-2178 www.golfbattleground.com Course closed to public on Thursdays Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,494 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,245 6. Lafayette Elks Club 3224 U.S. 52 West West Lafayette 463-2332 www.elksgolf.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,256 Women’s par: 73, yards: 5,219 7. The Ravines 8525 Division Road West Lafayette 497-7888 www.ravinesgolf.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,899 Women’s par: 72, yards: 4,947
BENTON COUNTY 8. Benton County Country Club 402 W. Fourth St. Fowler (765) 884-1864 Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,461 Women’s par: 74, yards: 5,594 9. Oak Grove County Club 609 S. Crown St., Indiana 55 South Oxford (765) 385-2713 www.oakgrovecc.com Men’s par: 71, yards: 6,028 Women’s par: 73, yards: 5,170
CARROLL COUNTY 10. Bachelor Runn Golf Club 625 N. Indiana 75 Flora
AREA IN DETAIL
18 23 26
27
24
25
Logansport
12
8
11
10
3
9
6
2 1
7
5
4
13
14 16
15
17
SOURCE: Journal & Courier research
19
21 20
22
(574) 967-3987 Par: 36, yards: 3,300 11. Carroll County Country Club 411 E. Howard St. Delphi (765) 564-2155 Par: 36, yards: 3,067 12. Hollow Acres 8291 Indiana 421 Yeoman (574) 965-2182 www.hollowacres.com Par: 27, yards: 1,300
CLINTON COUNTY 13. Angel Hill Golf Course 351 N. Plank St. Rossville (765) 379-3533 www.angelhillgolfcourse.com Men’s par: 71, yards: 6,138 Women’s par: 71, yards: 4,885 14. Deer Track 775 North 700 West Frankfort (765) 296-2595 Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,394 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,229
15. Frankfort Country Club 100 Country Club Drive Frankfort (765) 659-1324 www.frankfortcc.com Men’s par: 71, yards: 6,100 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,088
FOUNTAIN COUNTY 16. Harrison Hills 413 E. New St. Attica (765) 762-1135 www.harrisonhills.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,398 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,223 17. Rivercrest 14 Clubhouse Dr. Covington (765) 793-7888 www.golfrivercrest.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,346 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,415
JASPER COUNTY 18. Curtis Creek (semiprivate)
5385 South 1080 West Rensselaer (219) 866-7729 www.curtiscreekcountryclub.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,526 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,040
MONTGOMERY COUNTY 19. Crawfordsville Country club (private) 3272 W. Country Club Road Crawfordsville (765) 362-2353 Men’s par: 70, yards: 6,188 Women’s par: 70, yards: 5,056 20. Crawfordsville Municipal 1000 E. South Blvd. Crawfordsville (765) 364-5171 Men’s par: 71, yards: 6,610 Women’s par: 71, yards: 5,192 21. Rocky Ridge Golf Club 3965 North 625 East Crawfordsville
(765) 794-4444 Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,410 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,113 22. Turkey Run 7951 E. Indiana 47 Waveland (765) 435-2048 www.turkeyrungolf.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,650 Women’s par: 72, yards: 4,970
NEWTON COUNTY 23. Hazelden Country Club 3705 E. Indiana 16 Brook (219) 275-7771 www.hazeldencountryclub.com Men’s par: 70, yards: 5,935 Women’s par: 70, yards: 4,845
WHITE COUNTY 24. Pine Island 1969 Northwest Shafer Drive Monticello
(574) 583-7733 Par: 27, yards: 1,121 25. Pine View Golf Course 5310 Norway Road Monticello (574) 583-3339 www.pineviewgolf.net Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,625 Women’s par: 72, yards: 5,503 26. Tippecanoe Country Club North Shafer Drive Monticello (574) 583-9977 www.tippecanoecc.com Men’s par: 72, yards: 6,728 Women’s par: 73, yards: 5,621
CASS COUNTY 27. Logansport Golf Club 20 Cedar Island Drive Logansport (574) 722-1110 Men’s par: 71, yards: 6,048 Women’s par: 72, yards: 4,831
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
Thursday, April 11, 2013
MEN’S CITY DATES SET Senior Match Play may be added to event
By Jeff Washburn jwashburn@jconline.com
T
he 2013 Men’s City Golf Tournament will be staged July 13-14, 20-21 and 27-28 at Purdue’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. As usual, the event will consist of 36 holes of medal-play qualifying July 13-14 after which participants will be slotted into flights for two weekends of match play. According to tournament director Tim Adams, fees will remain the same . Open and Senior (50 and over) Division players who will participate in medal and match play will pay $140. Open and Senior Division entrants who plan to play the first weekend in medal play only will be charged $115. Junior (under 18) Open Division golfers who will play in the medal and match-play sections will pay $100. Juniors who will play only in the medal portion of the tournament will pay $75.
Entry forms are available at http://www.purduegolf.com/citychampionships.html. According to Adams, if there is enough interest among players, he will add a Senior Match Play Championship branch of the tournament. It would be a 16-player flight and will be played from the white tees. Seniors will play no more than one match a day. However, if a Senior elects to play in the Senior Match Play event, he may not participate in the Open Division as well. When a player enters the tournament, he must designate in advance if he wants to play in the Open Division or the Senior Division. Those with questions may contact Adams at menscity@gmail.com.
Women’s City The annual Women’s City Golf Tournament is set for July 13 at Battle Ground and July 14 at Coyote Crossing. The 36-hole tournament will include 18 holes of stroke-play qualifying on July 13, and the field will be flighted for the final round
the next day at Coyote Crossing, followed by the awards’ luncheon. Entry sheets and further information will be made available at courses throughout Tippecanoe County.
CIJGA The 2013 tournament schedule for the Central Indiana Junior Golf Association tour, organized by Sue Beam, will begin June 10 with an event at the Crawfordsville Country Club. The CIJGA tour, which is open to area players ages 10-18, also will include tournaments at The Ravines, Hazeldon, The Lafayette Elks, Tippecanoe Country Club, Harrison Hills Country Club, Purdue’s Ackerman Hills, Deer Track, Battle Ground and the seasonending CIJGA Invitational, set for July 24 at Coyote Crossing. Players who would like to participate in CIJGA may secure further information online at www.cijga.org. Rules, fees and a complete summer tournament schedule are available on the site. Anyone with questions may e-mail Beam at sue@cijga.org.
R7
R8
Thursday, April 11, 2013
www.jconline.com • Journal & Courier
Golf: The Masters
Golf’s landmark achievement
First time at Augusta leaves vivid memories By Steve DiMeglio USA TODAY Sports
The clock struck midnight long before Tiger Woods rolled up on Magnolia Lane for his first visit to Augusta National in 1995. All of 19, the skinny lad from Stanford University had spent the day playing in a college tournament and the night traveling to the annual site of the first major championship of the season, and having his maiden voyage covered in darkness tempered his excitement. But as he made his way up to the Crow’s Nest atop the clubhouse, the historic resting place for select amateurs during the Masters, there was another matter that had his utmost attention: Tiger was hungry. Leaving the comfort of his cot, Woods went in search of food and got lost in a maze of narrow hallways, staircases and more doors than he cares to remember. Trying to retrace his steps back to the Nest, he instead walked into an exclusive enclosure — the Champions Locker Room. “Oops,” Woods recalls thinking. It was a precursor of a magical week at one of golf’s most enchanted settings, a nursery Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie turned into an alluring magnet for all who love the game. Two years later, Woods earned a permanent place in the Champions Locker Room with the first of his four wins in the Masters. The vault in his memory bank is full of recollections of his trips to Augusta National, with his initial visit still fresh in his mind — even his first putt in competition that rolled off the green. “I said that week that it was like Disney World and fantasy land, something like that, wrapped together, and it’s true,” Woods says. “I loved the golf course the first time I saw it. The history, the beauty, the challenge of the course ... it’s such a great place. It was my first time, and I’ll never forget it.” — — —
By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY Sports
Visitors’ first sight at Augusta National is Magnolia Lane, a 330-yard stretch lined with 60 trees. Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner, didn’t see the golf course the first time he visited. He was with his St. John’s golf team, “and we just stared down Magnolia Lane for an hour trying to figure out any way possible to get in, whether we were going to just run through the gate and just get arrested or how we were going to do it.” Bradley finally got through the gate last year, with his father by his side. “It was one of the most special days of my life,” Bradley says. “Any time when you’re at the gate and that guard says, ‘Go ahead,’ it’s an unbelievable feeling, every time. It’s just without a doubt the best feeling you could ever have on a golf course. It’s just different than anywhere else.” — — — The 365-acre tract of land in eastcentral Georgia is home to emerald fairways and botanical wonders blooming in dazzling colors, azaleas and majestic pines among them. There is Amen Corner, Rae’s Creek, Butler Cabin and Ike’s Pond. There are 43 pearl-white bunkers and holes named Tea Olive, Golden Bell and Redbud.
It’s hard off an asphalt main strip abutted by a variety of commerce ranging from Pep Boys and Hooters to Waffle House and Krispy Kreme. Many a seeker has driven right past the golf club with nary a clue. “You’re driving in and you’re like, ‘Augusta National is here?’ I missed the turn so I turned around and hung a left, and I was like, ‘OK, I see it,’ ” Robert Garrigus says. “I turn into Magnolia Lane and the guard stops me. He’s like, ‘What’s your name and what’s your Social Security number and what kind of underwear are you wearing?’ and you’re about to get Tasered. I stopped, I got out of the car, and I was like, “You’re going to have to give me a minute,’ and I took a couple pictures, and that was pretty cool. “I got there, and they’ve got the best lemonade I’ve ever had in my life. It’s unbelievable. I don’t know what they do to it. There’s no alcohol in it or nothing. … And there’s not a weed on the whole entire place.” — — — Jim “Bones” Mackay made his first visit in 1987. Before he met his boss, Phil Mickelson, and even had
thoughts of being a caddie, Mackay was a golf fan going to Columbus College in Georgia. At the end of a long, sun-drenched final round, Mackay was standing in the second row right behind the 12th tee and was looking down at the 11th green when Greg Norman and Larry Mize came to the hole in a playoff. Norman had the advantage when Mize chipped in from 140 feet to win the green jacket. It’s one of the greatest shots in Masters history, and it produced one of the loudest roars ever to have echoed through the pines. A few years later, Mackay returned for his first Masters as a caddie. “I remember everything about that first time,” he says. “You get there and you put your overalls on for the first time and you walk inside the ropes and you walk over the bridges. You walk over the Hogan Bridge to the 12 green, and you realize you’re standing on ground that very few people get to and you want to take it all in and smell the roses because you never know if you’re going to be back. ... From the beauty standpoint and the history standpoint, it never gets old. It gets better every year you go back. It’s
the only tournament I’ve ever been to or ever go to where I’m a little bit anxious on Wednesday night. I have a little bit of trouble getting to sleep, because I can’t wait for the tournament to start. That’s the Masters. That’s Augusta National.” Mackay was in step with Mickelson when he won green jackets in 2004, 2006 and 2010, with each providing memories for a lifetime. They include the 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole in 2004 that earned Mickelson his first major championship, and the 6-iron off pine straw through two pine trees to within 4 feet on the 13th hole in the final round of 2010. Mickelson hated his first visit to Augusta National. In 1989, he and his Arizona State golf teammates were playing in a tournament in the Peach State when they took a side trip for a practice round at the Masters. The team was supposed to gather by the famous Oak Tree at 5 p.m. before departing, but Mickelson wanted out of Augusta National long before that. Steve Loy, his manager, was the golf coach at ASU at the time and said a fuming Mickelson needed to leave. “He came up to me and said, ‘Don’t ever bring me here until I can play the course,’ ” Loy says. “And he stormed away. The place obviously left quite an impression on him.” Two years later, Mickelson got his wish. By winning the U.S. Amateur in 1990, he earned an invitation to the 1991 Masters. Mickelson’s first practice round was with Arnold Palmer, and he ended his first Masters as the low amateur and in a tie for 46th place. Quickly, it became his favorite place in golf. “Augusta National reminds me of my times as a kid when I dreamed of winning there,” Mickelson says. “It re-energizes me every time I go there. I fall in love with the game all over again every time I drive down Magnolia Lane and see the clubhouse and see the course. “It’s just a unique place. The history, the course, the tournament — it just doesn’t get any better.”
EIGHT YEARS ENOUGH FOR WOODS Top-ranked player has the momentum to end drought By Doug Ferguson Associated Press
T
iger Woods in a green jacket once felt like an annual celebration of spring, as regular as the azaleas bursting with color at Augusta National. Now it’s more like a fading memory. It has been eight years since Woods rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt to win the Masters in a playoff for his fourth green jacket. He appeared to be well on his way to living up to that audacious prediction of Jack Nicklaus, who played a practice round at Augusta with Woods — then a 19-year-old amateur — and Arnold Palmer. Nicklaus came away so impressed that he considered his six Masters and the four won by Palmer and said, “This kid should win more than that.” But the major Woods was supposed to dominate has become the major he can’t seem to win. “It’s been one of those things where I’ve been close there so many times on that back nine on Sunday, and I just haven’t won,” Woods said. “I’ve
Tiger Woods catches a ball while hitting on the driving range during a practice round Monday for the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga. CHARLIE RIEDEL/ASSOCIATED PRESS
been in the mix. Been on the periphery and played myself into the mix. I’ve been right there with just a few holes to go, and it just hasn’t happened. Hopefully, this year it will be a different story.” This might be his best chance to end the drought — not only at the Masters, but in the majors. He last won one at the 2008 U.S. Open. Woods is fully healthy for the first time in years. He appears happy after a scandal that ruined his marriage and
his image, announcing a few weeks ago that he’s dating Olympic ski champion Lindsey Vonn. He is winning again at an alarming rate — six out of his last 20 on the U.S. PGA Tour, including consecutive wins heading into the Masters. And he is back to No. 1 in the world. Also back is his swagger. “Everyone is waiting for the first major. I don’t know why they’re waiting for that,” Hunter Mahan said. “I think he’s done enough this year to real-
ize that he’s still really good and he’s still better than everyone else. He set the bar so high, I don’t know what is going to make everyone go, ‘He’s back to that time.’ “It seems hard to be intimidating in golf, but I think he’s the closest thing to it.” Now all Woods needs is a green jacket. He has only worn the jacket for the Champions Dinner since last winning in 2005, and as defending champion at the trophy presentation a year later. Woods had six threeputts in 2006, twice missing eagle chances inside 15 feet on the back Sunday when he finished three shots behind Phil Mickelson. Those close to Woods suspected he was simply trying too hard, knowing it would be the last time his father watched the Masters. Earl Woods died a month later. “Just really wanted to have him be a part of one last major championship victory and I didn’t get it done,” Woods said. “It hurt quite a bit. … There’s never been another defeat that has felt like that.” But the losses kept piling up. Woods couldn’t catch Zach Johnson in 2007, hurt by a bogey-bogey finish in consecutive rounds. A cold putter stopped him in 2009, and in his last great chance in 2011, he was tied for the lead going to
the back nine on Sunday and played it even par. “The style in which guys play nowadays, guys are long and aggressive, and it’s not like Tiger back in ‘97 when he dominated people with his length,” Graeme McDowell said. “He was playing a completely different golf course from everyone else. I think there are so many guys now who can decimate a golf course like that when it’s playing benign.” This is shaping up as a Masters for the ages, with Woods on the cusp of returning to his full greatness, and Rory McIlroy needing a green jacket to give him the third leg of the career Grand Slam. There has never been an age discrepancy as wide as this among the newcomers — 46-year-old Thaworn Wiratchant of Thailand, and 14-year-old Guan Tianlang of China, who qualified by winning the Asia Pacific Amateur. In so many ways, that ‘97 Masters seems like such a long time ago. And in some respects, so do the last couple of years. Based on the two months leading up to the Masters, Woods looks poised to get back on track in his pursuit of Nicklaus. His Sunday red shirt has looked brighter than ever this year. It might look even more intimidating under a green jacket.