Thursday, May 2, 2024
This past weekend the Masters golf tournament was held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The Masters is one of the four men’s major championships in professional golf, and the only major played each year at the same course. The club was founded by one of the greatest golfers in the history of the sport, Bobby Jones, and his friend, Clifford Roberts. The course was opened for play in 1934 and is considered one of the greatest venues for golf in the world. To many it is a golf cathedral, and the very name “Masters” or “Augusta National” conjures images of the purest form of the sport.
Bobby Jones was the most successful amateur golfer to ever compete at a national and international level. During his peak, he dominated the competition and competed successfully against the world’s best professionals. Remarkably, he retired from competitive golf at the age of 28 to raise his family and practice law. His simple love of the game and his search for golfing perfection was unique and notable. These characteristics are the basis that led to the founding of Augusta National and of the Masters tournament. What is compelling is these traditions still exist.
One of the trademarks of Augusta National is the caddies are compelled to wear white overalls. At Augusta there is no room for individual expression which might detract from the purity of the match. Caddies are merely an implement, a tool for the golfers, and should never stand out or become part of the storyline.
This policy even flows to the audience. Considered one of the hardest tickets in sports to procure, attendees are prohibited from wearing anything denim, athletic shorts, or tank tops. There can be no running from hole to hole. Fans can carry no signs or take any other action which is considered distracting from the match, and if they do, they are removed from the grounds and prosecuted if possible.
Remarkably, cell phones, beepers, and other electronic devices are prohibited. One cannot even bring a “selfie” stick onto the grounds! Can you imagine in today’s world, thousands of people being at an event and voluntarily surrendering their cell phone? I know of no other event in the world where such dictates would be so graciously accepted by its audience.
Here is something refreshing: While no spectators may bring a cooler or any other device which could carry beverages onto the course, refreshments are modestly priced. A sandwich is priced from $1 to $3, and a Coke is only $2!
There are no cheerleaders or light shows at Augusta. There is no music or other forms of entertainment to enhance the experience for the attendees. There is no need to. The purity of what some describe as the “perfect game” embraces the audience and seizes their full attention. The only star is the course and the very nature of the game itself. The players are mere devices which show the grace and skill of the game. They are to be revered, but never placed above the game, its rules, or its traditions.
Heaven forbid that anything ever causes the Masters or Augusta National to redirect itself to a more modern sports/business approach. After all, who needs a cell phone at Augusta when it is a time to bask in the glory of springtime in Georgia and a game which is perfection? The best things should never change.
Thought for the day: Tradition is not the worship of ashes, rather it is the preservation of fire.
Until next time..I will keep ridin’ the storm out.
sam@hcnews.com
