My Masters

ELECTRONICS

Having no electronic devices whatsoever raises several issues. Keeping in touch by SMS has become so second nature to many of us, that one has to relearn the age-old art of actually making sure we can always see one another, or having a pre-arranged meeting point if becoming separated. It also means no photographs, again something which has become ubiquitous. Behind every grandstand, there are rows of "Masters Survey" terminals, the only computer screens on the course. While it was good to be asked one’s opinion, it would have been good if the terminals featured the Masters' own webpage or had the official app running on them. The Masters iPhone app was superb, but given the lack of individual devices allowed on the course, it would have been good to see how one’s favourite players were doing.
The only news source were the huge scoreboards dotted around the course, showing the top-10 or so players, and the updated signs by each green informing us how the group coming through were faring. However, a surprising omission was someone walking with the group carrying the latest scores.
The large scoreboards were at first infuriating, then gradually became part of the Augusta magic. The tension as a player’s score was updated was electric, such as during Tiger’s run on the front nine on Sunday – and Rory’s meltdown on the back nine. It also means everyone finds out the news at the same time, and there is no ripple of noise as news spreads, such as one finds at the Open Championship, where radios are allowed.

PATRONS

The fact that all attendees are seen as patrons makes the Masters unique among major sporting events. The attendees aren’t treated as one-off visitors to be taken for all they are worth. They are regular attendees who need sustenance and who may want a souvenir to take home.
Despite having what would be a perfect corporate hospitality area in the huge triangle of land between the eighth, ninth and eighteenth holes, there are no such areas or even external suppliers of F&B. Frankly, they aren’t missed. There are seven main concession stands, and they are a delight to use. In a far cry from the US$12 hot dogs and US$19 steak sandwiches at the US Open, the prices at the Masters are unbelievable low. Example: three beers and six sandwiches cost us US$18! Insider tip: the leftmost queue in the concessions at the third hole splits into three queues once you are inside the fence and moves quicker than any other!
The legendary pimento cheese sandwich had to be tried, if only once; the Tuna Salad and Chicken were both great, but the BBQ Pork was best of all. A bonus is that the plastic tumblers for beer and soft drinks are inscribed “Masters 2011” and almost everyone could be seen carrying their empties away with them as mementoes.
A visit to the Golf Shop is essential. There are four bigger stores and six smaller kiosks where you can kit yourself out in a huge range of apparel. Two of the main stores are actually outside the property and, uniquely, can be visited without having a ticket. It was a common sight to turn up first thing in the morning and see people walking away from the course with bags full of merchandise. Once again, the prices are exceptional. The cheapest shirt at Pebble Beach is US$120; it’s only US$50 at Augusta. There are higher priced shirts, but the comparison remains the same. Items only sold for one week at the most exclusive venue in the world cost less than the prices at almost every other high end club in the US. A cap costing US$30 at TPC Sawgrass is US$16 at Augusta. It’s remarkable. There appears to be an infinite assortment of items, but be warned: stocks are limited. When something is sold out, it’s gone for good. As such, my advice is to shop early and buy more than you need. You may not get another chance. The queues are long but move quickly and will only get longer later in the week. Also, you don’t want to be carrying goods around with you on the final day. It is possible to leave your purchases in storage by the main shops, but the queues to retrieve goods at the end of the day on Sunday were enormous. Go early.