BJ021

Just spent the weekend at The Masters and not only did I have the time of my life - I am pleased to report that the most unbelievably beautiful golf course I have ever been in my life (yes I am a golf fanatic!)- also had GL 550's on the ready as inclement weather vehicles for the players.

Got to tell you it was pretty cool to view Amen Corner for about 20 minutes in the early Saturday morning with play not starting for 2 hours...literally just starring down the holes practically standing on the fairways - the eyes nearly welled up! From there we walked over to 15 and 16, and across the 17th fairway, there they were - 2 spotless silver 550's lined up perfectly and ready to go when ever they were needed. Walking through the rest of the course there must have been a dozen or so of them! I noticed they had a couple 450's - also silver. The buddy I was with drives an '08 S550 decked out with AMG wheels, etc. and he was also excited to see The Masters had MB cars to pamper the players. About 3 hours later when it started to rain, we wish we could have jumped in one. It poured for about 45 minutes pretty hard. The players sat in the GL's and very nice travel vans for the caddy's and spouses while the patrons (as Augusta calls them) took the brunt of the storm. Well, I did have my large umbrella and Footjoy rain gear on so it wasn't too bad!

I'm sure a number of you have been to The Masters, but this was my first time - and it was a sincere pleasure. It's everything they say it is and a lot more! Hope I am lucky enough to go again! As everything there is green, a green smiley face is needed here:

Nevada Jack

Fully understand BJ...we were lucky enough to visit Augusta several times while we lived on Hilton Head Island in SC. I was playing 6 and sometimes 7 days a week and golf was all I thought about most of the time. You describe Augusta well and for any golfer (pro or amateur) it is a living memorial.

Hope you have the opportunity to visit it again and again!

Stumblefoot

BJ,

A lifetime dream of mine as well and I hope to make that dream a reality someday.

I could only imagine getting to play the course too!

scottybdiving

This is about as close as I have been to Augusta National. A friend of mine who is a doctor in NorCal and an avid golfer had to have his photo taken in front of the gate.

I go to Augusta the 3rd weekend of July every year. I have been in some storms in my life. #1 was the F4 tornado that passed within 300 yards of my newly built home in '97. #2 was on the Savanah River in Augusta. They said there was a tornado but all I saw was wind and lightening and horizontal rain. There were trees downed on top of spectators, an 18 wheeler toppled, and a medical tent collapsed with 100 people under it. We were pinned, helpless on the rescue boats as were many racers.

StevethePilot

Man, you have worse luck than "The Doctor."

scottybdiving

That depends on how you look at it. The F4 missed my home completely and no boats were sunken on the Savanah River. I would say I am pretty lucky. Just not lucky enough to get in that gate.

BJ021

On Saturday before play started we stood as close to some tee boxes as we could to get a feel for how the holes set up in your eyes. I was drooling over smashing one down the 10th fairway and watching it disappear down the hill! Same with 12 on Amen corner. Most holes you can literally stand a couple feet from where the pros will tee off, so you could really get a nice visual. Might be as close as we get to playing it!

Being a scratch golfer I always dreamed of trying to get there through the 2 amateur events that qualify you...but that that is such a daunting task! I just hope to meet someone one day that says - Hey BJ can you make it to Augusta with us next month...and we'll play all day!!

Sure was hard to tee it up here in Minnesota this week...very brown! But fun to finally get out.

BJ021

You are very lucky Jack! Was not aware that you were such a golf fanatic! Very cool.

Nevada Jack

Yeah...I was a 12 handicap and held it pretty well in the 7 years we lived there. I am watching the Heritage now and it brings back a lot of great memories. I played Harbour Town quiet a few times and really enjoyed it.

We had a Inter-Island golf tournament where we played all the courses on and off the Island against members of the other clubs. Great fun and we (Moss Creek Plantation) won it one year. No green fees or cart fees for the teams and priority tee times...

I would love to be the one to send you an email and say "Can you play Augusta next week" but it really takes some connections to pull that off, and I don't have them...:-)

Stumblefoot

We have the same dreams.

However, our realities are completely different as I'm just a 14 hoping to get down in the single digits this summer. I can only imagine what it is like to be a scratch golfer.

I just finished raking the lawn all day and can attest that our grass is just as brown as Steve-the-Pilot's desert. However, with temps in the 70's today, it won't be long before the snow is all gone and we can start hitting the little white ball again.

StevethePilot

ACtually, it's really green here this year (due to a great rain and snow season). So maybe your grass is as brown as something else of Steve-the-Pilot's, but not his desert.

For all you English majors; "Steve had to desert his dessert in the desert."

STP

BJ021

It's fun to watch pros play courses you have been to a number of times. They see the courses differently than we all do that's for sure!

Local team games are a blast too. We have a city league event every Wednesday in the spring where we play some of the nicest clubs in town. Very similar to a college golf event...each club sends it's best 5 players and we play stroke play. Our club always ends up in the middle at the end of the season...we are really pushing hard to step up this year!

Guess this has gone just a bit! I'm going to get in my Benz and pick up dinner! There.