Can I just tell you how miserable it is to drive 10 hours? To anywhere. It doesn't matter where, it's just miserable. Thanks to my MIL, we were fortunate to get tickets to the first day of the Masters practice round and have a place to stay. It was wonderful, but I'm so glad to be home.
Time to share our unique experience at Augusta National Golf Course. Once you see it in person, you can appreciate why golf holds the Masters Tournament here. To say it's impressive is an understatement. I thought it was silly that people would stand outside the gate and be willing to pay big bucks for your ticket at the end of the day just to be able to go inside. Now that I have seen it for myself, I completely understand. Even without the azaleas blooming.
It was a cool morning, but the sun was shining without a cloud in the sky - which means it got really hot! Lucky for us there was a nice breeze which made the heat tolerable, but we still got a little sunburned by the end of the day when the sunscreen wore off.
The fairways were impeccably maintained. I wish my lawn looked half this good.
It seemed like every hole had another perfect manicure. These guys were working overtime to make sure this course was ready!
Hole 12, named Golden Bell, is a par 3 which hosts probably the most bridge in golf crossing Rae's Creek. Typically, the green is surrounded by blooming azaleas, but it was still beautiful without them.
It was all I could do to keep my kids from running up this fairway and roll down it...yes, they begged. But, we weren't here just to see this magnificent course. Nope...we wanted to see the players!
Miguel Angel Jimenez from Spain cracked me up with his cigar. How on Earth do you golf while smoking?
Vijay Singh (Fiji) and Angel Cabrera (Argentina), both previous winners of the Masters, paired up and we caught them on hole 4. Vijay is quite the comic and paused to joke around with the spectators in the stand after his driving shot sailed over our heads missing the green entirely. Good thing this was the practice round!
Rickey Fowler was dressed to impress, but a little more subdued than his usual attire. He must be saving up for the filming days.
There were several that we didn't see such as Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, but they were in a tournament the day prior, so it was unlikely that they would be able to make an appearance the first day of the practice rounds. But we did get to see Tiger, so that made up for it.
This was him coming around the corner to be greeted by a swarm of fans. Poor guy - he looked shocked at the crowd. But he graciously signed autographs for the kids, unlike a few other players who waved them off.
It was a good day full of picturesque settings, famous golfers, and lots of photo ops. So what was my favorite part?
Sneaking a shot of me with my bare feet in the grass. Yep, it feels as good as it looks. This is my dream lawn. If you ever get an opportunity to attend the Masters, I highly recommend it. Don't be tempted to sell your ticket for big bucks, because this is one memory you won't want to miss out on.
There were several that we didn't see such as Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson, but they were in a tournament the day prior, so it was unlikely that they would be able to make an appearance the first day of the practice rounds. But we did get to see Tiger, so that made up for it.
Sneaking a shot of me with my bare feet in the grass. Yep, it feels as good as it looks. This is my dream lawn. If you ever get an opportunity to attend the Masters, I highly recommend it. Don't be tempted to sell your ticket for big bucks, because this is one memory you won't want to miss out on.
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