Par 3 at Augusta

It's our last day at Augusta National and before going off to the golf course, we had to pack and leave the luggage at reception. Then we were back on the bus and heading down to Augusta National. It was another fine day after more rain over night and there were plenty of players on the practice ground to start with. Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Bernhard Langer to name but a few.

 We watched for half an hour or so, then we made our way out onto the course to see who was playing a round. The groundsmen were out spreading green gravel on the wet sloping areas to stop the spectators ( they call us patrons) from slipping, and they keep the course looking in tip-top condition.

We walked the back nine again, taking in some skimming on the 16th, noting that there were 3D cameras set up in a tree, as well as lots of other cameras being manned today, getting in practice for the main event.
At midday the first players teed off for the Par 3 competition. This is a tradition at The Masters and it is a fun event where the players come with family and friends to enjoy a little relaxation before the intensity of the first major of the year. We found a great place to stand on the fourth hole, but it was very hot and humid, so we had to find some shade, too.

 We saw some of today's players go by, but also some of the golden oldies like Ian Woosnam, Ben Crenshaw, Ray Floyd, Fuzzy Zoeller, Hubert Green and a certain Jack Fleck. Jack Fleck is the oldest living US Open Champion (90 years old) and he won it in 1955 by beating Ben Hogan in a playoff.The older players were very jolly, involving the crowd, getting youngsters to putt out for them and joking with the crowd. Some of the younger players had their very young families with them, dressed in white caddy overalls. Very cute! Mr. Jiminez was smoking his favourite cigar as he played.

Despite our needing to find shade, the day began to cloud over, which wasn't a bad thing to start with. Jack Niklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player teed off and reached the second green, so we were anticipating watching these famous golfers play the fourth when suddenly the hooter went off and the tournament was suspended. Apparently there was a thunderstorm in the area and everyone was advised to leave the course. It soon became apparent that the storm was headed our way and the waterproofs were donned as the rain came down. At this point the competition was called off and we all had to go home. A sudden end to what has been a superb three days at The Masters.

We walked back through the soggy car park and waited for the bus. In we climbed when it arrived and then we sat for ages in the traffic, taking over an hour to get back to the Inn, which would usually have taken no more than twenty minutes. We sat and had a coffee before packing up the car and heading out onto I20 and Atlanta. We were lucky to be going that way as it was relatively quiet and we made good time to the hotel by the airport in time for dinner at 8pm.


The Masters
Augusta National
Augusta

Secong day of practice at The Masters

Our second day at the practice for The Masters. There has been a bad storm in the night - A heard it and saw the lightning, but I woke thinking the noise was just the unaccustomed air conditioning and turned over to go back to sleep! An early start, nevertheless with a swift buffet breakfast and the first bus down to the course. We saw storm damage in the shape of trees and branches down, but there was plenty of clearing up going on.

 We followed the same plan, starting off at the practice ground, then out onto the course to follow some of the groups practicing.

It was much cooler today in the beginning, but by midday the sun was out and the temperature went up.

More skimming on the 16th, but no 'holes-in-one'. At the end of the day we walked back through the car parks to take the bus back to the Inn and discovered another great dinner by the pool. This time slow-cooked pork with mash and veggies. A glass of wine and some good company rounded everything off in grand style.





The Masters
Augusta
Augusta National
Premier Sports
Hampton Inn

Going to the practice for The Masters

It's been a fabulous day here in Augusta. We got up at 5 am and drove across from the Holiday Inn to Hampton Inn to talk to the folk about storing the luggage which went well. Then we picked up tickets etc. from the Premier Sports agent who told us that the hotel ran the shuttle and we could have complimentary breakfast. We found cereal, fruit and yoghurt, toast, tea and coffee before heading out to the bus at 7am, and down to the course for the opening at 7.30.

There was a very experienced couple on the bus visiting the Masters for the tenth time! They gave us some good tips and showed us the way to the Main entrance when the bus dropped us.

We have spent 10hours walking and watching the golf. A was very chuffed to follow T. Watson who was playing with Martin Kaymer, Andy North and Randall Lewis. Tom was in great form and started 'skimmimg' the ball across the water at the 16th. It was just like skimming stones at the seaside, with the ball bouncing several times off the water and then up the bank onto the green. They all had a go, with Martin Kaymer going last - and he only went and holed it. The watching crowd yelled and applauded like it was a hole-in-one, it was great fun.
We also saw Cabrera, Vijay, Jiminez, Ollie, Gonzo, Quiros, and many more. We got a sandwich by the main scoreboard with hundreds of other visitors and had to look for the shade, it was very hot. 
When we got back to the hotel (by the bus that took us there), the hotel invited us to a barbecue by the pool with hamburgers and hotdogs,various salads, and beers, wine and soft drinks. Also there was lots of bottled water and even cakes for dessert! We collected our souvenirs, ticket holders and Masters hats, from the Premier Sports rep, and then it was time to put our feet up.





The Masters
Augusta National
Augusta
Premier Sports
Hampton Inn

Augusta

We arrived in Atlanta last night and stayed by the airport after we collected the car. All very pleasant and we were tired from the flight, so were glad of a comfy room in which to flop! This morning we got up at a reasonable 8am and ate a decent breakfast before driving across to Augusta. Here we were able to leave the luggage at the hotel before we ventured downtown to explore.
We parked the car under cover to avoid too much solar heating and consulted the map. Broad Street and the Riverwalk seemed to be places to look at and would take us by some interesting sites, so we walked that way.

Broad Street is a dual carriageway with a green island running down the middle. We strolled along one side, then realised that we were on the wrong side for Artists' Row where there are Art and Craft galleries, coffee shops and  restaurants. We crossed over and soon came to the New Moon Cafe where we went in for coffee. A popular place on a Sunday morning, we were lucky to find a table, but were soon tucking into coffee and warm blueberry muffins served in little baskets with butter. Plenty of people were having brunch, reading newspapers or just gossiping with friends. It is a very friendly place. All done, we wandered in next door to one of the galleries and enjoyed a chat with the owner. She told us stories about the Augusta National Golf Course - how they were apparently, covering the roots of the azaleas with ice to try and hold back the flowers that threatened to come too early for The Masters, because of the mild winter. However, this wasn't successful; the azaleas had flowered and there would be no grand floral display this year!
After visiting other galleries along Artists' Row, we turned and walked back along Broad Street to find the statue of James Brown, the Confederate Monument and a couple of other landmarks. There is the Augusta Common, a green square just off Broad Street that hosts a statue of founder, James Oglethorpe. He was a British General who named the settlement on the banks of the Savannah River after the then Princess of Wales, Augusta. Here the 14th annual Mayor’s Masters Reception will be held tomorrow with this year’s honorary golfer, Tom Watson.
We made our way down to the Visitor Information Centre at the side of the Augusta Museum of History which we then went in to visit. There is a special exhibition on just now all about the history of The Masters. That was very interesting and we enjoyed reading about and seeing artifacts from the tournament in days gone by. 
Now we walked down to the river to experience the Riverwalk. This began with a bit of excitement as we descended the steps to the river level. Suddenly there was a flash of fur across the stone steps as a little mouse shot out from the undergrowth, followed by a snake. A woman just passing me screamed - I had stopped to look at a bright green lizard! The snake threw itself back into the bushes when it saw all the humans around and the mouse crouched in the corner of the steps, then also disappeared back into the shrubs. We just looked on, mesmerised by the swiftness of the action which was over in seconds.
We followed the lower Riverwalk as far as the Morris Museum of Art where we climbed up to the entrance and went in to view their Masters related exhibition as well as their normal collection. There were some lovely examples of Southern American Art which we really enjoyed. We spotted this sign on the way back to the car - it seems that some people use their golf carts down town.

We drove to the Hampton Inn where will stay for the nights we are at the golf, and sussed out what to do tomorrow which will start very early. Apparently we can have breakfast there from 6am and they will take care of the bags until we get back from the golf and and check in. Then we had dinner at the Holiday Inn and got to bed early because of the early start tomorrow.





Augusta
Artists' Row
Museum of History
Riverwalk
Morris Museum of Art