Masters

Masters

Greetings Golfers,

Spring Training for golf is over … the real season has begun.

 
Opening Day was yesterday - the first round of the Masters.

 
I can’t believe how good the Masters is … every year it’s incredible. That’s not luck. It’s a special tournament at a special place.

 
We need traditions. We need rooted things. As we got “modern” we became afraid of getting stuck … that we had to keep moving “forward”.

 
I get it. But that doesn’t mean discarding everything from the past. We should be building on the developments of the past … not constantly erasing and starting over. We need balance.

 
When I went to the Masters 30 years ago … it was even better than what I anticipated. It was so relaxed. Everyone was friendly. No one was running … no one was in hurry. It was spotless … but it wasn’t uptight. The whole place had a natural flow about it. Nothing was herky-jerky.

And the beauty. Wow. A friend recommended that we walk the back-nine when we got there in the morning … just to see it in it’s natural splendor before the players and the crowds arrived.

 
It’s basically in a bowl. The elevation changes are more severe than it seems on tv. Back then in 1995 … there wasn’t any rough. In fact the whole place was like a giant putting green. It really put a demand on control … a wild shot wouldn’t stop rolling … until it wound-up in a bad place. Yikes!

 
They put in a light rough to “Tiger-Proof” it … I think that light rough actually helps the long driver … it keeps his shots in play.

 
Speaking of Tiger … he was there as an amateur. And the Pros were talking about him. Everyone was using a wooden driver for control and shot-making.

 
This was so long ago that Tiger was an amateur and Arnold Palmer was a player. After Arnie finished … he sat on a stool behind the 18 green and talked and signed autographs. A buddy of mine who worked for Arnie’s golf club line … said that I had to meet him. I said “No … he doesn’t want to meet me … what’s the point?” He said that Arnie’s not like that … he’s a real guy … and he literally dragged me over to meet him.

 
When we got there … Arnie recognized him and they started talking. So I started looking into Arnie’s bag and pulled out one of his irons. What interested me was that he had leather-wrapped golf grips. I used to use leather-wrap-grips and did it myself to make my left hand grip fat and my right hand grip skinny.

 
While checking this out … Arnie turned around and asked me what I thought about his grips. He said that he also did it himself to get it right. And then we talked about goofy stuff we did to get them how we wanted. It was as natural as talking to my old friends. Yeah … he was that guy.

 
But the whole place felt like that. The starter on #1 sat at a table with a rock holding the tee sheets. For every player … he would stand and in a casual Southern voice say “Ben Crenshaw (etc) - driving”. Then just sit down. None of that “voice” announcing their accomplishments, etc. Just simple and relaxed.

 
Well … I hope it’s still maintaining its integrity. Too many places that I’ve loved have sold-out and turned into places that I don’t even like to visit.

 
Progress isn’t always what is new. Especially if what is new is just glitz. For example, a well-made pair of older shoes is better than a pair of poorly made, ill-fitting shoes that are new.

 
Well … sit back and enjoy the Masters. Even though we opened on Wednesday … don’t miss the Masters. Maybe you can do both.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com