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article in “Sports Illustrated.” It has been the
sight of great drama and heartbreak over the
82 year history of the event.
The two par-five holes on the back side,
Nos. 13 and 15, both offer eagle and birdie
opportunities for a well-placed drive. Rae’s
creek is always ready to catch an errant
second shot if a player gets too greedy and
has drowned many golfers’ dreams of donning
the Green Jacket.
The tournament annually identifies the
greatest golfers of their era, Gene Sarazen,
Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold
Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player are all
in the World Golf Hall of Fame and all won
multiple Green Jackets.
The tournament has spawned many traditions
over the years, the Champions Dinner, the
Wednesday Par-3 contest, Honorary Starters,
Pimento cheese sandwiches and the Green
Jacket, which is annually given to the winner
of the Masters.
Members are required to wear green club
jackets, when they are on the premises, but
they are never to leave the grounds. The
Masters champion is allowed to travel with
his Green Jacket for one year, but must return
it to the course the next year. Gary Player is
the only winner to have neglected to return
the jacket and still has it today.
The course has many memorable sights
that must be viewed, when visiting Augusta
National. The Nelson and Sarazen bridges,
Butler Cabin, the Par-3 No. 12, the Crow’s Nest,
the Mickelson plaque and Magnolia Lane. Golf
fans must wait over eight months, from the
PGA Championship in August until the Masters
the following April, for the next major, which
makes the Masters the most highly anticipated
major tournament every year.
The Masters is steeped in tradition and is
set among the tall pines and rolling hills of
eastern Georgia. The colorful pictures on our
television screens cannot fully capture the
beauty of Augusta National.
It is one of the great sports events on the
calendar every year. With the emergence
of golf’s new “Big 4,” Jordan Spieth, Rory
McIlroy, Jason Day and Rickie Fowler, plus
two-time winner Bubba Watson, 2016 should
be yet another memorable Masters.
10. Augusta National Golf Club was used to raise cattle during WW II.
9. The site of Augusta National Golf Club was formerly a flower nursery.
8. Augusta closes one month prior to the start of the Masters to prepare the course.
7. The first Masters was held in 1934 and Horton Smith was the first winner.
6. Members and Players enter Augusta National on Magnolia Lane.
5. Amateurs in the field can stay in the ‘Crow’s Nest’ in the Augusta National Clubhouse.
4. The famous par-3, No 12 is the lowest point of the golf course.
3. The Greens at Augusta National have sub-air circulation systems speed up drying.
2. In the six years 1949-1954, either Sam Snead or Ben Hogan won five Green Jackets.
1. From 1960-1966, Either, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus or Gary Player won every Masters
10 Things to Know About the Masters
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