Pulling the Curtain Back on Augusta National

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Masters Week.

For those of you new to the tradition, Masters Week is essentially a week-long celebration of one of the most unique and legendary golf courses in the world: Augusta National Golf Club.

For those of us that have been around the game for a while, we’re all pretty familiar with the course.

But are any of us that familiar with how Augusta operates?  When Jim Nance calls it “a tradition unlike any other”, he isn’t just talking about the golf.

For example, yes, the course is absolutely gorgeous, but is it too gorgeous?  Some suggest the course is a product of a bit of smoke and mirrors.  There are underground vacuums and heating elements that both remove excess water from the greens, while also burning off the morning dew.

Now, that’s not all that bad, just a course using state of the art technology to maintain its surfaces.

But then there are there are rumors of dying ponds blue or black to hide algae bloom, spray painting grass green when newly planted ryegrass isn’t flourishing, and refrigerating the azaleas so they’ll be in perfect bloom for the second weekend in April.

There is even a story from 2012 that Hollywood set designers were brought in to hide damage caused by a lawn chemical that was found to kill trees as a side effect.

Okay, so maybe there’s a bit of production value when it comes to the visuals. So it goes.

Let’s move on to the broadcast.  Let’s start with an apparent urban myth regarding those birds you hear.

Yes, some believe the birds you hear during the broadcast are, in fact, piped in by CBS.  Some claim there are literally zero birds in the area due to the course’s location “in the ghetto.”  Others, however, provide eyewitness accounts to birds on the ground of Augusta.

Keep in mind, CBS did own up to providing bird sound effects back in 2000.

Augusta National and The Masters also has its own set of broadcasting rules.  For example, you will never hear the word “spectators” when referring to the crowd. Instead, broadcasters are required to call them “patrons”.

Broadcasting etiquette is no joke for Augusta.  Back in 1994, Gary McCord was actually removed from the following year’s broadcast due to his “style” of commentary.  Apparently, after McCord described the greens as if they were smoothed with “bikini wax” and referring to some of the mounds on the course as “body bags,” none other than Tom Watson himself wrote a letter to CBS’s golf producer-director seeking McCord’s removal.

Finally, if you happen to be lucky enough to find yourself on the hallowed grounds of Augusta during The Masters, there are some rules for you, too.

First of all, don’t you dare use any electronics, whatsoever.  This isn’t a three-strikes-and-you’re-out kind of thing.  This is an if-you-are-found-taking-pictures-you-are-gone kind of thing.

Also, do not run. If you are found to be in a bit of a hurry to get that perfect viewing location, you’ll be watching the tournament from the closest bar instead.

Ultimately, none of this really matters. After all, it’s Augusta. It’s The Masters. And, most importantly, it’s officially golf season.

Cover Image via Flickr