So, I read the article and tried to visualize it in all it's grandeur:

http://www.golfgearreview.com/mikedudurich/2793.html

Have any of you been to Augusta? Is it as magical as it sounds?

I've been. It s pretty impressive. I was there for a Saturday round during the year Tiger made that incredible chip in on 16 (?) the par 3 where he was off the green. The one that became the Nike commercial where he throws the ball up the hill and lets gravity bring it down and it stops for a moment on the lip, before falling in...Awesome moment as he made his charge.

But that year they had tons of rain and the previous day was shortened so I got to watch really a round and a half. Saw Ian Poulter shank one into an adjacent fairway only to recover, get the ball on the green and save par. (See they can recover from there mistakes better than we can)

So the course was really wet. but as the bus driver was telling us, they have installed an incredible underground vacuum system to in effect, suck the water from the course. So while it was really nasty and wet where we were, it was not bad for the players.

But the course was beautiful, and there was something incredible about being there, with all the old champions too.

Food was CHEAP. Apparently, since they don't need the month, they sell things at normal prices, like $1.50 for a chicken sandwich. So you can eat cheap once you get in.

Oh, so I learned from some folks who went the day before me, you take your chair and you WALK to where you want to put it (assuming you're getting there early in the AM), place your chair and then you leave and go walking around the course. Then when you're ready you come back and your chair is there waiting on you. People don't steal your seat or take your spot.

Would love to play there one day but at least I've been inside the ropes once.

Wow. Sounds awesome Scott.

Great post....
Thanks Chris for the "link"...I was there in 1999 for the Wednesday practice round (Par 3 tournament day). Awesome to
be up close to the best golfers in the world...Sat around 16
and watched them "skipping the ball across the water" after they hit their "normal" shot. You just know they were gambling "real" money. I also noticed that the rough was almost mowed to our fairway length and the fairway was mowed to a "hairy" green length and the greens were "lighting" fast.

Yeah, MikeD has been turning out some good stuff, please thank him when you see him.. I can only imagine what conditions are like there!