What makes the Masters the best of golf’s four majors?
Each week, we ask our panel of writers, PGA members and golf industry experts to weigh in with their views on the hot topics of the day.
Many golf fans feel that the Masters is the best of the four majors. What is it that makes people feel this way?
Jim Deeks, Fairways Magazine (@jimdeeks): Maybe three things, in no particular order: 1. The stunning beauty of the golf course, where not a blade of grass or pinecone is out of place. Many people (me included) hope Heaven is as pretty as Augusta National. 2. The almost-always predictable thrill of competition on the back nine on Sunday afternoon. It’s very rare that someone just walks away with victory. 3. The combination of tradition, gentility, and good manners exhibited by the “patrons”. No one at Augusta screams “in the hole!!” and if they do, they find themselves outside the gates within seconds. It’s just about the only place in the world where Gestapo-like security is enforced, to everyone’s concurrence.
Craig Loughry, Golf Ontario (@craigloughry): Masters signifies the start of the golf season for so many. I believe this is mostly why it is the most popular Major. But they have also done such an amazing job creating the BRAND, it’s classy, and so unique: whether that’s Invitation only, how they treat past Champions (Champions dinner), to TV coverage (and complete tournament coverage that is SECOND TO NONE in SPORT), the green jacket. They just set themselves apart from the rest.
Michael Schurman, Master Professional / Hall of Fame Member, PGA of Canada: The unmistakable intrigue. There is a mystery that avoids the public eye, some secrets kept inside the gates. Many books are written about the course, the clubhouse, the Par 3, the range, caddies, etc. But none are written about the members. Do they have a Club Championship? Do they have a Member-Guest? Do the members play $2 or $50 Nassaus? Do they play cards? What is it like to eat dinner there? What does the inside of the Pro Shop look like? What brand of balls do they use on the range?
TJ Rule, Golf Away Tours (@GolfAwayTJ): I think a lot of it is down to the course being the same every year, especially since it’s such a special course and club. Everyone becomes familiar with the course and all of the holes, and it’s intriguing. It also helps that the tournament comes at a time of year where courses are starting to open up across the country, so it starts to feel like golf season, which gets everyone excited. I flip flop between the Masters and Open Championship as my two favourites and really, they couldn’t be more different in where they are played, how they are attended, weather, etc. But they are both very special and I can’t wait to watch them tip it up this weekend at Augusta National.
Hal Quinn, Freelance Writer, Vancouver: The slavering CBS production doesn’t hurt, neither does the overwhelming beauty of the property. Spring weather is usually just starting to break through in the northern half of North America, and for most golfers in these climes, the images of Magnolia Lane and the azaleas blooming, the impossibly green fairways and greens, the blazing white bunkers, signal the beginning of another season, another year when we have absolutely no chance of playing Augusta National.
Peter Mumford, Fairways Magazine (@FairwaysMag): It’s a combination of rich history, enduring tradition, exhilarating competition, legendary champions and a reputation for all the best things in golf that creates some kind of magic. There are only a handful of other sporting events in the world that reach this pinnacle – Wimbledon, the Kentucky Derby – come immediately to mind. No over the top commercialization or grotesque half-time shows, just pure sport delivered without apology. Golf’s other majors all have more history, stronger fields and can lay claim to great champions too, but all pale in comparison to what happens every spring at Augusta National. It’s more than a golf tournament – it’s like the glow you feel at Christmas.
A long-held belief is that the Masters doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday. For a player in contention – leader or chaser – what’s the most pivotal shot he’ll face as he tries to win the green jacket?
Deeks: Probably the tee shot on Number 12. Then, if that goes okay, the second shot on Number 15. Then, if a player has less than a three-shot lead, the first putt on Number 18.
Loughry: As simple as this sounds, I think the approach shot on 15 is pivotal. Whether that’s going for the green in two, or their third to set up birdie. I think that hole is a must birdie, and if you miss, it makes winning more difficult.
Schurman: Leading and chasing are two different things on the back nine, and a lot depends on how much the lead is. Is safety an issue or is aggression? The second shot into #11 begins Amen Corner, and historically, that is where the anxiety starts to build. There’s no question that the most famous holes 12, 13 and 15 have produced the most drama. But in between nos. 14 and 17 are not to be taken for granted. However, the most pivotal shot has to be on #12. An entire lifetime of dreams comes down with a splash, and the player might never contend again. That one shot can be career-ending.
Rule: There are so many it’s hard to pick one. But one that is maybe a bit under appreciated is the second shot into 15. It’s a shot that is so vital because it can lead to an eagle opportunity or easy birdie but can also lead to a big number if the pond fronting the green, or even the pond well over the green, come into play. Of course, the tee shot at 12 has also drown some players’ hopes over the years, so there are many you can choose from the back nine at Augusta.
Quinn: Bobby Jones said it was the 2nd shot on 13, laying up or going for it. Will go with Mr. Jones. They’ve moved the tee box back to temper the equipment a bit, but going for it is still a real gut-check shot. The 2nd into 15 is no bargain either.
Mumford: Any mistake on the back nine can be disastrous and while the tee shot on 12 and the approach on 13 are game-changers, the second shot on 15 comes later in the round, with little time to recover if an error is made. Firethorn (#15) is a deceptively difficult hole. Not long in yardage, most players should be able to reach the canted, shallow green in two shots, but the putting surface is often hard to hold. It leads to an agonizing choice: lay up or go for it. Chip Beck layed up in 1993 when he absolutely needed a birdie to catch Bernard Langer. His par wasn’t enough. Ten years later, Mike Weir also layed up but made birdie and went on to win a green jacket. There are dozens of other stories of hero shots and woeful outcomes on the 15th, and it seems to me that the golf tournament has often been won or lost on this hole.
We’ve talked a lot about the Masters in the past few weeks, but now that it’s here and we’ve had a chance to absorb everything in the lead-up, is there anything we may have missed or some obscure storyline that you find compelling?
Deeks: I’ve always found the story of Clifford Roberts fascinating. By all accounts a nasty, rude, racist who ruled ANGC for decades with an iron fist, then committed suicide somewhere on the par three course. I don’t know if he left a note, or whether he was terminally ill, but I’ve always wondered if he did himself in because of remorse for being such a nasty, rude, racist.
Loughry: I don’t think we missed anything, but my dark horse is Straka. He’s leading or very high in several telling stats: strokes gained off the tee, putting, and 3-putt avoidance. Not sure he’ll win, but I’d watch for him.
Schurman: One obscure story is the effort put forth by the entire city and surrounding area. Hotels are full, dining rooms are full, special menus are available, merchandise is on sale, flights are full, EMO and police are prepared. Directional signage is everywhere. Within a radius of about 100 miles, private clubs accept guests and pay-as-you-play courses are full for the week leading up to and the week after the ‘tournament’. My guess is the Master’s is very much like Christmas is to us. It pays for about 50% of the annual revenue.
Rule: I’m interested to see how our good friend Bernhard Langer fares in his last Masters. He’s a legend and maybe isn’t celebrated as much as some of the legends of the past, but his record at the Masters is pretty incredible, including making the cut as a 63-year-old in 2020. I hope he gets a good sendoff, and let’s hope it’s on Sunday, not Friday!
Quinn: Just read a brief account of the damage Hurricane Helene inflicted on the town of Augusta. Sure, the course took a hit too, but the story of the club getting behind the town for the recovery and rebuild speaks to what an integral part of the surrounding communities the Club is and reflects on the quality and character of the membership.
Mumford: Augusta National goes to great lengths to guard its privacy but it would be interesting to know more about how the club operates the other 51 weeks of the year. Does Chairman Fred Ridley make all the decisions or do members get a say? How many times do members play the course or stay on property? What’s really in a pimento cheese sandwich? Nobody’s talking and that’s the way the club wants it. Are there penalties for piercing that mystique? Presumably, but nobody knows for sure.
