By Tyler Brand

Thousands of spectators surrounded the 16th hole as the setting sun cast shadows upon the pristine green. The air was warm, yet the gentle breeze carried a southern humidity through Augusta. It was April 10, 2005, as Tiger Woods made his way through the iconic and demanding back-nine of the world renowned Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The dogwoods and azaleas were in bloom and scattered about the lushly green course; however, they were hardly the focus of the crowd. With three holes to play, Woods found himself one shot ahead of his playing partner, Chris DiMarco.

As Woods and DiMarco hit their tee shots on the challenging par 3 16th hole, nicknamed “Redbud,” Woods found himself up against the collar of the rough, past the green, with a near impossible recovery to save par. The 16th green is kidney-shaped, bordered on the left by a bunker and water. However, the main challenge of the hole on Sunday at the Masters is the pin location on the green. The pin is historically located on the left side of the green, at the bottom of a steep ridge that slopes from right to left and nearly splits the green down the middle. Woods’ tee shot was in line with the pin; however, he was well over the green, facing a delicate chip. He not only ran the risk of leaving the ball on the top of the ridge if he played it too far left, but also of rolling the ball into the bunker if he got too aggressive. What made the situation all the more dire for Woods was that DiMarco’s ball had come to rest 15 feet directly below the hole to set up a very makeable birdie putt.

16th hole at the Augusta National Golf Course. Photo credit: Your Golf Travel.

The crowd fell eerily silent as Woods surveyed his lie and the shot he faced. Woods rehearsed the shot several times, then stepped in. There was an air of anticipation and anxiety in the gallery, yet Woods seemed unfazed by the pressure of the shot. Woods’ shot came out low and skipped once before checking and rolling. The ball slowed as it neared the top of the slope and finally took the slope. The chip was right on line and tracking towards the hole. Had Woods done it? Had he done the impossible? Had he made it? Thoughts such as these surely filled the minds of spectators as the ball came to rest, hanging over the top edge of the hole. Everybody and everything seemed to stop for a second as the ball defied physics and hung over the edge of the cup. Finally, the ball took a final roll and fell into the bottom of the cup as the crowd fell into one of the loudest roars in the history of the sport. Woods birdied the 16th from off the green en route to his fourth Masters victory, which he ended up winning in a playoff against DiMarco later that day. Moments such as this one, especially from Woods, have had a tremendous effect on golf’s popularity in the U.S.

Although golf is quite popular in America today, golf was originally invented in the 15th century in Scotland and has grown to become one of the most popular sports in the world. Although there are both European and Asian tours, the U.S., despite golf’s overseas roots, is home to the largest professional golf tour, the PGA tour (Professional Golf Association). With a single season schedule consisting of 48 events, four events stand out from the rest. These four events are the four major golf tournaments: The Open Championship, The U.S. Open Championship, The PGA Championship, and The Masters. For many golfers and fans, the prestige, history, and reputation of The Open and The Masters exceed the others.

There are several key differences between both tournaments that set them apart. For starters, not only does The Masters have the smallest field of any major championship in golf, but it is also the only major golf tournament played at the same venue each year: Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, or “The National,” as referred to by the locals. On the other hand, The Open’s venue varies from year to year in a cycle of historic links-style golf courses. However, of the cycle of courses, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland is by far the most famous, as it is where golf was first played in the 15th century. In comparison, Augusta doesn’t have the same extensive history dating back centuries. Its history is rather special in that it came from small and humble beginnings in 1934, rather than the rich, historic beginnings of The Open in 1860. Despite its lack of ancient history and age as a tournament, The Masters has developed an identity unrivaled by any other tournament (and perhaps sporting event) in the world.

Augusta National Club House as viewed from Magnolia Lane. Photo credit: Your Golf Travel.

The National was created in 1932 by Bobby Jones. Jones, a legendary amateur golfer, always had aspirations of designing and creating a golf course, so following his retirement from golf in 1930, Jones decided to finally take charge. He and his associate Clifford Roberts, a New York investment banker, decided upon a 365-acre plot of land located in the small town of Augusta, Georgia. Jones decided that the golf club should have a national membership, thus he concluded that Augusta National was a suitable name. Construction on the course began in the latter half of 1931 and concluded in December 1932, but The National was not officially opened until January 1933.

In 1934, Jones and Roberts decided to host an annual tournament which they initially named “The Augusta National Invitation Tournament.” However, this name was changed in 1939 to “The Masters.” Roberts had suggested the name change earlier to Jones; however, Jones found the name far too pompous and pretentious. Although the Augusta National Invitation Tournament was first played in March 1934, The Masters, as we know it today, got its start in 1940. From then on, The Masters has been scheduled for the first whole week in April. The only exception was during COVID-19 in 2020, when the tournament was delayed until November due to COVID protocols.

My family has a connection with The Masters, which makes it by far the best major golf tournament in our minds. My dad, Alex Brand, was born and raised in Augusta for the majority of his childhood, and my grandparents, Robert and Brenna Brand, still reside a mere two miles from The National. My dad estimates he’s been to the Masters as a spectator at least 35 different years, including five where I’ve been able to tag along. His favorite memory from the tournament is when “Tiger torched the field in ’97, setting a tournament record that I didn’t think any player would ever come close to matching.” He explains, “there is a uniqueness to the experience of being on the grounds of the National, a special feeling that’s hard to explain but familiar to those of us fortunate enough to have been there for multiple Masters.” His Augusta roots and having close friends who still live in the area make the experience particularly memorable for our family. According to published reports, there are roughly 300 members, and membership to the club is purely invitational, making The National arguably the most exclusive major golf course in the world. 

12th hole at Augusta National Golf Course in the heart of Amen Corner (holes 11-13). Photo credit: Your Golf Travel.

In addition, The National is arguably the most pristine golf course in the world. My dad and his friend have an ongoing joke that “nowhere on the property, in any of the pine trees, is a single dead branch.” Some of these trees are over 60 feet tall and perfectly maintained. This shows the attention to detail and care that the groundskeeping crew at The National has when maintaining the course and preparing it for play. 

Such a world -enowned golf course in an otherwise sparsely populated and lackluster city such as Augusta definitely has its positives and negatives. On the upside, The Masters brings in a significant amount of money to the city as a whole, which has aided the city. On the other hand, The Masters creates a tremendous amount of chaos in terms of interrupting day-to-day life for Augusta’s inhabitants. For Augusta dwellers not excited for The Masters, the first full week of April can surely be found to be intrusive. All in all, The Masters helps the city enough in terms of generated revenue to make up for the troubles it causes.

When I was younger, I had the opportunity to attend The Masters several times, which I knew was special. However, I did not fully appreciate the tournament for all its worth at the time. It wasn’t until I actually started playing golf that I realized how lucky I was to be able to attend The Masters so often.

I’ve been casually playing golf since I was around seven or eight, meaning I would occasionally go out with my dad for some father-son bonding. However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2019 that I decided I wanted to start playing golf competitively and see how much I could improve. Prior to this decision, I was an avid tennis player, closely following in the footsteps of my mother, Allyson Brand, who played tennis at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. By the time I was ten, I was one of the best players in the state for my age and was quickly improving. Had I been thoroughly determined to pursue tennis, perhaps I could have played in college. 

Unfortunately, I just didn’t enjoy the grind of practicing and playing tennis anymore. I began to appreciate the days when my dad and I would go play golf. I began to appreciate the four or five hours out in nature on a beautiful day more and more, and I became enthralled with the nuances of the game. Golf is a game where you can always improve; it’s never boring. There is always something to work on, and I admired this. I enjoyed the constant challenge of trying to improve not only my swing mechanics but also my mental approach to the game. Since then, golf has not only been an escape for me when life gets difficult, but also a place where the worries of the world seem to fade away in favor of the almost obsessive chase of a little (usually) white ball. 

Golf has taught me to be more patient and control my emotions better: two things I used to be painfully incompetent at. Golf helps me balance life and live in the moment. It is easy to get entangled in the constant routine of life and live with every day passing by, but golf helps me slow down and appreciate all the moments in life, both positive and negative, so that one day when all is said and done, I can have no regrets.

The Masters has helped me realize my love for golf and has inspired me to pursue golf myself. Without my experiences and memories at The Masters when I was younger, getting to watch the world’s greatest golfers, I doubt that I would be a golfer today. For that reason, The National, and Augusta in general, is that much more special to me.