The Masters golf tournaments is one of my favorite tournaments. And it’s not just that it’s one of the four majors on the PGA tour. And its’ not just that it’s played as spring starts to bloom. There is just something special about this golf tournaments that is hard to put into words

The first thing that I would like to say is that if you have never been to Augusta National during Masters time, please go! And I know that getting a badge is next to impossible. But getting tickets to a practice round is not that difficult and it’s still worth the trip. In fact, in some ways it might be more fun than the actual tournament itself.

First, describing Augusta National golf course is hard to do and I won’t profess to do it justice. But the first time you walk through the gates, it just almost overwhelms you. Then you start to notice things. You notice that the grass around the clubhouse and the other public areas is nicer than most putting greens you have ever played on.

You notice the azaleas and dogwoods blooming in awesome colors. You see hundreds, no thousands of golfers, walking around, all looking like they just hit a hole in one. There is just that kind of special feeling at Augusta.

Now what was it that I said about the practice rounds being better than the actual tournament? Have I lost my mind? Not really. The weekend tournament is, without a doubt, a tremendous event. But I have really enjoyed my times at the practice rounds as much if not more over the years.

First, the atmosphere is more relaxed. And that includes the players. They are talking and joking with the galleries (at least most of them) as if golf is just a game of fun and they’re not worried about the prize money or the points rankings.

The crowds around the big name golfers don’t seem quite as massive, so if you want to follow a “big name” for several holes, you can actually do it. And it isn’t that difficult to park yourself close to a tee box and just watch several groups play through.

I love the game of golf and I love the Masters. Somehow it just seems to be golf the way it should be!