 Holy Golf-Lover's Dream! Last week I was one of the game's
luckiest spectators as I stepped foot onto the hallowed grounds of Augusta
National - the most beautiful course in the world.
Ten years ago my Dad and two Uncles went with my Grandpa
when one of my Uncle's won the lottery for a chance to purchase four Masters
practice round tickets. In 2005, my Grandpa, the one responsible for the
Grayson boys' love of golf, passed away peacefully in his home just a few yards
away from the 16th green where I practiced many putts as a child.
Last year my Uncle won the ticket lottery again and I was asked by them to
complete the foursome in my Grandpa's honor. A new chapter in my life has
begun.
Our trek to Augusta National for Wednesday's practice round
and Par 3 Tournament began the day before when we all flew into Birmingham,
Alabama, from Austin, Dallas, and Las Vegas. Grayson men, myself included, are
known to be very detail oriented, love a great deal, are meticulous planners, technologically
savvy, and I'll be honest - just plain dorky. This trip would prove all of
those great qualities to be true in more ways than one.
My Dad, Uncle, and I arrived in Birmingham, AL, an hour
earlier than my other Uncle so we picked up the rental Caddy (seems fitting,
don't you think?) and proceeded to learn it's features and functions while we
waited. Heated leather seats, driver position memory, touch screen controls for
music - we were riding in style! Adapter plugs were spread throughout the
vehicle that would serve us well since my Dad brought a GPS for the road trip
(the Caddy was equipped with one but cost extra to use) and my Uncle would need
power in the back to run his laptop equipped with Sprint wireless satellite
Internet capabilities.
We stopped at the store outside of Birmingham to stock up on
"pogey bait" , a term the military uses to describe junk food that my Grandpa
most likely added to the Grayson family vocabulary after WW II. With a load of
snacks in hand we made our way towards Washington, GA, about 50 miles (48.3 to
be exact) from Augusta National Golf Club. We would spend the night there and
get up bright and early to leave and arrive at the Masters when the gates
opened. And let me tell you, this early bird caught a great worm on I-20 about twenty miles east of Augusta when I was able to capture this shot out of the windshield.
We made it on time (like there was ever a doubt) and parked
around the corner from one of the entrance gates. The air was cool and crisp
that morning but I was not the least bit cold as I walked faster than usual in
anticipation of the beauty that was less than a par 5 away.
Once inside we walked over to the 15th and 16th holes and took it all in. I was starting to get nervous and it wasn't because I was surrounded by gigantic pine trees, bloom-popping azaleas, and extremely famous golfers. The autofocus on my camera wasn't working! I had reset all the menus before we left but I know the autofocus worked in the car ride and the walk up to the gate. This was going to be a long day of manual focus shooting if I didn't figure out what happened, and fast.
To be continued...
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