Tr3s: Masters Edition
Uno: Green Jacket The green jacket is the most coveted clothing piece in the game of golf. Interestingly its first use was purely utilitarian. According to The Augusta Chronicle, the tradition of members wearing green jackets began in 1937, when jackets were purchased from New York's Brooks Uniform Co. The idea was that Masters patrons easily could see members who would have accurate information. In 1949, the first Green Jacket was awarded to that year's Masters champion, Sam Snead. During its first five iterations, the tournament was called the "Augusta National Invitational" Bobby Jones, Co-founder of the club and the greatest golfer of his generation, thought the name "Masters" was immodest, and he would not go along.
Dos: Dr. Alister MacKenzie “The Good Doctor” Augusta National was designed by Alister MacKenzie, arguably the world’s greatest golf architect, and Bobby Jones, Co-founder of the club. Jones was a big hitter, and he played a high right-to-left shot. New York Times columnist Curt Sampson wrote: “There is a distinct preponderance of dogleg left holes on Augusta National and the tremendous advantages it offered the long driver, particularly on the par fives, could not have been a coincidence.” Hence, if you are trying to win the office pool, please remember that short, or even middle length hitters, that have a low ball flight and fade the ball, do not win or even contend at Augusta. Augusta National was built during the Great Depression. “The construction of the course was a financial high-wire act, a dangerous race to get the thing built and producing income before the underwriters' money ran out. Construction started late in November 1931 and was completed 124 days later, on May 27, 1932. Subtract Sundays, when no one worked, and thirty days when rain prevented progress. Incredibly, Augusta National was built in seventy-six frenzied working days,” added Sampson. Sadly, on January 7, 1934, MacKenzie died at his home in California. He never did play or see the course in its finished form.
Tr3s: Saving Every Dollar The construction budget for the course was one hundred thousand dollars but a variety of factors enabled the project to come in at least $15,000 below that. For the first year’s tournament a daily badge was $2.20 and the event was not sold out. (According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics consumer price index, prices in 2019 are 1,786.39% higher than average prices throughout 1934. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 3.52% per year during this period. In other words, $2.20 in 1934 is equivalent in purchasing power to $41.50 in 2019, a difference of $39.30 over 85 years). The tournament was not played during the years 1943, 1944 and 1945 because of World War II. To help with the war effort, turkey and cattle were raised on the Augusta National Grounds.
Bonus: Under the Radar
It is easy to make the case for the biggest names in the game. Rory, DJ, Rose, Tiger, have all legitimate chances to wear the green jacket come Sunday. However, there is a second tier of players that are under the radar and offer great odds. These players have very good track records at Augusta, can shape it and can hit the ball really high. They are:
Rickie Fowler 16-1
Jason Day 25-1
Marc Leishman 30-1
Paul Casey 30-1
Hideki Matsuyama 35-1
Tony Finau 35-1
Adam Scott 40-1
Louis Oosthuizen 40-1
Hopefully, Eddie Pepperell will contend this week but since it is his first appearance his chances are very low. Nonetheless, if you want a refreshing perspective regarding the world of golf his twitter musings are the ones to follow.
19th Hole The most traditional Augusta menu offering is the pimento cheese sandwich. Taste of the South Magazine reports that the original creator of the Masters’ pimento cheese sandwich was Nick Rangos from Aiken, South Carolina. He supplied the tournament with the Southern staple for 45 years. Here is a recipe of the Pimento Cheese Sandwiches from Food Network Magazine
Directions
Combine 2 cups grated extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 3 tablespoons chopped pimentos, 2 tablespoons grated onion, 1 teaspoon yellow mustard and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Season with salt and black pepper. Spread on white bread.
Enjoy!
Tr3s is a bi-weekly blog by Double Circle Golf. A social enterprise dedicated to helping elderly women with great skills but few employment opportunities. Through handcrafted, unique, and original golf headcovers, Double Circle Golf provides our artisans meaning, self-respect and the ability to financially support themselves.
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