April 2 and 3, 2018 -- roadtrip to Georgia

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I did not know this, but if you want to go watch a practice round before the golf pros play in the Masters tournament (in Augusta, Georgia), you have to win the lottery.

One of my better half's golf buddies won the lottery, and invited him to go an a roadtrip to Georgia.  I think this is my first-ever blog post where I didn't take any of the pics.  I have processed them, but I didn't take any of them.

Augusta is a small place, I guess, and you can't stay there when it's time for the Masters.  They left Ann Arbor on April 1, headed for Athens, Georgia.  (Home of the Georgia Bulldogs.)

On April 2, they played the university golf course.

There are several sets of "tee off from here" markers on golf courses.  The ones that are far from the greens, the ones that are farther from the greens, the ones that are really freaking far from the greens.  Etc.

They are often marked with colors, so you know which ones are which.

This is one of the red tee markers on the university's course.

On April 3, they got up before the crack of dawn and drove from Athens to Augusta (which, on that busy day, took about two hours, I think).

This is a really beautiful course, known for its vast collection of azaleas.

I'm told it was like being at Disneyland.  "Hello!  Welcome to the Masters!" was said to visitors over and over and over.  Everything was manicured within an inch of its life.  Not one cigarette butt on the ground.  Not one leaf out of place.  Rules for everything.

Little ropes, to protect the course, and the spectators.

My better half went out of his way to bring me many pictures of azaleas.  Yay!

Here's what it looks like to watch a practice round at Augusta.  Lots of flowers.  Lots of people.

You can be really close to the rich and famous.  Look how close those people are standing, watching Tiger Woods walk by.

Because it is a practice round, even the rich and famous can have fun.  Tiger and Phil Mickelson played Freddie Couples and a kid from Europe, and cleaned their clocks.

So glad I do not live my life under this sort of scrutiny.  Golf club people lower left, media at right, and the public always there, several deep, watching, scrutinizing, judging.........

My better half sat for quite a while, just outside the rope, and watched the pros tee off from here.  The green is way down there where the flowers are.  This is one of the most famous golf holes in the world, the 12th at Augusta National.

Closer crop of the above.

Very green.  With lots of flowers.

Interesting tree bark.

There are lots of really big trees on this course. 

Nearing the end of the day.  An army of mowers, maintaining the precision perfection.

I believe they were at the golf course for 10 hours.

They fell into bed, and got up at the crack again the next day, to drive back to Ann Arbor.


Someone asked me if I "got to go."  I said "No, I did not have to go."  :-)  :-)  :-)

So glad he got to go do something cool that most people will never get to do.

So glad I didn't have to spend two full days in the car to spend two full days golfing or watching other golfers.  :-)


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