On the heels of “Skip It! (Part 1)”, I promised to share my two favorite experiences of our Monday practice round at the 2024 Masters.
Experience One
After walking a portion of the front nine, we cut across a few fairways to locate the 16th hole (Redbud). The 16th hole is a picturesque, 170-yard par three that has changed the fate of many a Master’s contender through the years.
The hole is played entirely over water and the green is secured by three bunkers. With the green significantly sloped from right to left, an exacting tee shot is required to have a reasonable birdie opportunity. *
As we sat comfortably in the grandstand, adjacent to the teeing area, sipping our first alcoholic beverage of the day, we found ourselves engulfed in a verbal frenzy as players exited the back teeing area. The chants of “Skip It! Skip It!” resonated through the corner of the property as there has been a long-standing practice round tradition of players attempting to skip a ball from the front edge of the pond, across the pond, onto the green.
The tradition began in 1972 as the innovator of 16th hole “Skip It”, Gary Cowan, from Kitchener, Ontario, (the reigning U.S. Amateur champion and two-time Amateur champion), playing with Ben Crenshaw, playfully used a three-iron to skip a ball across the pond, onto the green. Legend has it that Cowan knocked three balls across the pond before Crenshaw accomplished the feat. Fifty-two years later the tradition is alive and well.
Anyway, within moments we were entertained by Luke List and his playing partners, as they willingly participated in the fray. To our amazement, Luke hit a three-skipper that nestled to fifteen feet! We watched four or five groups pass through without success, including a number of white-jumpsuit clad caddies giving it a go. This spectacle was an absolute blast! We could have easily spent the entire day on the 16th tee box.
Recent “Skip-It” Hole-in-One’s: Vijay Singh (2009), Martin Kaymer (2012), Louis Oosthuizen (2016), John Rahm (2020)
Experience Two
Reasonably early on, we found ourselves hunting down one of the Augusta National Golf Club’s many restrooms. Augusta National Golf Club’s restrooms are not your typical “Porta Potty John” experience. The restrooms are clandestine, green clapboard buildings hidden behind massive vegetation, completely out of view from the actual competition. The facilities are absolutely spotless as floors are tiled and there are classically exposed pine beams crisscrossing the ceiling.
As I approached the entrance of the men’s room, I was greeted by a polite and engaging attendant. Once in ear shot, the attendant looked me squarely in the eye and beckoned the following, “Front-nine or back-nine?” Being reasonably dimwitted, I was initially perplexed by the exchange. As he repeated his request, I finally caught onto his drift, responding, “front-nine”. The attendant courteously suggested the bank of urinals on the left side of the structure in lieu of the bank of stalls on the right side of the structure; affectionately known as the “back-nine.” While exiting my station, I noticed a patron departing from the very last stall. Before I could blink, and right in front of my very eyes, an overly attentive attendant made a bee-line for the very last stall. Having reached his destination, the attendant pried opened the stall door with his left hand whilst simultaneously spraying some version of potpourri with his right hand. The encounter caused me to stop dead in my tracks as the unmistakable scent of cinnamon, rosemary, and peppermint wafted through the air!
The Augusta National Golf Club restroom experience will now and forever be the gold standard when I find myself using the phrase, “attention to detail”!
Thank you for following Bad Golf Guy! The back nine can only get better!
*Information from the Masters 2024 “Spectator Guide”
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