Maybe it’s my algorithm. Maybe I just need to touch some grass. But this year just feels different. Watch parties at every bar and brewery with over priced pimento cheese sandwiches to every brands “Azalea collection,” I just feel we are at peak saturation. And my chances of hitting the lottery keeps declining. Sorry, just a middle aged dude yelling at the clouds.
Had to share this because it still doesn’t feel real.
Tuesday night, kids are down, wife’s out, I’m on the couch doing absolutely nothing. 9:10pm my business partner calls me and asks what I’m doing tomorrow. I say “working?” and he goes “no you’re not, I’ve got one ticket.”
So I go to book a flight… nothing. Completely sold out. Try rental cars… nothing. At this point I’m already mentally in, so there’s really only one option left.
Drive from Tampa.
My wife walks in while I’m figuring this out, hears what’s happening, runs upstairs, throws a bag together, comes back down and tells me to sleep for two hours and then leave. Then hands me a full shopping list for the golf shop like I’m being deployed.
I lay down and obviously don’t sleep at all. Just staring at the ceiling wondering how I went from doing nothing on the couch to about to drive to Augusta in the middle of the night.
Midnight I give up, get in the car, and start heading north.
Next thing I know I’m walking through the gates at Augusta on zero sleep like this is a totally normal life decision. First stop is the golf shop to complete my assigned husband duties, then I just wandered the place all day. Walked the course twice, ate way too much, made the required “you’re not going to believe where I am” calls from the phone banks. Took a piss next to Justin Rose in the restrooms next to 7 tee. Stood at 15 green wondering how the hell Rory hit that 7 iron to 4 feet.
That place is ridiculous. It doesn’t even look real. At some point I caught myself pointing things out like I knew what I was talking about, like I’ve played there before, like there’s a green jacket somewhere with my name on it.
There is not.
But for a few hours I really convinced myself there might be.
Absolutely worth it. Would make that drive again without thinking twice.
Rolled on the couch laughing my ass off for a good 2 mins straight. Get that man a Miller
My husband and I are PGA Professionals who got engaged at the Masters 3 years ago (4/7/23). It was the memorable day when the tree fell on the 17th tee. He proposed by the 15th green right after he went rushing down to check that everyone was okay. Due to no cameras during tournament days my mom never got to see the proposal or where it happened. She introduced me to the game she loved and took me to all my tournaments growing up. I owe my career in golf to her.
Fast forward a year… she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of breast cancer called IBC. She would tell me during treatment, “I hope I get to Augusta National one day”. I want to see where you said yes to the love of your life.” After 437 days of rigorous treatments and surgeries we were finally able to say that there was no evidence of disease!
2 months after her last infusion her wish finally came true, on the 3rd anniversary of our engagement (4/7/26). So happy we got to experience this as a whole family this week. This will forever be my favorite Augusta National memory!
I was not one of those patrons that was ravenously fighting for a gnome this year.
I got to the pro shop early because I wanted to get my shopping out of the way, check my bag, and enjoy my day at the course. I told my friends that I would get a gnome if they were readily available in the pro shop when I arrived, but I was not jostling or shoving my way through a crowd to score one. If I get one, cool. If not, oh well.
Well, as expected, when I got to the shop, they were sold out. As I said, no worries. I was more interested in getting a hat and a polo anyway. I was standing at a corner of the shop waiting on my friend when a guy stops next to me to organize his bags.
“Hey man. Want a gnome,” he asks as he pulls one out of his bag, “I was gonna get one for my dad and I don’t know where he is.”
I obliged and walked out of the pro shop with a $60 gnome, a polo, and a green Azalea hat. No lie, I had about a dozen people asking me, completely shocked, how I managed to snag one.
Austin, from Houston (lol), if you’re reading this, you are the absolute goat, man. I hope the Masters was everything you dreamed it would be.
Same with the Crow’s Nest and import.
Nana had tickets going back into the early 70's and never missed a tournament until he later years. When she got too old to travel she would give the tickets to people with the understanding that she got the used tickets back. She and her husband both had matching ticket covered hats they always wore. I sure do miss her!
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fire at the rideshare lot, let's goooooooooo
Happy to be on the grounds of Augusta National for Rory’s historic round. Biggest 36 hole lead in Masters history!