The Masters is the world’s most prestigious event under PGA Tour that rewards its winners with a lifetime start and a Green Jacket, the most cherished prize in golf.

 

Sure, there is a hefty cheque to go with all that, but at the Masters it is all about tradition and the honour of being there. You win it and you can come back every year for the rest of your and play as long as your body allows it and be a part of the annual Champions Dinner, which is so exclusive that only winners and the Chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, Fred Ridley, can attend it.

 

It’s members include Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Phil Mickeslon and so on right up to Scottie Scheffler, who defend his title this year.

To get you started with the Masters, here are some terms that are so unique to the Masters, that you must add these to your dictionary to enjoy one of the best weeks in golf each year.

 

Amen Corner: This is the three-hole stretch from the 11th to 13th at Augusta National and is seen as the most difficult section of the course.

 

Azaleas:  These are one of most famous plants on display at Augusta National and during The Masters. All the course's holes are named after trees or shrubs present at the golf course and one of the spots where azaleas are most visible is alongside the 13th hole, which bears its name.

 

Butler Cabin:  Positioned near the 18th hole, this is where The Masters winners are presented with their Green Jacket. Jack Nicklaus was the first, in 1965, to conduct his post-victory interview from inside this building.

 

Champions Dinner:  The winner of the previous year's tournament hosts an exclusive dinner for all previous Masters champions, and chairman Fred Ridley, on the Tuesday night of the week of the Masters. The menu is decided by the previous winner. Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 champion, decided the menu for 2023.

 

Crow's Nest: Located above the library and champions locker room, up a steep set of stairs and on the third floor of the Augusta National clubhouse, this a famous accommodation reserved only for amateurs competing at the tournament. Players to have stayed in the Crow's Nest as amateurs who later went on to win The Masters include Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw and Tiger Woods.

 

First and second nine:  Rather than the 'front nine' or 'back nine' being used to describe the split in holes at Augusta National, they refer to holes one to nine as the 'first nine' and 10 to 18 as the 'second nine'. It's a small difference, sure, but adds to the uniqueness of the place and the tournament.

 

First cut: Augusta has what is referred to as the 'first cut' and 'second cut' when players miss the fairway, as opposed to the rough you would find at other golf courses.

 

Green Jacket: The concept of a 'Green Jacket' was first introduced in 1937 to help differentiate Augusta National members from other patrons. Since Sam Snead's victory in 1949, the winner of every Masters tournament has been rewarded one, with the jacket presented to the new champion by the winner of the previous year's tournament.

 

Hogan Bridge: This bridge takes players over Rae's Creek and to the green on the par-three 12th hole as part of 'Amen Corner'. It is named after Ben Hogan, to mark his record-setting low score of 274 for his four rounds at the 1953 tournament.

 

Honorary Starters: Most years at The Masters, a group of legendary golfers are invited to hit the ceremonial tee shots on the first hole to signal the start of the tournament. Last year Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson performed the role, with Watson the 11th to do so.

 

Magnolia Lane: This is perhaps the most famous driveway in United States and welcomes the competing golfers to Augusta National in the most spectacular way. The road is 330 yards long, lined with magnolia trees on each side.

 

Patrons: This is what the people in attendance at The Masters are referred to, not fans or spectators.

 

Pine straw: The lush fairways and pristine greens may well be the best-known features of Augusta National, but covering the ground between many of the holes and at the base of a number of trees is pine straw, which makes for some tricky lies for players from time to time.

 

Rae's Creek: This is the daunting stretch of water that famously flows in front of the 12th green. At its widest inside Augusta National, the creek runs 60 feet wide and four feet deep. It is surrounded by golf's most colourful backdrop of blooming azaleas and dogwoods.

 

Sarazen Bridge: The first bridge at Augusta to be named after a player, done so to commemorate Gene Sarazen's 'Shot Heard Round the World'. It was unveiled in 1955 to mark the 20th anniversary of Sarazen's famous albatross at the 15th hole which is where the bridge resides.

 

Tea Olive: This is the name of the opening hole at Augusta National. In keeping with the tradition the naming of holes on the course, Tea Olive - a shrub native to eastern Asia - can be found on the right of the fairway and at the rear of the green. No Masters golfer has ever birdied the first hole in all four rounds.

 

 

 

 

-- By V Krishnaswamy -- India's most widely travelled golf journalists, who is now covering his 11^th Masters,  and has covered 27 Majors and more than 300 international golf events around the world besides seven Olympics, 9 Asian Games and 9 Commonwealth Games. 

 

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