A Few Viewing And Logistical Tips If You're Going To The Masters...

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I've gotten some nice messages the last few days from folks wanting suggestions for their first Masters trip. I'm almost as excited for you as I am to again have the privilege of covering the tournament.

Luke Kerr-Dineen tackled this topic for GolfDigest.com and includes very smart tips, including how to minimize your Washington Road time. (Long-winded BTW here: don't fret if you get stuck in traffic, the Sheriff moves things along well enough even at the peak arrival times. Plus, the views of T-Bone's and ticket scalpers make the drive all worth it. If you're really clever, you've also downloaded Dave Loggins' Masters theme to your phone, which you'll soon be saying goodbye too.)

Some tips:

Sunday To Wednesday Bring A Camera - No cell phones in case you had not heard, and since most of us only use them these days for picture-taking, dust off your point and shoot, charge that battery, make sure the memory card is inserted and bring it along. Otherwise, you won’t be able to capture a few memories. Disposables work too.

No Camera, Line Up For A Founders Circle Photo - The line can be long but it's worth it. With three club photographers and easy online retrieval, what's not to love? Ryan Herrington explained in this piece how it all works. 

Timing - Practice round days, early arrivals are recommended as the traffic gets tough due to huge crowd sizes (larger than tournament days, some believe). Plus most players seem to arrive early and it allows you to do shopping. On the four tournament days, particularly Thursday and Friday, a later arrival and staying later affords some tremendous viewing. I’m amazed how early patrons leave on the weekdays. Though this is all with a caveat: an early arrival Thursday means being there for the Honorary Starts at around 8:15 am. 

Two Ideal Meeting Spots - The main scoreboard just off the first fairway will always be the easiest designated meeting spot for most and is a must for a photo during practice days. Another great spot is the concession/restroom/phone booth local behind the 8th tee and near the 17th. This is more convenient if you’re meeting someone who has been out spectating. The 8th tee is centrally located and no more than 10 minutes from any point on the course. 

Take A Stroll In The Park - For those wanting to just do a "lay of the land" walk, I have a weekend routine of scouting almost all of the hole locations early that helps you see almost every part of the property. Starting at the clubhouse, walk up the right of 1 fairway, down the right side of 2, then cut over, check out 3 and 4, before heading to the 3rd hole crossing for a look at greens 6 and 16. From there circle around 16 toward 15, then take the path through the trees to 13 green and the rest of Amen Corner. From there walk up hill to see the amazing 10th, 14th, 17th green and 7th greens, then head back up 18 to the clubhouse. It can all be done in about 45 minutes and you see every hole but the fifth. 

Favorite Viewing Spots - Skip the 11th fairway where the pine tree planting has ruined any viewing of this fairway, once a really underrated spot for watching. Head to the 12th tee where you can see the putting and 12th tee shots. The 13th fairway landing area is also a good spot if you are mobile. The 2nd hole landing area, 3rd green and 4th tee area is another mobile locale that allows fun viewing. For all day sitting, there is no beating any grandstand at Amen Corner and at 15/16.

Shop Early And Ship - A massive new three story merchandise center opens this year near the first fairway, joining a newer facility near the Gate 6 entrance by the fifth green. Most days the merchandise shop is best the earlier you go, though weekend days you can shop relatively traffic free as play commences. But you’re there to watch The Masters, not shop. Right? Either way, just remember shipping is your friend. The UPS rates are fair and the operation is a scene to behold, with remarkable efficiency that gives you little excuse but to ship your purchases home. Fragile items are packed in a healthy wrapping of bubble wrap and if there is any question about the fragility of an item, the staff errs on the side of caution.

Buy The Timeless Stuff**** - Grabbing merchandise like hats and t-shirts with this year’s tournament year seems like a wise choice at the time, especially if you want people to ask about your trip to the Masters or it’s the anniversary of a previous trip. But I’ve found most tend to regret the date stamping preferring to have Masters-logoed stuff with a little more permanence. ****However, if this year's tournament is another 1986 Masters, you’re going to be wanting something with the date. Speaking of which, some retro gear emblazoned with 1986 Masters would be pretty sweet, wouldn't it?

Have A Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwich - Essential, essential, essential! As are all of the sandwiches and chips thanks to cost and flavor. Regarding food lines, the concessions at Amen Corner and by 15 green/16 tee seem to be better designed for more patrons than some areas on the front nine and tend to have shorter lines. You rarely find lines at The Masters and most of those were for entering the shop, something that will likely be minimized with a new facility.

Don't Yell ShackHouse If You See Me - that behavior is strongly encouraged and greatly appreciated at all other golf tournaments. Just not this one. 

Instagram Wrap: Sergio Signs, The Drive, Chip And Putt Finalists, Signs Of ANGC Color, First Look At Pine Valley's Revamped 12th

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Always one of the best days of the year, the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals arrive Sunday at 8 am ET on Golf Channel. The USGA, PGA of America and Augusta National Golf Club team up to carry out the final stage after kids from all over the country competed in three previous stags for the opportunity to reach Sunday's finale. Tune in, the kids are amazing!

Bill Fields with a preview and some color from Saturday's practice festivities.

Sergio Garcia will send them home with a signed flag, not a bad memento:

The 2018 national finalists in the Drive, Chip and Putt:

The Masters is long overdue for an explosion of color. This teaser suggests we may have some blooming azaleas this year...

Azaleas in bloom ahead of #themasters.

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The 12th hole at Pine Valley has seen tree clearing and what appears to be Tom Fazio's homage to Tobacco Road? Let's hope with some weather and time it looks more like Pine Valley. 

Instagram: Another ANA Ace, An Augusta Jones Bag, Normandy From Above & An Amazing 19-Month-Old Lefty

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Another day, another ace at the ANA Inspiration that means two first class tickets. This time it's Sydnee Michaels.

A sweet Jones bag paying homage to the colors of the Masters.

Normandy from above, with golf.

Normandy from above 📷 via @dennisschmelz #france #europe #travel

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This guy is 19 months!

Target practice 🎯

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Convicted Inside-Trader Billy Walters Is Not Pleased With Phil Mickelson

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As he sits in a Florida minimum-security prison, sports gambler and businessman Billy Walters awaits an appeals court ruling and stews about the role Phil Mickelson played in his conviction, reports ESPN.com's Mike Fish.

Over several interviews recounted in a compelling piece by Fish, Walters is mostly still unhappy with his former golf buddy Mickelson.

"Here is a guy that all he had to do was come forward and tell the truth," Walters said in October, as he leaned forward in a chair behind his nearly 10-foot-wide office desk, its marble top home to three computer monitors. "That was all he had to do. The guy wouldn't do that because he was concerned about his image. He was concerned about his endorsements.

"My God, in the meantime a man's life is on the line. He's going to go to prison. And you got prosecutors up there during the entire trial, the entire month -- all they talked about over and over was me giving my friends insider information. That is all they talked about. And they knew those jurors were all up on the internet reading that stuff about Phil [profiting from the Dean Foods stock purchase]."

Instagram: Kristinsdóttir's ANA Ace, Harry Ellis' Road To Augusta, Rare Glimpses Of The Honorary Starters And Aiken Golf From Above

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Ólafía Kristinsdóttir's opening around ANA Inspiration ace earned her two first class tickets anywhere in the world on the airline:

Amateur Harry Ellis is preparing for his first Masters. His infographics are certainly strong!

Some rare footage of the Honorary Starters at The Masters in the latest appetite whetting teason:

A wintertime aerial view of Aiken Golf Club, a gem in the vicinity of Augusta National...

Why The Tom Morris Shop Is One Of Golf's Most Important Places And Why It Needs To Be Restored, ASAP

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For those who have grown up when the professional golf shop was a vital gathering place, the resurrection of Old Tom Morris’s hub at 15 Links was yet another reminder that virtually all important golf development started in St. Andrews. Bear with me here, but seeing the Tom Morris name plastered over with the sterile "The Open" branding warrants a deeper dive into this retail space's past.

When the Links Trust restored this sacred spot in 2011, it was seen by the golf world as a nice tribute to the “Grand Old Man of Golf.” But the shop’s lineage, when imagined through the writings of early golf pioneers, becomes more clear. Or even profound. 

Layers of carpet and dry wall covered the bones of Old Tom’s longtime hub of storytelling, golf ball sales and clubmaking. When the layers were peeled back to reveal the origins of the shop, the significance of this location became more clear to anyone with a little imagination. 

There are the deep etchings in the floor from the days when a team of artisans were crafting clubs. Also revealed was that one-of-a-kind grey stonework that supported Old Tom’s footsteps, the fireplace where gutta was shaped, and most breathtaking of all, the wood counter where he or his team of craftsman could work while looking out at the Home green shaped by Morris.

Any golfer who has spent time in a pro shop with fellow aficionados can easily imagine the conversations, brainstorming, joke-telling, commiserating and idea-sharing that took place in this 870 square feet of prime golf real estate. And we know from select writings that many of golf’s most important early figures were influenced by their time spent at the Old Tom Morris shop. 

Remnants from the old clubmaking days revealed under layers of carpet.

Remnants from the old clubmaking days revealed under layers of carpet.

When a young Charles Blair Macdonald--widely considered the father of American golf after importing the best of Scottish golf principles to the States-- arrived in St Andrews, he was too young to be allowed in the Royal and Ancient clubhouse. 

“The day after I arrived in St. Andrews my grandfather took me to genial and much beloved old Tom Morris and bought me three or four clubs,” he wrote in Scotland’s Gift—Golf. “He also secured a locker in Tom’s shop, for juniors were not permitted in the Royal and Ancient Club, to which both my grandfather and my uncle, Colonel William Macdonald, belonged.” 

The man responsible for bringing the most important golfing principles to an America, at a time when the early game was a warped version of the sport thriving in Scotland, began his education in Old Tom’s shop.

“Old Tom was the Grand Old Man of golf,” Macdonald wrote, “The philosopher and friend of all youthful, aspiring golfers.”

We’ll never know what lessons were imparted to Macdonald by Old Tom during many visits there, but it is easy to imagine him learning about golf architecture, course maintenance, clubmaking or the impact an influential elder can have on an impressionable lad.  

Morris great-granddaughter Sheila Walker looking out the window, 2015 Open Championship.

Morris great-granddaughter Sheila Walker looking out the window, 2015 Open Championship.

“He was always equable in temper, always courteous, much beloved by everyone.”

Two other vital American golf pioneers, Donald Ross and A.W. Tillinghast, were known to have spent much time around the shop, ruminating on the game with the Morrises and the team of artisans crafting clubs from around 1866 to Old Tom’s passing in 1908. Ross is best known for being America’s most prolific master designer, but the son of Dornoch was also a clubmaker, promoter and instructor whose inspiration was Old Tom Morris. 

Tillinghast was also a vital early promoter of amateur golf, history, design and maintenance before establishing himself as a course-creating genius. He wrote lovingly of his time at St Andrews and in particular, with Old Tom. 

“I met him in 1896 and although I never saw him again after 1901, he did write me several brief notes,” Tillinghast wrote in a magazine essay about the image he captured of Morris. “At the time when the photograph was taken we had been chatting in his shop and I happened to have with me my “Lantern” as Andra Kirkaldy used to call my camera. Old Tom was not at all inclined to pose for photographs but I cajoled him to the open shop door. This fortunate likeness was the result, for he declared it the best ever made of him. Aside from any merit as a photograph, I do know that it was very like him, for his true, kindly nature shows straight from his eyes. The picture shows him looking out over the Home Green, which he told me had been built over the bones of dead men, and where he still held the flag for the finish of all important matches. He used to potter around this green, often with a handful of sand to fill into holes, and it is more than likely that his oft-repeated advice to me, to use plenty of sharp sand on the putting greens, has exerted a lasting influence during many years of course construction.”

To an American impacted by Tillinghast, realizing that so much of his inspiration, wisdom and passion started in that shop, makes 15 The Links as sacred a space as the Old Course turf. Another American golf pioneer, Bobby Jones, did not have the opportunity to visit Old Tom in the shop, but he did take refuge here after he was mobbed on the 18th green upon winning the 1927 Open Championship, adding to the lore of the shop.

Like that historic day, we can only imagine what was said in this historic space and realize its role in shaping the sport outside of St Andrews. To generations of golfers over the century who have taken up the game since Old Tom’s passing, golf shops around the globe continued the tradition he started of providing questioning and impressionable golfers a refuge to simply linger and talk about this strange pastime with other like-minded souls. Certainly few golf shop mentors in golf ever carried the gravitas of Old Tom. But when you’re new to golf and some won’t take the time to welcome you to the sport, the role of golf shops as informal educational spaces has long been misunderstood in helping establish youngsters as long time participants, or keeping older, doubting types connected with others who love the sport.

In the last decade, at least in America, golf shops have lost the type of influence they once had with club sales moving to superstores or online. Which is why the Links Trust’s 2010 purchase of the space is so important to telling the story of golf. (There is also the preservation of the upstairs living space by Old Tom’s great granddaughter Sheila Walker—who still can be seen hanging out the top floor window taking in the best view in golf the way Old Tom once did—that adds to the lore of 15 Links.) 

The £100,000 spent to preserve and modernize the shop allowed the space to function as a business, but to historians and romantics, was spiritually recouped when elements of the shop were uncovered. Looking at the façade as it has looked for over a century--including the stylish lettering on the signage that legions of golfers photograph daily—the golfer infatuated by St Andrews can savor this space. You can imagine the ghosts of visionaries like Macdonald or Ross or Tillinghast gathering around their hero. 

Taking away the historic facade away to sell some Open Championship merchandise is as repulsive to those who admire Old Tom Morris as the words "British Open" are to the branding geniuses who thought it would be a good idea to cover over the Tom Morris name. 

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We talked about the shop and its importance a few years ago on Morning Drive, and took a tour inside after its restoration:

Steiny Pushes Back On New Tiger Book: “Egregious errors”

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With the new Simon & Schuster published Tiger biography now widely available, the Woods camp has pushed back, calling the Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian tome a re-hash from older books and articles. 

I'm surprised that Agent Mark Steinberg decided to acknowledge the book at all, but given the visibility of the authors and some of the more salacious tidbits overshadowing the attention given by the authors to the price of celebrity, perhaps pushback was wise.

Rex Hoggard, writing for GolfChannel.com sets up the story and offers this from Steinberg:

“This book is just a re-hash from older books and articles and it’s hard to tell if there’s anything original at all,” Woods’ manager Mark Steinberg said. “The authors claim ‘we seldom quoted anonymous sources’ yet they relied on them at least 65 times.”

Steiny with a little self-reference in the third person action here...

“They insist that they ‘provide a wealth of new insight,’ but without any input from Tiger, [Woods’ mother] Tida Woods, Mark Steinberg or those closest to him, that’s obviously impossible,” Steinberg said. “It’s clear the sources they actually rely on are people that haven’t spoken or interacted with Tiger for many years, most with ulterior motives.”

Former Clinton Administration counselor to the President, Doug Band, wrote to Golf Digest, taking issue with an account in the book of the Learning Center's opening. Band says "there is hardly an accurate or true word in the excerpt."

According to Awful Announcing's Andrew Bucholtz, who also rounds up some of the issues at hand in debating the book, he quotes one of the authors pushing back on Band's account.

Keteyian then fires back at Band, saying “I called him to fact-check the information that’s in that section,” and reveals that Band is the source for the quote of “I’m Tiger Woods, king of the world, go eff yourself,” plus says he had another source in that fivesome who described that round. Benedict then talks about how there is new and fresh material in this book, like stories of Woods being comfortable with kids who didn’t know he was famous and one of his neighbors talking about him asking who he can trust, and Keteyian talks about the book illustrating “the cost and the price of fame.”

Authors Benedict and Keteyian on Outside The Lines (embed not working but link should).

Renowned documentarian Alex Gibney will be developing a “documentary series” based on the new biography, Reuters reported Tuesday. No outlet has been named but the combination of Tiger intrigue, Gibney's reputation and the host of streaming options makes it likely the series will find a home.

WSJ: "The Next Chinese Trade Advantage: Professional Golfers"

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Thanks to reader John for Brian Costa's overview of China and golf as Shanshan Feng is the top-ranked female player and Haotong Li continues to progress, entering The Masters as the highest-ever ranked Chinese golfer (No. 41).

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However their success seems unlikely to sustain the Chinese game as long as courses are considered illegal, a minor glitch in golf's grand plan to profit on the creation of overpriced, overbuilt courses.

But the obstacles are greater in China, where more than 200 courses have been closed as part of President Xi Jinping’s war on government corruption and gaudy symbols of wealth. Fewer than 500 courses remain in the country.

Gareth Winslow, a New Zealand-born golf coach who works in Shanghai, lost two jobs in recent years when a course and a driving range where he worked were abruptly shut down. “The bulldozers come in and just knock everything down, so there aren’t a lot of options after that,” he said.

And it still starts with driving ranges, par-3 courses and affordable places to start...

If Chinese professionals continue to make headlines overseas, it may draw more wealthy Chinese to the game, Winslow said, “but if China wants to become a global power in golf, there needs to be more accessibility.”

Time To Update Your Masters Apps: New Features, Classy Design And Enterprise Grade Artificial Intelligence!

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You can now download The Masters app from various stores (iTunes here).

If you're an AppleTV user and have auto-update enabled, the 2018 version should be ready to go.

If you're a cord cutter--enjoy that buffering!--this guide will help you find ways to watch the Masters via HuLu, YouTubeTV, Playstation and DirecTVNow.

The big upgrade to the mobile and tablet app's this year comes via IBM's Watson--no relation to Tom or Bubba. Here's the fancy way of saying what you will find across all platforms if you log in and denote favorite players:

This year, IBM Watson is moving us from scores and statistics to faces and fist pumps. For the first time ever, the Masters is using enterprise-grade artificial intelligence to capture the essence of the competition; the sights and sounds that make this a tournament unlike any other. 

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Take that craft, artisanal, fair trade and organic grades of Artificial Intelligence!

Watson watches hundreds of hours of video from all of the Masters live streams. It identifies the player in each clip, and scores the highlight worthiness of that clip by listening for crowd noise and commentator excitement, and watching for player gestures. The highlights are scored and indexed, making the video production process easier for the Masters digital team. And they are packaged up into personalized highlight reels for users of the My Moments feature in the Masters app. 

And this is clever:

My Moments allows fans to customize their Masters app by saving their profile across all digital platforms. End users select their favorite players and highlight packages are tailored to their preferences. The app also features a spoiler-free mode, which determines the last time you checked in on the tournament action, and chronologically walks you through everything you missed, without revealing the real-time score until you’re caught up.

To put this more succinctly: it's a lot like Instagram or Snapchat Stories. Only better!

The centerpiece of the app remains the ability to watch Live Coverage and get quick access to a Leaderboard.

The offerings on the AppleTV also allow you to watch channels like Amen Corner Live, Featured Groups and other video, including surprise nuggets like last year's broadcast and the Green Jacket ceremony at the putting green. 

A few screen grabs here:

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“Augusta can always be defended. St Andrews is in trouble.”

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A wise friend says the distance discussion should only be predicated on one barometer: the Old Course. If it is obsolete for the elite player, distance limits or something should be done to keep it relevant. 

So it was enlightening to see Paul Azinger suggest the Old Course at St. Andrews is in trouble within this Steve DiMeglio piece about Augusta National and distance. 

There is of course the usual shallow stuff from golf pros looking to protect their corporate interests over how the game is played, with Billy Horschel reinforcing his steadfast ignorance and Brandt Snedeker suggesting Augusta just plant a tree, ramp up the Sub-Air and call it a day.  

But Azinger's comments stood out since the R&A might actually feel the same way.

“The Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, is different, because the course isn’t as long and the greens are pretty easy to putt and don’t have nearly as much slope,” Azinger said. “Augusta’s greens are frightfully fast, and they can stick the pins two paces from the edge.
“Augusta can always be defended. St Andrews is in trouble.”

Instagram Wrap: Seve Being Seve At The Masters, An Augusta Persimmon Plate And Bridgestone Makes A Tiger Ball

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New Look Tour Schedule Coming Into Focus And The Small Markets Are Trouncing America's Big Cities

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If you told me a few years ago that the FedExCup and wraparound schedule designed to save fall events in smaller markets would lead to minimizing the PGA Tour's presence in Chicago, New York, Boston and Houston, I'd have told you no chance. 

As Doug Ferguson of the AP reports, the 2018-19 revamp of the PGA Tour schedule is shaping up in curious ways.  (As noted by The Forecaddie last week, Florida will have its swing back and that's a very good thing.)

After explaining how May will feature the Byron Nelson and Colonial stops surrounding the PGA Championship--cue the claims of Trinity Forest not being a good preparation for PGA venues--Ferguson says there is a possibility of Houston landing before the U.S. Open when Memphis shifts to the beautiful month of August for its expected WGC upgrade in place of Firestone (hit the link if you don't believe me). 

But the real puzzler is what the playoff shortening means for two huge markets.

There’s one other potential wrinkle to the end. The FedEx Cup playoffs will be three tournaments instead of four, and while this is the final year of the playoff event at the TPC Boston (previously Deutsche Bank, currently Dell Technologies Championship), it might not be the end of Boston.

One possibility the tour is exploring is for The Northern Trust to alternate between the New York area (such as Liberty National) and Boston.

So if this goes forward, remember that the introduction of the playoffs changed Chicago's former Western Open in July to a rotating BMW in multiple cities later in the summer. 

The incredibly successful Boston stop, a relatively modern creation, may go away and the old annual New York stop at Westchester has been converted to a rotation that could spread north.

To recap: Houston, Boston, New York* and Chicago all have seen or are about to watch their regular tour events compromised in the name of making Sea Island, Las Vegas, Napa, Jackson, Kuala Lumpur, Jeju Island and Playa Del Carmen stops part of the FedExCup, while possibly adding Minneapolis and Detroit stops. 

Fascinating big market strategy!

*New York is, admittedly about to be overrun with annual major golf events starting with last year's Presidents Cup and running to at least 2024's Ryder Cup. But other than the Presidents Cup, the rest are run by other organizations.

The Evolution Of This Year's Masters "Favorite" Status

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Doug Ferguson does a nice job tracing the many stages of betting favorites for this year's Masters and reminds us it wasn't long ago that different names were atop the list. 

• Westgate had Woods at 50-1 for the Masters right before he returned to competition the first week of December in the Bahamas.

• Johnson wins Kapalua by eight shots for his eighth victory in his last 34 events, all against some of the strong fields.

• Rahm ended 2017 by winning the European finale in Dubai, was runner-up at Kapalua and won the CareerBuilder Challenge. With a chance to go to No. 1 in the world at Torrey Pines, he went from a one-shot deficit after 36 holes to a 75-77 weekend. Woods made the cut at Torrey Pines with a two-putt birdie from 70 feet on his last hole. He tied for 23rd, exceeding expectations. Masters odds go to 20-1. Day won Torrey Pines in a playoff for his first victory in 20 months.

• Johnson finished second at Pebble Beach to Ted Potter Jr., who has missed every cut since then. Imagine if Johnson had won Pebble. He would have two wins this year, nine in his previous 36 starts. He would still be the clear favorite at Augusta.

As we discussed on Golf Central Alternate Shot today, the favorite game is too complicated so just focus on the best, most unusual story this year! And yes, yes, I know, I said Amateur champion the first time, not Mid-Amateur. But I got it the second time...this is live TV for you...