Brennans Caddy Report -The Masters

Growing up, this event marked the start of the golf season for most of us in Canada, and was a great weekend to sit around and watch some golf on TV. This year the coverage is going to be that much better as they are going to cover the Wednesday par 3 tournament. Most people have never seen the par 3 course at all so that is going to be a treat for us all. As the name suggests, the course consists of nine par 3's. They are all quite short but have some very tricky greens. If you have a chance to watch it, I think it will be well worth your time and something that you may not see again.
 
After having last week off, Mike and I both arrived in Augusta on Sunday evening. During my week off I had a great experience attending the Nascar event in Fort Worth at the Texas Motor Speedway. Growing up I was not a motor sports fan, but in the last few year I have started to really like it. I was fortunate enough to have access to a garage and pit pass last week for the qualifying event on Friday. I was amazed at what went on down there while everyone was getting their cars ready for the event. Seeing how many people it took to run a team and how they went about their business was amazing. I was also very surprised at how many fans were allowed down there and how close to the action you can get-I felt like I was in the way of the pit crew as we were walking in and out of the garages. I know that most Canadians are not the biggest Nascar fans, but if you ever get a chance to see an event live, I think it will give you a different perspective of the event.

The other great thing about Masters week is the start of the NHL playoffs! This the best time of the year for me as there's a game to watch every night! There are also a few games in town this week, including The Augusta Lynx of the East Coast League which a few of us will be attending. So all in all, a very exciting week and time of year for golf and hockey!
 
Having played here in Augusta a few weeks ago, Mike feels very comfortable with the course-he has only played two practice rounds all week. On Monday afternoon we played nine holes with Jerry Kelly. It seems like at most events, playing practice rounds in the afternoon is so much better than playing early in the morning. Most of the guys are so excited to get out here and get going that they all play early, making rounds much longer with lots of waiting. We played the back nine and had a good day spending most of the time around the greens. It is amazing that as many times as Mike has played the course, it is still important to get a feel for the greens as they are so fast and have so much undulation. The course never gets the speed that it has during the event though, as all the final maintenance in done on Wednesday. They tend to shave down the slopes and cut the greens just a little bit more than they do during the week. They like to have everyone a little bit surprised come Thursday.
 
Tuesday was a great day as we played all 18 with Ben Crenshaw and Jim Furyk. John Senden joined us for 9, but playing with Ben was great. There are not many guys that we haven't played with over the years, but Ben was one of them. I was very impressed with Ben, a really nice and interesting guy. It was a treat to get to see him putt for 18 holes, as he is was one of the great putters in golf in his day. Jim is also a very good guy to play with making for a fun day. Practice rounds are never a caddie's favourite, but days like this make it much more enjoyable. On Wednesday we are going to play 9 holes, and then Mike will play in the par 3 tournament with his daughters caddying (should be a thrill!). I am sure it will be more exciting for Mike than it will be for them though.
 
There have been no changes to the course this year and as always it is in great shape. It has played a little soft so far this week as Augusta received three inches of rain over the weekend. It has been drying out quite nicely and with warm temperatures expected, the course should get faster and faster as the week goes on. The greens here have a sub-air system under them that is like a vacuum under the greens. If the greens are too soft, the sub-air system can be turned on making the greens as firm and fast as wanted. It's quite a system, getting the green at whatever speed and firmness desired. It is an amazing invention that is now in several courses around the country. They will do anything then can here to make sure that the scores can be controlled. The last thing they want is for someone to shoot too low of scores.
 
I think Mike is ready to get the week started. I'm confident Mike will do well as he has had some great practice, and always loves to come back to play at Augusta. I'm excited to see how the weekend plays out.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy following The Masters!