Augusta National Golf Club

Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most celebrated golf sites in the United States. Established in 1933 by the great Bobby Jones and designed by Alister MacKenzie and Bobby Jones, Augusta National sits on a beautiful and hilly tract of land in Augusta, Georgia formerly a tree nursery. Hints of the nursery can be found in the display of beautiful magnolia and dogwood trees that are scattered throughout the course in both out of play and in play locations. As many in the golfing community know, Bobby Jones is considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the game and by far the most successful amateur golfer to ever live. He is still the only person to hold the Grand Slam of golf (winning all four major titles in year) in 1930 and three years later continued his legacy with the creation of one of the most prestigious golf courses ever created.

Although Augusta National is one of the most popular golf courses in America, known for its annual tournament, the Masters, it is still one of the most private courses in the world. Unlike other courses a person couldn't walk in and pay the right price to be a member. To be a member at Augusta National you either have to know someone or be someone and oh yea, you got to have money, and lots of it. If you were to look at the member list you'd probably be hard pressed to find too many individuals from the Augusta, Georgia area. A majority of the members involved in Augusta National are from out of town; some from way out of town. And considering the course is only open for roughly eight months out of the year that leaves very little time for these out of town members to fly their private jets in to play a round or two. Another barrier to membership has been a hot topic in recent years brought to light by the feminist activist Martha Burk. You guessed right, no women allowed! In the age of equal rights Augusta National has continued to maintain its status as a "gentleman only" club.

If there is one thing that anyone knows about Augusta National it is that it is host to the major championship the Masters, every April while the Magnolias are in full bloom. annualBeing the only major championship to be hosted at the same site every year the Masters is considered one of the most storied of all the majors. The prize for the winner of the Masters each year is the "Green Jacket," a green sport coat with the course logo embroidered over the left breast. Along with the green jacket comes a lifetime invitation to the tournament and, of course, a hefty pay check. It's the dream of many of today's amateurs to play in this most prestigious tournament.

The course is very unique among its peers. With very little rough and lightning fast, undulating greens it brings difficult to a whole new dimension. During the tournament the grounds crew's goal is to make the course as hard and fast as possible without making it unfair. To do this an underground suction drainage system was installed that literally "sucks" the water out of the ground. Along with this is an under-green heating an cooling system. This is simply a system of water lines in which either hot or cold water is run through depending upon the weather and the needs of the greens to keep them perfect. During closure months the course's greens and other areas are covered to protect them from the elements. So as you can see, Augusta National pulls out all the stops for its crown jewel.

I've had the opportunity to visit the course once in my life during a practice round of the Masters many years ago. The things that stick out most to me is the element of perfection that has always been Augusta National's center point. As you look out onto the immaculately mowed fairways, the glassy, undulating greens and the impeccable yet intimidating bunkers you can really get a sense of the vision that Bobby Jones had when he probably first combed the grounds over 70 years ago. With tributes such as "Hogan's Bridge," the "Eisenhower Tree," and "Rae's Creek" you can have a greater understanding of history involved in this great venue. If you ever get the immense opportunity to play August National and you make you way around "Amen Corner" (holes 11, 12, and 13) and into the home stretch just remember what this course got to where it is today and what it means for the game of golf today. Augusta National, The American Classic.


Information regarding Augusta National derived from wikipedia.org.

Harbour Town Golf Links

Harbour Town Golf Links is located on Hilton Head Island, SC and year in and year out is considered one of the best courses in the nation. It was designed by one of the all time great American architects Pete Dye with the help of the very prolific designer Jack Nicklaus in 1967. The course itself is a relatively short layout at 6,973 yards par 71 and consists of many narrow tree lined holes. Along with the narrow and demanding tree lined tee shots other characteristics that describe Harbour Town are its small greens and distinct mounding that surround the landing areas of both the fairways and greens. A common characteristic of Pete Dye courses are his large and relatively long bunkers that flank the landing areas and Harbour Town is no exception. Many of the holes are flanked by just such bunkers and even some of the greens surrounded entirely by these gargantuan hazards.

Just like any great course Harbour Town has very distinctive holes that help to define the course and set it apart from many others. The par threes at Harbour Town, for example, are some of the more demanding par threes around with all of them incorporating some type of hazard whether it be a heavily mounded bunker or a dangerously close pond or lake. Although none of them demand great length to conquer they all demand sufficient length and dead on accuracy with a longer iron for any scratch golfer. Although these holes all stick out in my mind as both beautiful and difficult, nothing compares to the courses finishing hole. The 18th hole at Harbour Town is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque and yet one of the most difficult holes in American golf. With two forced carries over the famed Calibogue Sound into one of the smallest finishing greens on the PGA Tour the 18th hole at Harbour Town is one-in-a-million. And who can forget the sight of the famed light house flanking the green across the marina. It will forever be ingrained in golfers hearts as one of the greatest holes in golf.

One of the reasons that this place is so special is because of its very popular PGA Tour event the Verizon Heritage. Each year some of the world's best professional golfers come to Hilton Head for this event. Considered one of the favorites by many of pros the tournament has seen winners like: Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, and the late Payne Stewart just to name a few. Each year these pros fight for the famed plaid jacket. Similar to the Masters' green jacket but safe to say with much less prestige this prize is sought by many and is cherished by those who've won it.

My experience with Harbour Town extends to my childhood on a family vacation to the Hilton Head area. During my trip there I was fortunate enough to be able to play Pete Dye's masterpiece and can say from experience that what the course lacks in length it makes up for ten fold in character. The golf course is one of the hardest I have played in my lifetime and although I was very discouraged with the way my day had gone I couldn't help but walk up the 18th fairway and feel an unmeasurable amount of joy. The course is a gem and provides a better golf experience altogether than just about any course I have played before. It truly is an American classic!

Information derived from Wikipedia.org, the www.verizonheritage.com, and www.hhigolfvacations.com.