Anomaly of the Masters
Revered as it may be worldwide, the US Masters remains something of an anomaly among the four Majors in professional golf. It is a tournament which remains firmly in the hands of the approximately 300 members of Augusta National Golf Club, the ultra-exclusive establishment which annually hosts the first Grand Slam of the season.
And although things have changed since Bobby Jones and long-time chairman Clifford Roberts established the club and the first Masters was contested in 1934, much of the stiff-necked conservatism of Georgia and the American South still hangs like unseen Spanish moss around the hallowed buildings where the only Major which never changes venue annually is held.
You do not apply to become a member of Augusta National, you are invited and it was a strictly male domain until as recently as August 2012 when former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and investment entrepreneur Darla Moore became the first female members.
There were also no black members until 1990. It was also recommended that Lee Elder – in 1975, the first black player to play the Masters – not be identified other than as the first person of his race to play in the tournament.
It is the things you cannot do at the Masters, though, that truly separates the tournament from the rest and again tends to underline the club’s background as an elite institution.
These were probably best encapsulated in tournament rules issued to broadcasters back in 1979.
There was never to be a reference to the “gallery” or “patrons” as a “mob” or “crowd” and no estimates on the size of the gallery, players’ earnings or Masters prize money and there was always to be a de-emphasis on player antics. It was taboo to compare any holes at Augusta National with those of another golf course or to speculate where the ball might have ended up or the length of a putt.
Crossing the line can result in a ban as Gary McCord found out during Masters coverage 23 years ago in 1994, when he voiced an opinion on air that the 17th green was so fast that it seemed to be “bikini-waxed”, and that “body bags” were located behind that green for players who missed their approach shots.
A letter followed from the club and McCord has never been back.