The Masters Weekend: How I Fell in Love with Golf

I didn’t always like golf. As a matter of fact in 2003 I could tell you that I hated it. I didn’t understand it. I thought “oh great you hit this white ball and chase it for 18 holes.” It was not my idea of a fun afternoon to watch it nor to play it. In 2003 I started dating a golfer. When he wasn’t with me or working he was on the Blue Monster at Doral. I was a golf widow, and I hated golf with every fiber of my being.

In 2005 he took me to my first PGA tournament at Doral. On this particular day Tiger Woods & Phil Mickelson were teeing off together. You can’t get near them when they tee off together so we went down the fairway and sat waiting. Well knowing I was with an obsessed golfer he knew how far these two would drive the ball and took a darn good guess as to where we should stop on the course to sit for the best view for their second shots. You know when they tee off based on the sound of the crowd. The crowd applause comes first, that little white ball comes second. And well I’ll be darn if one of those little white balls didn’t land right in front of me on the other side of that rope. I was giddy with excitement. It belonged to one of the greatest golfers in the world and he soon would be standing 3 feet in front of me.

That little white ball sitting in front of me in that green grass started my obsession, fascination, appreciation and most of all my love of this game. As Phil & Tiger started their walk down the fairway, my heart raced and soon enough Phil Mickelson was standing 3 feet in front of me. He looked at me nodded his head and turned around to hit that ball one more time. Right there I fell in love.

I would return to Doral in 2008 where I would have the chance to meet Phil Mickelson on a practice course and once again watch some of the best golfers in the world. I would follow VJ Singh for several holes saying “Wow, he’s so tall”. I would watch Boo Weekley and hear the crowd go “boooooo”. I would marvel at Geoff Ogilvy and Retief Goosen.  I would go to the 16^th hole early to wait by the rope and watch the crowds of 100’s coming our way knowing they were following Tiger Woods. Standing front and center by the rope watching Tiger draw out the driver and hearing the crowd go wild just on him drawing a club. To stand 5 feet from him as he tees off is something I’ll never forget. The swoosh of that club is amazing.

This year on May 9^th I will be lucky enough to attend the final round of TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. I’m over the moon excited to see my favorite players in person once again.

I always tell friends to go to a tournament just once. If you love sports this is a must for your sporting bucket list. Guys who golf, take your girlfriend/wife if she doesn’t appreciate or like golf. I promise one afternoon on a golf course as a spectator will change your mind about this sport. It’s an afternoon well spent.

It’s The Masters Weekend. Held in Augusta, GA. Bobby Jones & Clifford Roberts founded The Masters. The 1^st Masters was held March 22, 1934, but it wasn’t called The Masters until 1939. In 1986 at the age of 46, Jack Nicklaus won his 6^th green jacket. This course is full of history. To read more or to watch online go to www.masters.com All of you that have iphones can download the Masters app as well.

If you don’t like golf this is the weekend to learn to like it. The Masters is deep in tradition, one of the toughest courses on the PGA Tour and absolutely beautiful.  And at the end that Green Jacket may just bring a tear to your eye and make you fall in love.

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