New Masters Gathering Spot: "Bubba Land"

David Westin correctly predicts that the 10th hole would be a popular gathering spot for Masters patrons this week, even dubbing it "Bubba Land."

Patrons gather at Bubba Land (click image to enlarge)I visited early Monday and folks were trying to pinpoint the exact location, posing for photos and in general, marveling at the shot. Which they should. It's still hard to fathom how anyone could hook a wedge that much.

Three-time Masters champion Nick Faldo, who no longer competes in the tournament, played a practice round Sunday with his son Matthew, and checked out the area.

“Yeah, we went down there,” said Faldo, who is the lead analyst on CBS’s golf coverage. “Matthew was down there live last year. He took me down there to the spot to see it. I didn’t realize it was that far down. On television, I thought he was coming out from 180 yards; we didn’t have a yardage.”

The video from YouTube, shot off of a television set:

Update on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 09:54 AM by Geoff

**Rex Hoggard has done a super job breaking down, analyzing and recounting the shot in a new piece posted at GolfChannel.com.

Update on Monday, April 8, 2013 at 11:45 AM by Geoff

**Alan Shipnuck goes the oral history route and ends with this:

Oosthuizen: It's horrible, losing at Augusta like that. I felt sick for a few days. My caddie and I couldn't speak to each other; we felt we could burst out in tears at any moment. There's no comfort in losing to a shot like that. The hurt is the same. It's just the way it goes -- if I won it, I'd probably have the best shot in Masters history, with my four-iron on 2. But he won it, so now he has the best shot in Masters history.

Watson: So many things had to happen exactly right for me to be able to play that shot. What if my ball rolls another five feet down the hill? What if there was a big ol' branch hanging down in front of me? You could say it was luck, you could say it was fate, call it whatever you want. But that's the mystique of the Masters.

Bay Hill Viral Video Update: Sergio Tops 3 Million

Some of you know golf has been a tad slow to embrace The YouTube. The most glaring example is in Augusta, where clips of Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen's epic shots from last year's Masters remain unfindable except in really bad bootleg form (here and here). Not surprisingly, the number of views are shockingly small.

So here's a follow up for the stakeholders, proud enforcers of rightsholders television contracts, who might still have doubts about YouTube and its ability to generate interest in the game, attention for players, and impressions for sponsors.

At Bay Hill last week we saw some amazing moments and a few of them went viral or semi viral. These aren't Gangham numbers, but you have to start somewhere. And I'm guessing Mastercard enjoyed having their brand noticed by over 3 million or so pairs of eyes. Just a guess.

Sergio climbs tree at Bay Hill to hit shot video; 3,003,132 views

Nicholas Thompson's barefoot water shot: 578,782 views

Even Matt Every's water hazard eagle is up to: 106,741 views

"It was like the Old Testament story of Samson offering to buy linen garments and a set of clothes for his 30 wedding guests if they could solve his riddle."

The story is long but it's a fun one involving Bubba Watson, the Masters, caddie Paul Tesori, a palm tree and a $10,000 engagement ring.

Hey, that could be a pitch for The Hangover 4. Only none of the above drink. Oh well.

Doug Ferguson explains.

Augusta National Planning Clubhouse Work

Steve Crawford of the Augusta Chronicle reports that a site plan has been filed with the city by Cran­ston Engineering Group to demolish the existing kitchen area and an adjacent building to make way for a new building.

The inevitable jokes will arrive that they need more closet space and women's bathrooms, though it sounds more like updating outdated food preparation area.

Not as fun or sexy, I know! Still, nice Rick McKee cartoon in the Chronicle from a few months ago after they admitted their first female members.

Irony: Augusta's Muni Shuttered

Newer readers wonder why I'm hostile toward The First Tee, which, while no doubt a fine program with fantastic tax implications for those who give to the program, too often receives all of the attention from those generously giving to "grow the game."

However, the problem for American golf's future remains the same: we may be introducing new people to the game through The First Tee, and then turning them loose to limited or unappealing options for graduating to a "big" course. Like in the case of Augusta, Georgia, where there's a well funded First Tee and now we learn, the closed muni, a.k.a. The Patch.

Susan McCord and Gracie Shepherd report the sad news of The Patch's closure Wednesday, complete with Club Car picking up its leased equipment and a hapless city government that feeds off of golf-related tax dollars refusing to turn the lease over to interested parties who requested some basic repairs.

Augusta commissioners decided not to make the repairs or comply with other requested concessions, so the Kelly group backed out.

“We had a good alternative, but they didn’t like it,” an irritated Commissioner Joe Jackson said Thursday, referring to other commission members.

In fact, someone placed a sign at the clubhouse Thursday pointing those wanting to play to three commissioners – J.R. Hatney, Bill Lockett and Alvin Mason – and suggesting they were responsible for the public golf course closing.

Jackson said those commissioners certainly didn’t help The Golf Course at Augusta LLC, the new firm headed by the Kellys.

An angry Jackson even suggested the city’s handling of the situation might warrant termination of top city personnel.

“Someone’s going home,” he said.

"It was the right thing to do because the Masters is the public face of golf"

Lots to chew on in this provocative GolfDigest.com Q&A with Marcia Chambers, an expert on antiquated club membership policies who had some surprising things to say about Martha Burk, tokenism, the R&A and Hootie.

This view of hers on the Royal and Ancient surprised me.

Private clubs take direction from clubs like Augusta National. It should set the standard and be a leader. It has not been. Now it has put its house in order, and I expect we will see new efforts at inclusion at other clubs. I don't include the private all-male clubs that host the British Open in this category. As the late, great Peter Dobereiner once said: "The British do not appreciate change, especially from the ladies. They have been soaking in male-chauvinist piggery for 500 years, and so it cannot be eradicated overnight."

And this on IBM's woman-American CEO, Ginni Rometty.

What I want to know is whether IBM told Billy Payne, "She gets in, or it's the highway for us." I do not know how IBM could live with this insult, because no matter how you slice it, that's what it is. She is still not in, while her Augusta sponsor counterparts at AT&T and Exxon-Mobil are members. I suspect a deal was made, a deal that admits Rometty at a mutually agreed-upon date.

"The Royal and Ancient has somehow made Augusta National look like Nancy Pelosi's book club."

Rick Reilly takes the R&A to task for their policy on women but as he explains and few knew, the R&A which governs the game outside North America is different than the 2400-member, male-only Royal and Ancient Golf Club that are now merely caretakers of the St. Andrews clubhouse.

He still asked the R&A where it stands in light of Augusta's addition of two female members.

"The Rules of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews specify a male membership," Royal and Ancient media director Malcolm Booth emailed yesterday, "and this policy remains a matter for our Members to determine."

Hey, buddy. Do you have the year?

Does this seem odd to you? The home club of the governing body that decides how most women in the world play golf doesn't have a single woman in it?

"That's a little archaic," says Debbie Waitkus of Women in the Golf Industry.

That's a LOT archaic. Where's the next meeting, Stonehenge?

Alistair Tait tried to contact Peter Dawson but was unable to while exploring the R&A's stance on discriminatory clubs.  Tait also considers the status of several Open hosts (including 2013 site Muirfield) who are male-only, and concludes they may dig in.

”We read the announcement from Augusta National with great interest and we congratulate Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore on their membership. The Rules of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews specify a male membership, and this policy remains a matter for our members to determine.”

Ironically, the chances of women joining the aforementioned clubs might have been set back rather than improved by Augusta’s decision. As one long-standing Royal & Ancient member who did not wish to be named said, “I don’t think it will make any difference. I think the clubs will continue to do what they want. In fact, they might just dig their heels in and tell everyone to mind their own business.”

The decision to create the R&A to govern the game separately of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews was long thought to be driven by the desire to protect members from a manufacturer or player lawsuit. But in light of the current issue with membership policies, perhaps that was part of the thinking too?

The R&A website features a tribute to its old friends, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, under the "Heritage" banner.

    •    To be a members’ golf club, having a clubhouse with high-quality facilities and reasonable access to first-class golfing facilities for day-to-day play, including competitions and matches, and for two Meetings of the members to be held in the Spring and Autumn.
    •    To maintain the position of St Andrews as the Home of Golf and to assist the Trustees and the Management Committee of the St Andrews Links Trust in the development of appropriate golfing facilities.
    •    To provide temporary accommodation for members of the Club and others.
    •    To acquire and preserve records and artefacts relating to the history of the game of golf either directly or indirectly.

 •  To give Peter Dawson headaches!

Hootie: I Sponsored The Woman-American!

Michael Buteau tracks Hootie Johnson down and the former Augusta National Chairman confesses--even though club matters aren't for public discussion--that he sponsored new female member Darla Moore.

“Yes,” Johnson, 81, said in a telephone interview from his home in Columbia, South Carolina. “She has a long connection with me. I’ve had her as a guest at the club a number of times along with her husband. She’s a sweet lady.”

Now we've seen it all.

One Final Round-Up Of Augusta's Monday Morning News

I'm fascinated by the breadth and variety of the Condi-gets-into-Augusta coverage, if nothing else because it beats reading about the Algorithm Cup. And unlike some, I do find this to be a "joyous" occasion because the Masters will once again be about golf.

Before the latest round of clippings, some food for thought about the orchestration of ANGC's "announcement." Longtime readers know I'm a connoisseur of the Friday afternoon news dump because, let's be honest here, as a 24/7 blogger I dread checking my email on Friday's out of concern for the inevitable dumpage of embarrassing, awkward or inconvenient news.

That said, the club deserves praise for not trying to hide this announcement. They could have easily picked a busier news week, say, during one of the upcoming political conventions and issued their press release at 4:30 ET on a Friday. There is certainly the chance that the AP scooped them and got a hold of the story and forced their hand. But everything I read suggested this Monday morning news was a well-thought out and unusually transparent announcement for any organization on the hot seat. It was especially impressive given that this is an organization known to be notoriously private in its club dealings.

And away they go...

I thought the WSJ's Jason Gay did a nice job summing up the situation.

Payne appears to realize this. One does not call something a "joyous occasion" if it is not, in fact, a joyous occasion, aka a relief. "A significant and positive time in our Club's history." That's not the outside world, barging with a bayonet. That's Augusta National, finally making sense.
They did the right thing, even if it took so long, Earth is rolling its eyes. Golf is slow and weird. But progress is progress.

Bob Harig notes:

The public, for the most part, doesn't care about this fight. Based on attendance and television ratings, few were boycotting the year's first major championship. Most who weigh in on the subject miss the point by bringing up all-female gyms or organizations. Why can't men be part of that?

Again, Augusta National is different. Much different.

John Barton for GolfDigest.com:

The world did not stop turning. As far as we know, hell did not freeze over. When the announcement came -- a press release from Augusta National Golf Club informing the world that the infamously male-only club had finally added two women members -- it did not seem so much like a bombshell, but rather as something inevitable, and perhaps long overdue.

Michael Rosenberg of SI.com wasn't impressed with the announcement timing.

The wait seemed silly. But for Augusta National, the wait was the point. Augusta National admitted two women, and that is the big story around the country. At the club, though, the story is a bit different: Augusta National admitted who it wanted, when it wanted. And it always will.

Uh, that's why it's called a club! That's what clubs do!

I thought his colleague Michael Bamberger was much more sensible.

And, yes, the oldest of the old guard, dying or already dead, will think the world has gone to hell in a hand basket because of this simple act. That's proof of how important these admissions are. For decades, decades after Jackie Robinson, Augusta National had no black members. Then they were shamed into admitting black members. And now, 20 years later, anyone who visits Augusta National doesn't think twice to see a black man in a green coat. Next April, when we see two women in club coats, it'll cause a little bit of a double-take. But the guess here is that by 2014, you won't even notice, and we'll all start to focus on some new thing.

A snarky New York Times editorial:

Excuse our lack of enthusiasm for a decision to do the right thing a few generations too late. It’s hard to believe that a decade has passed since the last uproar. Augusta National, which added its first black member in 1990, has missed lots of chances to broaden and diversify its membership. Now, with two women in the club, it has finally reached the point of gender tokenism.

Ed Sherman thinks last year's press conference was the turning point for the club and breaks it down. Even I found it painful to read again, just because I remember at the time thinking that Billy Payne knew the questions were legitimate and was embarrassed it was overshadowing the tournament.

GolfChannel with a wrap up of the various quotes from players and VIP's, including Tiger Woods and presidential candidate Mitt Romney's tweet.

This wire story notes White House spokesman Jay Carney's remarks on behalf of the president.

Meanwhile, White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama also welcomed the move.

“I think you’ll recall that when I was asked about this back when the Masters were about to take place ... I actually spoke with the president, and his answer was very clear: women should be admitted,” Carney said.

“And he welcomes this development, thinks it was too long in coming but obviously believes it’s the right thing to do.”

Robert Lusetich makes a fair point that this is not a civil rights victory as some have suggested.

It might be a milestone for some women. But what it’s not, and never has been, is some kind of victory for civil rights.

I have always been appalled that admitting a wealthy woman into Augusta National can in any way be equated to the civil rights battles.

Rosa Parks was told to get out of a seat on a bus — a seat designated for “coloreds” — so a white person could sit down.

There is a spectacular unbylined New Zealand rant worth reading if nothing else for its train wreck qualities, touching on water boarding, the club's fear of losing sponsors (uh…eh forget it) and even the Formby Ladies Golf Club warrants a message.

Garry Smits takes a closer look at the two new members and says they sport impressive resumes.

Alan Shipnuck offers some background on Darla Moore from his research for his 2003 book.

Given her close ties to Johnson, Moore had long wondered if she might someday have to find the right accessories to go with a green jacket.

"I asked Hootie about it once," said Moore, who is reputed to have a nice golf swing but an erratic short game. "This was before I had had any real exposure to Augusta -- I knew very little about its mystique, although that's changed. Anyway, I said, 'Hootie, how does one get to be a member?' And he said, 'You don't ask.' Oh, I got it. End of conversation.”

Now Moore will forever be part of Augusta National's story. She may be a trailblazer for women, but it's clear Moore will have no trouble fitting in with the good ol' boys and masters of the universe who populate her new golf club.

Farrell Evans would like to see the first two female members become pioneers.

But the onus doesn't fall exclusively on the club to make the acceptance of women more than merely a first to add to some tally of achievements for women and minorities in the game. Rice and Moore should encourage the club to bring a women's event to the course, and spearhead efforts to elevate women in the sport around the world with the same ferocity that it has tried to promote golf in Asia.

It's not out of bounds to ask Rice and Moore to carry the burden of representing the interests of women at the club, especially when they have been added to the membership primarily on the basis of their gender.

Yet if they were the meddlesome type, the club probably would never have considered them.

Reactions To Augusta's Monday Morning News, Vol. 2

Quite an array of takes on the Augusta National membership change, as you'd expect, so here goes in no particular order.

John Paul Newport on why the club had to act if it was going to be taken seriously on matters related to growing the game.

Billy Payne, Augusta’s current chairman, endured an unusually hostile grilling about the issue at his annual chairman’s press conference before the tournament in April. Many of the questions focused on the club’s support for growing the game, including for golf’s First Tee program, which seeks to pass along the game and its values to boys and girls, many from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Jason Sobel offers some perspective for those not fawning over something that should have happened a while ago.

Anyone considering this decision analogous to a double eagle on the course should remember that it comes on the heels of years of triple bogeys.

Annika Sorenstam tweeted that this is a "historic day for the game of golf."

ESPN's Darren Rovell, apparently laboring under the delusion that female guests visiting Augusta National over the years were served roadkill in the servants quarters, tweeted:

Just because Augusta has now let women in doesn’t mean their job is over. They need to make women feel comfortable there.

He also penned an odd ESPN.com commentary suggesting that because the club sells a chicken biscuit for $1.50.

All you have to do is look at the Masters concession prices and you can make the argument that Augusta National tries harder than almost any other business in America not to make money.

This year, you could get cookies for $1, a cup of coffee for $1 or a muffin for $1. Really want to splurge? Go for that imported beer for $3.75.

Not bowing down to the almighty dollar created a problem for anyone who felt that excluding women was unfair. When money isn't a factor, there's little you can do.

He goes on to point out that the decision prevents them from being pressured by the money. The money he says they try hard not to make.

Thankfully Rovell did tweet this statement from AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson.

Masters sponsor AT&T issues statement on Augusta National letting women in: "As a sponsor of The Masters, we applaud today's historic announcement by Augusta National and warmly welcome Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National.”

AP's Seanna Adcox tells us more about Darla Moore, who has given a lot of money away in the name of charity and in making politicians look bad!

She has served on a number of corporate, medical and university boards, but she is perhaps best known in South Carolina as a philanthropist. Moore is the top donor to the University of South Carolina, pledging $75 million since 1998, when the business school was named after her. She also donated $10 million to her late father's alma mater, Clemson University.

Much of her philanthropy is done behind the scenes, as she eschews the spotlight.

Some of Golf Channel's analysis from today's Golf Central coverage:

On the membership process at Augusta National:

Golf Channel Analyst Frank Nobilo: “This is a process that would not be done just overnight.  I imagine this would have taken five or six years like it does take for any other member…Augusta National doesn’t make mistakes.  They might be conservative, but there are no mulligans at Augusta.  And this is no exception.”
 
Hack: “These are two women with impeccable credentials.  The Masters took their time to find the two women they wanted to represent their club.”
 
On the significance of this day for women in golf:

Sorenstam: “This is an organization that has been male dominated in so many ways.  For them to open up, it has been such a talked about debate for so long, now we can close the chapter.  We can move on.  I think that they are really showing that traditions can change.  The women they have invited, they are very highly respected women and business leaders.  In my opinion, this is a win-win situation.”
 
Golf Channel Contributor John Feinstein: “It is another one of those invisible walls knocked down…There are still all-men’s clubs around the world, including the Royal and Ancient.  But arguably, the most important men’s club in the world is no longer a men’s club.” 

From SI's excellent impromptu roundtable on the news and what it means for the game.

Gary Van Sickle, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I was pretty sure Billy Payne was too smart and too much of a diplomat to let this issue continue to taint the Masters, but I was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long. Now that it's done, it seems so easy, so obvious.

Hanger: Right. My first thought was, finally. Payne seemed genuinely flustered with the harsh questioning this year, and I wonder if behind closed doors that led him to push for the change. The issue was clearly not going away, so they really didn't have much of a choice.

Alan Shipnuck, senior writer, Sports Illustrated: I'm happy the club did the right thing so we can put all of this unpleasantness behind us.

Paul Newberry brings up the sticky issue of the R&A and its gender issues, which include visiting men-only Muirfield next year and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (different than the R&A remembrer!) and their male-only membership.

On the other side of the Atlantic, where this quirky little game actually started and the sport's oldest major championship is held every summer, they've got their own gender issues.

The next British Open will be at Muirfield, which is men only. The resistance to women is epitomized by a tale passed down through the years - who knows if it's actually true or not - that there was once a break-in at the clubhouse, but they wouldn't let the police inside because a female officer showed up to investigate.
Chuckle, chuckle.

Only one problem.

This is no laughing matter.

Not anymore.

Scott Michaux, who has been covering this story for a long time, offers this:

Since taking over as chairman of the club in 2006, Payne has made it his personal mission to use Augusta National’s notoriety and resources to “grow the game” around the world.

But all of those growth efforts, however noble, rang a little hollow when half of the world’s population was excluded from ever having the chance of becoming a member at Augusta. Of course the odds of anyone becoming a member are slimmer than winning the Mega Millions lottery (and that would obviously help one’s chances), but infinitesimal is better than zero every day.

Augusta National inviting women members is a symbol of growth and equality, and an important one.

Lorne Rubenstein says the news "reminds us of how backward golf at the highest levels can be, and too often is."

But Augusta National today is getting attention around the world because it has admitted two women as members. The club is far and away the exception to the rule that golf is a game for everybody. Why should it be applauded because it now admits female members? It’s off-putting when reactionaries are perceived as revolutionaries. Augusta National’s admitting female members isn’t a cause for celebration. If it's a cause for anything, it’s a cause for reflection.

Stina Sternberg, a longtime critic, calls the day momentous.

The fact that Augusta owes nothing to anybody is precisely what makes today's announcement such a huge moment. Clearly, financial and political pressures have never bothered the green jackets. If anything, it's only spurred them to stick to their "traditions" even more. But they knew this had to be done if the game was to thrive. The desire to do the right thing for the image of golf finally superseded the need to have the last word.

Colleague Ashley Mayo says not so fast.

As much as golf is believed to be stuck in the 19th century, the fact is the overwhelming majority of golf courses welcome women with open arms. The overwhelming majority of manufacturers make golf clubs specifically for women. The overwhelming majority of apparel companies create gear exclusively for women. This has been the case for years, and will continue to be so for years to come.

Lester Munson wonders how Condi is going to explain this to the Stanford faculty and what would have happened if the new female members had just said no. Then again, how would we have known if she said no?

Reactions To Augusta's Monday Morning News, Vol. 1

You have to love Augusta National announcing its first female members and on a Monday instead of making writers search for women in green jackets and reading about it on a Friday night.

As for the reaction, the first ones are in. Martha Burk, quoted in an updated version of Doug Ferguson's story:

"Oh my God. We won," Burk said. "It's about 10 years too late for the boys to come into the 20th century, never mind the 21st century. But it's a milestone for women in business."

Colin Cowherd interviewed Martha Burk on ESPN radio.

Deadspin was less impressed, sporting this headline: "Rich Old Cracker Says Incompetent Woman Can Play Golf At His Stupid Club"

Christine Brennan in the USA Today may need an oxygen mask after this bluster:

Today, one of the last bastions of male supremacy is no more. Today, Augusta National has made a crucial statement to every girl and woman who has thought about picking up a golf club. The message is simple: You are welcome.

That same message is being sent to every girl and woman who has even thought about trying to enter a sport or a field of study or a job that boys and men have dominated. If Augusta National can bring in women, then anyone can.

That's how big of a deal this is.

Gary Player tweeted that it was "great news" the club was admitting its first female members "in 80 years."

Here is Condi Rice's Golf Digest interview with John Barton from June, 2011 talking about her life and on this page, Augusta National.

Finchem Statement On Augusta: "This sends a positive and inclusive message for our sport."

Tim Finchem issued a statement and PGATour.com posted it with the AP story along with an Awkward Family Photos-worthy shot of Commissioner Uncomfortable and Condi.

"The PGA TOUR commends Augusta National Golf Club on the news that it has invited Condolezza Rice and Darla Moore to become its first women members. At a time when women represent one of the fastest growing segments in both playing and following the game of golf, this sends a positive and inclusive message for our sport."

Update on Monday, August 20, 2012 at 10:56 AM by Geoff

**I've obtained an exclusive image of Tim Finchem hearing the news today.