Momnesia

Gary Player at the Masters Tournament - 51 years of competition this year

AUGUSTA, GA. - John McGowen, a Bellsouth retiree from Conyers, Ga., said that in the mid-80s he visited the tournament on a number of occasions. The most memorable thing that happened was a lesson he learned from watching one of the best golfers at the time, Gary Player.

"There was a time when Nicklaus, Palmer and Player were the best there was," he said. "They were the ones to beat."

On one side of the clubhouse is a practice green. It mimics the greens of tournament play. McGowen watched Gary Player putt around the green for more than an hour.
"I was like, 'What is he doing?'" he said.

As it turns out, there's more to the short game than stance and swing. Speed of the green is always a variable factor. Golf courses are typically watered in the evening, which means they're slower in the morning, and faster in the afternoon. How the grass is cut makes a difference: putting with the grain means a faster ball, and putting against slows it down. The length of grass affects the speed, too: the shorter it is, the faster it moves. If the grass is wet, it will move more slowly. If the growth is tight, as opposed to sparse, it will move faster.

These variable are what Player was testing, from every angle, while he practiced. He moved methodically in a circle around the hole, trying the green out. It allowed him to gauge the speed of the green as well as to adjust his own stroke and stance to allow for variables in his body. Maybe his back ached. Maybe his shoulders were tired. All of these factors mean that the best golfers make minute adjustments to their method of play - not just every tournament, but every day... and sometimes, as is the case with the volatile spring weather that stalks every Masters tournament, on every hole.

Player was taking no chances. He tested the course like a technician. If 50 percent of the game is putting, Player was halfway to a better finish with just this hour of experimentation - and thus halfway to a bigger payout.

"He was doing his job," I remarked.
McGowen nodded: "He was doing his job."

If you have memorable stories or pictures about this year's Masters, or about Masters' past, send them to spirit@metrospirit.com.