CUTTING
TO THE
CHASE
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit that mud balls and the distance debate are closely linked. Please bear with me. The 2012 Masters proved that
these two seemingly disparate modern-game phenomena
are directly connected in ways that few outside the estab-
lishment convening under the Big Oak’s canopy realized
until the week Bubba Watson won a major. No matter how
typically satisfying a Masters this was, insider discussion
continues to revolve around the dirtiest secret in big-time
golf: Augusta National GC’s effort to remain relevant with-
out any help from the game’s governing bodies.
BY GEOFF SHACKELFORD
PHOTOGRAPH BY DOM FURORE
Namely, talk centered around the club’s tactic of
mowing the surprisingly leafy ryegrass fairways toward
the tees in a last-ditch relevancy quest designed to slow
down technology and athleticism-fueled drives. As drive
after drive rolled to a quick stop, only to find Georgian mud clinging to the dimpled urethane-elastomer
surfaces, it became apparent to even willfully blind observers that an institution of architectural and historic
significance as dignified as Augusta National should
not have to resort to such a ploy to keep the undisputed
Vatican of tournament golf relevant. Which is why a
consensus is quietly building for tournament golf to be
played with a ball that does not fly as far.
Your Honor, a little leeway here, please? >>
