The Story of an American Golf Tradition: The Masters

Chief White House Correspondent Kristin Welker joins me now. From across the nation.

What is the number one issue for you? To the national stage. And I welcome you to the final 2020 presidential debate. When critical votes were counted. Still too close to call. And when power was held to account.

Is abuse of power an impeachable offense? Kristin Welker met the moment. Now she joins Meet the Press as its new moderator. If it's Sunday, it's Meet the Press. Sundays on NBC.

Visit www.NissanUSA.com. And we return to Our American Stories. There's a reason or many reasons why the Masters is considered to be the world's greatest golf tournament. Being the only tournament that's played on the same golf course every year. It draws top golfers from all around the world to play at the historic Augusta National Golf Club. Julie Ferris, author of The Masters A to Z, brings us the story of the classic game of golf and the long standing great American tradition called The Masters. The Masters is the first of golf's four major championship tournaments every year. It's always held the first week of April, the first full week of April. And it's held at the same club, which is the Augusta National Golf Club.

And it really brings the Masters of the game together to see who's the best. A famous golfer named Bobby Jones, and then really a businessman named Clifford Roberts, were the ones that came up with the idea of forming the Augusta National Golf Club and starting the Masters. The first Masters was actually in 1934.

And the first champion was Horton Smith. Clifford Roberts was the first chairman of Augusta National Golf Club. And they built Augusta National in really the middle of Augusta.

And it was a plant nursery at the time. So there was a lot of land, and that's how the Masters got started. One thing about the Masters, it's really tough to get into the field. It's by invitation only. There's a very strict criteria that the golfers have to meet in order to be invited. For instance, all past champions get to be invited.

Certain PGA winners, the British Open winner gets to go. And then they get the invitations if they have qualified or not. When you arrive, there are parking attendants.

There are tons of workers. You scan your badge when you go in, and then you have to display it at all times. Even if it's raining, a friend was there this past year on Saturday when it was raining and somebody said something to him, where's your badge?

And he said, well, it's under my raincoat. He had to show it to them. There are neat designs on the badges. Sometimes there are photographs on the badges of different holes. Sometimes there are drawings.

So badges are the tickets that you have to get in. And people actually frame them after they've been to the Masters and use them as decorations just because there's so few of them. It's just a gorgeous sight. Everything is pristine.

There's no trash anywhere. People are respectful. Everyone's just really happy to be there. All the holes are named after different trees and bushes. The landscaping is gorgeous.

Often azaleas and dogwoods are blooming down. And again, everyone is just happy to attend. When you're standing there watching, people just chat with each other.

You know, who's coming up now or who have you seen? And people just talk, which is so nice. Talk quietly, of course. Everybody is, again, very respectful. You don't see anybody misbehaving.

And everybody's happy to be there. You cannot bring your cell phone on the course. You leave it in your car. There's actually a place where you can leave them before you go in. But most people just leave them in their car.

And it's actually, it's very nice. For the practice rounds, you can bring an old digital camera. But for the tournament, you can't even bring a camera. There are sort of house phones available. If you do need to call your home or office while you're there because you're there all day. And if somebody does call you for one of those house phones, Augusta National Golf Club shows up on the caller ID.

So that's kind of fun. And it is nice when you watch other tournaments. Sometimes when they show the crowd, everybody's either on their phone or they're videoing. But when you're watching the Masters, people are just paying full attention to the golfer, which is pretty neat to see. The clubhouse was actually built in 1854. And right now, only members and their guests can go inside the clubhouse.

The champions locker room is inside the clubhouse. And it's where, obviously, the champions keep their belongings for the week. And it really just separates them from the other golfers. A neat little fact, the top of the clubhouse is called the crow's nest. It's a little cupola top. And that is where the amateurs stay a night or two during the Masters.

So it's kind of like dorm style up there. And also another thing that goes on in the clubhouse on that Tuesday night is the champions dinner. So the champion from the past year hosts a dinner for all previous champions. And they pick the menu and the menu is now published online.

And it's always fun to see what is being served and what wine pairings people are having that night. So everybody shows up, they put on their green jackets, and they sit around the table and I'm sure share some fun stories during champions dinner. So the green jacket is what's presented to the champion after they win the Masters. Of course, they do get a nice size check as well and a trophy. The green jacket is presented in the Butler Cabin, which a man says he's sitting there talking with the past champion and the previous champion will present the new champion his green jacket, which is a pretty special moment.

They get to keep that jacket for a year and then it stays at Augusta National and then they wear it when they go back to the National. In fact, Nicholas still has won the Masters the most time, so he's won it six times. And he was the oldest champion as well. Arnold Palmer has won it four times and he was always just a crowd favorite.

He was very charismatic and people just really, really connected to Arnie. Tiger Woods has since won it five times and he's the youngest one to ever win it. The past couple of years, lots of really young golfers have won it, which is so exciting. With Jordan Spieth, with Scottie Shuffler recently, Jon Rahm won it. And it's fun seeing all these young guys come out and do it. And those younger golfers really looked up to some of these older golfers as they were playing. And so it's neat to see this younger generation now playing and becoming champions. So Jack Nicholas, the last time he won it was in 1986.

At that time, he was 46 years old. And the last time he played his competitive round was in 2005. But he's still an honorary starter every year. Honorary starters are men who hit the first tee shot on the first day of Thursday morning.

And it's like an honorary tee shot that they hit. They're typically past champions. Jack Nicholas is typically an honorary starter. Honor Palmer used to be one.

Gary Player has been one recently. Sometimes they're two or three. They're announced. And again, all they do is hit that first tee shot.

They wave to the crowd. And it starts the beginning of the Masters. The caddie plays a big part in the golfer's game. One, they carry the clubs.

The caddies work hard. They help breed the greens. They help them with their shots. They go find balls when they're lost. They kind of talk to the player.

They offer them food. And they work a lot trying to read the greens and playing different shots. When the player is done, sometimes you'll see caddies back on the course, figure out where holes are going to be so that they can help their player the next day. They use something called a step meter. And they roll a ball down a little device. And it measures how fast the greens are. They have bent grass there. And it just makes the putting more difficult. They're very firm, very fast. It's hard to get used to if you aren't used to playing on that. You can tap the ball a little bit. And sometimes it rolls off the braid.

And it's heartbreaking to watch. Caddies for the Masters wear these white jumpsuits. And it really differentiates them from different uniforms that they have to wear at other tournaments. Some tournaments, they wear the same shirt. Or they have to wear a caddie belt. But they have to wear these long sleeve and long pant white jumpsuits.

It's a very classic look. They wear a green Masters hat with white tennis shoes. And on the back is the player's name that they are caddying for. Also on the front is a number. And I found this out this year. The caddie or golfer is assigned the number with when he registers for the Masters.

But the past champion always receives number one. So that's how the caddies get their numbers on the front of their uniforms. And then when people play the Augusta National during the year, those caddies wear the white jumpsuits as well.

So they are worn during the Masters as well as just from regular rounds at the Augusta National. And we're listening to Julie Ferris, author of The Masters A to Z. Bringing us the story of how the Masters came to be and so many of its rich traditions. And my goodness, so much of American life has lost these traditions.

All these touches that add up to something special. No wonder why everyone wants to go back and play. My goodness, look what they created from nothing.

Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, a businessman and a golfer, started with nothing. And all these years later, it is the lead tournament and the big one in the sport of golf and even people who don't watch golf. And I count myself as one and I don't even play. But every year I'm glued to the Masters.

When we come back, more of the story of the Masters from A to Z here on Our American Stories. No, no free candy. But you know those people who always have the latest tech gizmo before everyone else? Now you could be one of those people without even trying. And when people ask you, is that the latest iPhone? You could just be all cool about it and say, oh, yeah, I mean, I get the latest one every year.

You know, that's just how I roll. That can be you with Boost Infinite, infinitely better. To learn more, visit boostinfinite.com. That's boostinfinite.com. Terms apply.

After 30 gigabytes, service may be slowed, receive a comparable iPhone model each year with an acceptable trade in every year, requires credit qualification and 36 month phone financing agreement. For the ones who get it done, the most important part is the one you need now. And the best partner is the one who can deliver. That's why millions of maintenance and repair pros trust Grainger, because we have professional grade supplies for every industry, even hard to find products. And we have same day pickup and next day delivery on most orders. But most importantly, we have an unwavering commitment to help keep you up and running.

Call clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. Hey, it's Amy Brown here from the Bobby Bone Show. And right now it's the biggest sale of the season at CVS. The big fall wellness sale is going on now through October 14th. You can use your extra care card to shop the lowest prices of the season on wellness support products and more with new deals each week. This week, save big on brands like Tylenol, Abriva and CVS Health. But these hot deals won't last. So break out that extra care card and get after some big fall wellness savings.

The big fall wellness sale only at CVS. And we're back with our American stories and with Julie Ferris, author of The Masters A to Z. And she's sharing with us the story of the great American golf tradition called The Masters. And my goodness, it's an international tradition, too.

Let's return to the story. Some of the favorite things that people enjoy when they attend The Masters are the sandwiches that you can buy there. They don't have concession stand-like food like you get at a ball game or at other golf tournaments. They serve sandwiches.

They're very inexpensive, usually around $1.50. And they're on the back of t-shirts. People really, when you go to The Masters, what kind of sandwich did you eat?

So that's always a fun treat. But they're wonderful, fresh-made white bread for these sandwiches. And also another neat thing is there are no logos on anything else that is served in the concession stand. So for chips and drinks and beers, that all has The Masters logo compared to, you know, if it's a lace chip or whatever. So people volunteer to work at The Masters. There's a long list that you have to get on a waiting list to do it.

And because typically once you get on the list, you don't stop doing it. You take that week off of work and you volunteer there every year. A friend of mine volunteered at The Masters.

And this past year was his 50th year doing that. Our preacher from our church, he volunteers at The Masters and he mans a scoreboard. So volunteers are ushers. They man the scoreboards, their manual scoreboards. They were an electronic scoreboard.

So you have to literally pull that number off of the player's name and then put on a new number. They help out on the grandstands. They keep the crowd quiet. And they do get to play at the Augusta National. I believe it's in May. And The Masters is run well by all the volunteers. The Masters has really tried to get kids involved in the game. One neat thing they started in 2013 is the drive chip and putt contest.

And it's a free contest that children compete in during the summer months. And the finals are at the Augusta National on the Sunday before The Masters. And The Masters, the USGA, and the PGA puts that on. So that it's helping grow the game of golf for kids. And it's getting them excited. Also, another neat thing that The Masters has done is they started the Augusta National Women's Amateur.

And that started in 2019. So women are invited to play. They play at Champions Retreat the first couple of days on Wednesday and Thursday. On that Friday, everybody gets to have a practice round at The National. And then for the ones that made the cut, they get to play their final round at Augusta National on that Saturday. So they really added kids and women into The Masters recently, which is exciting.

When I was in high school, I worked at The Masters. I worked one of the concession stands in 1991 and 1992. Back then, the concession stands were big tents that were set up.

Now they're permanent structures. Back then, there were no computers and no credit cards either. So all the teenagers would take the orders from the patrons who were ordering their sandwiches and drinks. Patrons, it's just a fancy word for people who attend The Masters. I would add it up, and then I would go tell a cashier who were these ladies who worked in these tents every year.

They would make the change, and I would say, you know, $7.25 out of $20, and I'd give her the $20, and she'd give me the change, and then I'd go give it to the customer. So that's what I did for 1991 and 1992. And that's really how I became interested in The Masters, was working there and getting to see a little bit of the tournament.

I started watching it from there. I was able to ghost them in college and ask my adult ears as well. My husband and I attended a couple of years. And then we had children in 2004 and 2006, and I was a teacher. I still am a teacher.

I taught first grade and preschool and kindergarten, and I love children's books. So really the reason and the way the book got started was in 2011, I was giving my daughter a bath, and my husband had been at the tournament that day. My son had been to the tournament before, and my husband was there that day. And she asked me, she said, Mommy, where did Daddy go again today? I said, well, he went to The Masters. And she said, what is that? I said, well, that's a big golf tournament close to where Ellie and Cat live, who were my parents and Thompson.

And I said, he was there all day. She said, well, where did he eat lunch? Well, it was kind of neat because he was able to go with a member who he worked with at the time, and they were able to eat at the clubhouse.

So they ate at the green and white umbrellas outside of the back of the clubhouse. And she said, well, what does the clubhouse look like? Well, as I've told plenty of people, my wheels started spinning then. And I thought to myself, wow, I don't think there's a children's book about The Masters, because if there was, we would have read it to Catherine, and she would have known what the clubhouse looked like. I decided right then that I wanted to write a children's book about The Masters, so I kind of did it that weekend. I knew I wanted to write an alphabet book.

That's just what came to mind. I think probably being a teacher, that made sense to me. And so that weekend, that Saturday and Sunday, we watched The Masters, and I had a white legal pad, and I wrote out A through Z. And then every time I see something that reminded me of a letter of the alphabet that was important at The Masters, I wrote it down.

So that's how we have The Masters A to Z. Obviously, I wanted it to be geared toward children, but I wanted it to have facts as well. So I did a lot of research. I talked with people in Augusta, and so they helped me make sure that my facts were all correct.

A young guy from my hometown, Thompson, his name's Josh Thomas, he went to SCAD, Savannah College of Art and Design, and I knew he was interested in golf. So I talked to Josh, and he did my illustrations for me. And I really think the illustrations have helped sell the book. It's not a cartoonish book for children.

The adults appreciate the pretty illustrations, and it's become kind of a coffee-table book, especially around Masters time. One neat thing that I like to point out in my book, S is for Sarazen, and that's for Jean Sarazen. And Josh drew Jean Sarazen in black and white, because that's what the photographs looked like from back then. Another neat thing about that illustration is he's wearing a dress shirt and a tie and knickers, and his tie is tucked into his shirt, which is just very different than what the golfers wear now. But Jean Sarazen had a very famous shot, which is a double eagle, and he hit it on number 15, and it helped him win the Masters that year. And there was a big roar when he hit that, and it's called the shot heard round the world. So that's a very famous fact about him. He hit the shot heard round the world in 1935 when he won the Masters. On the I page, I is for Ike. President Eisenhower was a member.

He enjoyed his time there. There was a pond name for him, there's a cabin name for him, and there was a tree called Eisenhower Tree that was on hole number 17, and it would get in the way of a lot of shots on that hole. But in 2014, there was a big ice storm, I believe it was in February, in the Augusta area, and the tree was damaged, so it had to be removed before the Masters of that year. Anybody who loves golf appreciates the Masters, and the Masters actually has helped people get interested in the game of golf, which again was kind of my initiative. The game of golf was kind of dying at the time, and a lot of children were not playing it. So I thought, well, children get interested in the Masters, they read my book, they might want to watch it, and then they might want to go outside, and they might want to have their moms or dads help them. You know, have their moms or dads help them putt and learn how to play golf. I've sold a lot of books.

In fact, I just put in for my 10th reprint in 11 years. People buy it for children, and they buy it for dads and granddads, because the dads and granddads will actually read this book to their children. It starts as nothing in 1935, a golfer and a businessman with an idea, and then they drench it with a beautiful course design, remarkable attention to detail, and of course all that rich tradition. Especially that idea of passing that green jacket along, then all those ex-champions taking that tee shot. It's just a beautiful thing to see, and a beautiful thing to observe, that intergenerational excellence and that intergenerational respect.

The story of the Masters here on Our American Stories. Now is the time to experience America's pastime in a whole new way. Major League Baseball has teamed up with T-Mobile for Business to advance the game with next-gen 5G solutions, going deeper with real-time data visualization, new camera angles that put fans on the field with their favorite players, and even testing an automated ball strike system in the minor leagues. This is the 5G era of baseball.

See what we can do for your business at t-mobile.com slash now. Major League Baseball trademarks used with permission. Officially licensed product of MLB Players Incorporated.

Hey, hey, it's Malcolm Gladwell, host of Revisionist History. eBay Motors is here for the ride. Your elbow grease, fresh installs, and a whole lot of love transformed 100,000 miles and a body full of rust into a drive entirely its own. Brake kits, LED headlights, whatever you need, eBay Motors has it. And with eBay Guaranteed Fit, it's guaranteed to fit your ride the first time, every time, or your money back. Plus, at these prices, you're burning rubber, not cash. Keep your ride or die alive at eBay Motors dot com. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.