I took one of the greatest walks in golf this morning around the back nine of Augusta National.
It was pretty much just me, the volunteers and staff at 7am, with Augusta crews sweeping dew off the fairways, rolling the greens, raking bunkers and cutting the holes.
It's hard to describe how magical a visit to Augusta really is, and especially without a phone. I was in my own world for a couple of hours to take in the beauty of the surroundings after heading straight for the 10th tee and down to Amen Corner.
Just me, a coffee, a sausage biscuit and my old Panasonic Lumix digital camera that my mom has lent me for the week as I familiarized myself with what I believe is the greatest place in golf.
Here's what stood out from my morning walking Augusta's back nine...
The impact of Helene
It's my second time at The Masters this week and I was immediately taken aback by the view down the 10th where much of Augusta Country Club is now in view. In fact, you can see the neighboring country club from the 1st tee due to the typography. It's definitely a view you wouldn't have got pre-Helene.
If you haven't been to Augusta before then you won't bat an eyelid, but Augusta CC was previously completely hidden on my first visit in 2022. Now you can see LOTS of it from the elevated positions.
The main tree thinning appears to be down the left of 10 and 11, while you can't really see through to Augusta CC from the lower parts of Amen Corner like the 12th tee. The 12th definitely has been thinned out, though, so wind could be more of a factor than it already is.
It doesn't sound like the course is going to play much different, although Jon Rahm did say that one player told him they could potentially hit a high cut on 10 and start their ball over the cabins down the left...
Rory McIlroy also spoke about the 10th and believes that the tee shot has been made easier, as a TV tower down by the green is now in view, having previously been blocked out by trees.
Aside from the thinning of trees, here's a few other things I noticed...
The subair was blowing
Augusta National is one of the few golf clubs in the world to have the luxury of a SubAir system, a high-tech, underground network that helps to control moisture in the soil. It was hard at work on Tuesday morning as the golf course was still very wet underfoot after the rain on Monday.
I walked by a couple of grills for the SubAir system and both of them sounded akin to an airplane powering up its engines... They are not quiet.
The sun is shining today at Augusta and coupled with the SubAir, I think we should see a fast course come Thursday and perfect conditions as the Masters weather forecast looks friendly.
Green gravel
Ok, I picked up on this the first time I was here but I noticed it instantly this morning.
I guess due to the rain on Monday there had to be a lot of very fine gravel put down to help with grip and avoid muddy areas, but it is quite astounding how much gravel there is around the course in the patron walkways. They must have a mountain of the stuff as it was everywhere.
You wouldn't have a clue it is there either watching on TV, as it almost perfectly matches the color of the green grass. Despite heavy rain, there are no muddy patches - it's genius.
It's certainly a niche thing to mention but evidence of the impressive operation that Augusta National is. The dye has left some green marks on the bottom of my pants, however.
Caddies at work
As I made my way back towards the 1st tee at around 8am, I noticed that I was starting to see an awful lot of caddies...but no players.
On the 3rd, six of them, all wearing their white boilersuits, were collectively working away without their bosses.
I saw the bagmen of Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, JT Poston and another who I couldn't quite make out. They were lasering each other back from the fairway to the tee box and helping each other out with how far distances are.
Then, on the 2nd green Viktor Hovland's caddie Shay Knight and Joe Highsmith's looper Joe LaCava Jnr were rolling balls from all kinds of angles and pacing off portions of the putting surface.
Again, their golfers were nowhere to be seen. It just goes to show you the preparation that the world's best caddies do to ensure their player has everything they need.
