A non-golfer and non-sports fan (apparently those exist) asked me today, what’s so special about the Masters?

I giddily replied, “Magnolia Lane, Amen Corner, Rae’s Creek, Sarazen Bridge, Blooming Azaleas, the anticipation of Spring, white caddy jumpsuits, pine needles, the traditions, the beauty, the course, the Green Jacket.”

She stopped me and asked, “What course do they play at?”

Funny she would ask that.

“It’s at Augusta National, my favorite course in the world,” I replied. So she asked me to tell her a little about it.

No problem.

“They say the tournament starts on the back nine on Sunday, but really it starts with the approach shot on No. 9. You have to get it past the pin to prevent the ball running off 60 yards back down the fairway leaving you an impossible pitch shot.

No. 10, where Rory McIlroy started choking in 2011 and Bubba won it in 2012, requires a right-to-left shot off the tee to get the ball running to the bottom of the fairway, allowing a fairly level lie on the approach. As long as you don’t miss the green long, short, left or right you should be good on the second shot.

You better stripe the tee shot on No. 11, and bailing out to the right of the green on the approach is not only accepted but encouraged, avoiding the pond to the left. This is where Amen Corner starts. Larry Mize chipped in during a playoff in the 1987 Masters for the win from the hill on the right side of the green. A par definitely works here.

The tee shot on the par-3 12th hole is probably the most nerve-racking shot on the course, and maybe in major championship golf. The wind swirls so you just want to aim it over the center of the front greenside bunker, ignoring the pin on the right side of the green. You must avoid Rae’s creek in front, and the bunker and Azalea’s behind, so distance control is key. Hit it exactly 155 or you’re sure to make bogey. And don’t chunk it.

Gotta play the sweeping hook on No. 13 and shape it around Rae’s Creek to have a shot to go for the green in two. Obviously, the ball is going to be above your feet for a righty, so a layup is probably smart (ask Zach Johnson). If you go for it, remember the back bunker is dead, and so is Rae’s Creek that winds around the front and right of the green. The pin is back right on Sunday, so you can use the slope in the center of the green to feed the ball down from the upper plateau on the left to the lower plateau on the right.

The 14th hole is the only hole without a bunker on the course, but you must keep the ball below the pin on a green that slopes treacherously from left to right.

Bomb one down the right side on No. 15 and avoid the pond short of the green with your approach. Gene Sarazen made double eagle here with “the shot heard ‘round the world” in 1935. When you’re deciding to go for the green or to layup, just remember that more balls go into the water than the cup.

A view of the green at No. 16 at Augusta National.

The 16th tee shot is nothing short of picturesque, but don’t lose focus because your ball could be swimming in the pond with a slight pull. You want to aim right at the slope that divides the center of the green. If you catch it perfect, the ball is gonna trickle down to the left to the Sunday pin nestled against the left bunker. You don’t want to go long left. Tiger chipped in from back there on the collar up against the rough, but you’re not Tiger Woods.

Avoid the Eisenhower tree on No. 17. It’s been known to grab even well struck tee shots. An easy hole could get complicated with a wayward approach, so just aim to the center of the green and don’t go long.

The 18th tee shot comes out of a chute, so accuracy is a must. Aim it right at the fairway bunker in the distance and unless you bomb it, it’s probably out of reach. The Sunday pin is tucked just over the left greenside bunker, so you just want to put it about 20 feet long on your approach. The ball will work itself back to the hole, and you’ll have a relatively straight and stress free putt to end the round.”

As I finished my verbose response, she commented, “That’s really cool you got to play it so many times.”

“Actually I’ve never even been there,” I answered.

It was with this answer that I realized why The Masters is truly so special. It makes no difference who is playing in the tournament or who wins, because the course is the star. The course is so overwhelmingly intriguing that any avid golf fan knows every shot and every putt.

I’ve never played it, but it’s my favorite golf course in the world, and for sure I am not alone. Augusta is an old high school buddy I get to see once a year and reminisce about the great times we’ve had.

I wait all year to see Augusta. Now it’s Masters week, and I’m starting to get upset because that means it’s almost over.