About six weeks ago, a buddy of mine offered me a pass to the Saturday session of the Masters—needless to say, I’ve never booked a flight quicker. I thought I’d share some of my observations and experiences with my fellow WRXers:

Wow, what an entrance!

Getting into the grounds isn’t like going to any other golf tournament I’ve ever attended. As the course is/was clearly built for this week, all of the structures are permanent—no tents anywhere. After you get through the security line, you have at least a 1/4 of a mile to walk until you hit the actual course (along the practice range, past the main store, restrooms, concessions, etc.). When you finally get past everything, you’re left with a short walk up a hill towards two perfectly manicured pines that flank the entrance. On a side note, I’d be lying if I told you it didn’t take every bit of self-restraint not to break out in some sort of slow-motion, Chevy Chase inspired run to steal my first glimpse, but I digress. Once you reach the trees, you’re at one of the highest points on the golf course, where the Georgia pines seem to go off infinitely in the distance and about one-third of the coolest golf course in the world is in full view below you. Again, wow.

The elevation changes are insane!

I’d talked to a couple folks who had played Augusta National, and both had mentioned how much the course rolls around. To be truthful, I always thought they were exaggerating—until I got there. Sixty foot elevation changes are common place, with some drops feeling even nastier. A great example is the 2nd hole. On TV, it looks like a right-to-left hole that drops a bit. In person, it feels like the green is probably 80 feet below the tee box, which means when Louis Oosthuizen jarred that double eagle last year, he did it from a severe downhill lie to a green that was 30 to 50 feet below him.

The whole course is that way. I’m amazed that Freddy Couples is able to stand after walking four rounds out there—every one in my group was complaining of back pain after hiking around the grounds for a day.

The par 4’s are brutal!

My wife would probably tell you that at times I’m not all that observant, and to be honest, that might be the case here, but I didn’t realize how long and difficult the par 4s were. It makes pretty logical sense as the course plays around 7,400 yards and the two of the par 5s and three of the par 3s are relatively short, but with the exception of the 3rd, all those par 4s would probably be the No. 1 handicap hole at my current home course (which slopes at 133). I would guess a guy with average length hits his driver at least 12 times a round out there, possibly 13.

It’s not a very visually intimidating course!

Let me preface this with the fact that I played The Ocean Course at Kiawah on Thursday (which was both the most amazing and most visually intimidating golf course I’ve ever had the chance to play, but that’s a column in itself). Augusta National seemed like a course that you could play every day. I spent as much time walking around the course after the players had passed as I did watching the action, and was amazed how logical and fair the holes seemed to my eye. Demanding, yes, but not “holy crap that’s insane” like Kiawah. I’d imagine that from the members tees it wouldn’t play that harder from tee to green than dozens of courses I’ve played. However…

The greens are mind blowing!

The first green I saw was No. 1. There are no less than four VW bug size moguls, and the pin was tucked deep right. One of the first shots I saw was when David Lynn was about 25 feet from the hole on the collar. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I had no idea how he was going to play the shot. He had to throw it from a downhill lie, up to the top of a hump that was no bigger than an Oldsmobile roof, and hold it on a green that was as fast as a skating rink. I would have been lucky to keep it within 40 feet of the pin. He got up and down (which is why when I play on Sunday, I have to make a tee time). All the greens felt that way—the false fronts are so severe and punishing, and the puts are so intricate that I could imagine four-putting a couple times a round without the help of a caddy. They are the most difficult greens I’ve ever seen.

The fairways are nicer than greens I’ve played tournaments on!

No kidding, I can think of a half dozen high school tournaments that I played that I would have rather putted from their fairways. They are perfect. And as we all know, there’s no real rough to speak of.

The pine straw is much fluffier than I expected!

It doesn’t look that punitive on TV, but it would be nasty to hit out of. I don’t play a lot of golf around pines, but it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

The “patron experience” is amazing!

It feels different than any other gallery I’ve ever been a part of. I met nothing but “salt of the earth” types in the crowd, and the amenities offered to the patrons are top notch. Everything from them cleaning the toilets after each use to offering at-cost shipping for your merchandise purchases makes it a transcendent experience. I’ve never seen a place that’s a more perfect home for a golf tournament—and it’s obvious every detail is accounted for.

On the flipside, it’s a pretty difficult place to follow a golf tournament.

The only complaint that I heard—and there was a bit of merit to it—was that it’s very hard to follow the action in other parts of the course as there are no video boards, no electronic scoreboards and no smart phones. I’d consider it analogous to Wrigley Field, in that Augusta has, to quote Mr. Vedder, “Changed by not changing at all.” I love it’s low-fi-ness, but I also dug being able to watch all of the action unfold Sunday on TV. To each their own.

And finally, it was a better experience than I could ever have imagined!

I’m 38 years old, and the Masters has been one of the apex sporting events of my life since birth. From watching how excited my Dad was when Jack won it in 1986 to the crushing disappointment I felt when my hometown hero Tom Watson fell short in 1991 to Phil finally breaking through in 2004, this tournament has always felt bigger than golf to me. When the opportunity came to go, it was an obvious no brainer. But as I got closer to Saturday, I started to get nervous—what if it didn’t meet the astronomical expectation I had built it up to in my head? What if this was The Phantom Menace all over again?

It’s not. It really is as magical of a place as it was described, and if the opportunity presents itself, do whatever you need to do to make it happen. And if you go, grab me a hat—I bought so many for my buddies and some how forgot to get one for myself.