I am not an Augusta, Georgia native. I grew up a few hours away from here, and the only thing I knew about this town before I came to college here was that it is the second largest city in Georgia. So what?
When I came to school here, I found it to be very similar to my hometown. There were a lot of stores and places to eat, and it was a place I could call home, but I didn't see anything extra special about it. My thoughts did not change until this week—Master's Week. Last year, I went on a spring break trip and did not have the opportunity to see Augusta in all of its glory. I heard horror stories about traffic and not being able to leave your house, but that was all. Now, being a young woman in my 20s, golf has never meant much more to me than the put-put games I played while on vacation. My thoughts also changed on that this week.
I am a college student who did not come from a rich lifestyle so working through college is my norm. Every day this week on the way to work, I would see people in chairs and under tents day in and day out with signs saying "need tickets." At first, I thought well that's one way to do it but after seeing these same people every day before my shift and still sitting there after, I started to ask myself what was so special about a golf course that made people want to sit in the blazing sun all day hoping to get tickets. I understood that famous people and golfers were in town, but was that really so important? The curiosity got the best of me so I then wanted to go inside this golf course and see what all the fuss was about.
My roommate and I decided that we were going to try to get in. We heard that sometimes people give you their passes at the end of the day when they are finished with them. We got dressed up and went down there to the entrance, and after 30 minutes of asking, we finally got a group of guys to hand them over. We were freaking out because we never expected it to work! We were finally going to see what was behind the tall green gates. However, I could not help but think about the gentleman who was still sitting in the sun waiting for tickets.
It was a rush to be inside walking around with all of these people from all over the world. It looked like a grown-up version of Six Flags, but even that does not do it justice.
Sure, it is just a golf course that has the same green grass, hills and holes as all other golf courses but this one was the golf course, and I was standing on it. You heard different accents and languages from each person who walked past, and it made you realize how important this sport and this week is to so many people.
Not only does Master's Week make Augusta relevant, but it also caters to the students who live here. Our university has first dibs on employment opportunities for the week. Students apply for these jobs and sacrifice their spring break to make a pretty generous paycheck at the end of the week. They wake up early and go to sleep late, working 12-16 hour shifts just to ensure that all of the patrons are having the ultimate experience in our town. Everyone I've ever talked to has said it is an amazing experience because of the money they make but also because of the people they meet and form friendships with. Most of them continue to do it every year that they can.
Every other week of the year Augusta, Georgia is just my semi-busy college town, but this week every year is what puts this place on the map. It doesn't take a golf fan to see how amazing this week and the Augusta Nationals is. It is a week that natives and tourists should not take for granted.
