PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

This is a week I look forward to every year – the week when the Masters’ Golf Tournament is played on the iconic Augusta National golf course in Georgia.

For me, it’s mesmerizing to watch the tournament on TV. I have no difficulty watching every shot!

And that’s even more true since, in 2015, I had the good fortune to join my daughter, Lissy, and son-in-law, Tim, to attend the tournament in-person

What a great experience!

From Seattle (where my kids) live, we flew to Atlanta, then rented a car for the three-hour drive to Augusta.

There, we were scheduled to meet with a broker who, we hoped, had our Masters’ tickets. It was dark by the time we arrived and we managed to find the broker’s “office,” which actually was his house in Augusta.

He was there, sitting in his living room at his desk while, in the background, friends played pool while eating pizza.

Did he have the tickets? Yes.

My daughter had checked out the broker on-line and he appeared to be reputable. You’re never sure, however, given stories of brokers fleecing ticket buyers.

With our tickets in hand, we moved on to where we were staying, which was a La Quinta Motel about a mile from one of the Master’s tournament parking lots. My daughter checked on-line to learn that the normal, non-Masters’ tournament time price for the motel was $55 per night.

For us, it was $550, but we were glad to pay it to have a convenient place to stay. And, for my part, I don’t begrudge retailers in Augusta trying to make money one week every year.

A few more interesting highlights:

• Parking at the Masters is free. Incredible. Just think how much money the tournament loses by not charging for parking.
• But, then not charging is okay because, the tournament, which has been held at Augusta National for more than 80 years, makes enough money each year to offset the “loss” of parking revenue.
• If you are member of Augusta National, the club adds up its budget every year, whatever it is, then divides that total by the number of members and sends you your bill. Of course, you pay it without complaint.
• Speaking of not charging, or at least cheap prices, food at the Masters’ tournament is not expensive. Staff does a great job of handling long lines and not charging much for what you want, which probably includes a pimento sandwich. I had one – and one was enough!
• If you attend the Masters’ Tournament, you are called a “patron,” not a fan or a member of the crowd.
• Staff at the Masters’ enforce a few simple rules on the grounds, including:

+ You are not allowed to run

+ You are not allowed to wear your golf hat backwards

+ If you are watching on a hillside, you are not allowed to lie down

• Masters’ fans routinely observe qualities of good behavior. They cheer for good shots. They never audibly yell for bad shots.
• If you buy a Master’s chair – almost everyone does – you can place your chair on any hole, then leave to walk the course. While you are gone, another “patron” may use your chair for a time, but, then, when you return, he or she will readily give you back your chair. In that way, the tournament has a built-in set of extra bleachers.

By the way, Jordan Spieth won the tournament in 2015, leading wire-to-wire and shooting a record-tying 270 (−18) to win his first major at the age of 21. He was four strokes ahead of runners-up Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose, both previous major golf tournament champions.

We weren’t there for the finish. After watching parts of the par 3 tournament on Wednesday and the first round on Thursday, we hustled back to Atlanta for the flight home. Then, back in Seattle, we watched the weekend rounds to see Spieth’s win.

[At the par 3 tournament, we had great seats on the sixth hole about 15 yards behind the players. There, former U.S. Secretary of State Condolezza, an Augusta National Golf Club member was the host, welcoming players to the tee. As we watched shots on the sixth hole, we were about 150 yards or so from the fourth green where, at one point, we heard a huge roar. It was because the best golfer in history, Jack Nicklaus, had made a hole-in-one on the fourth green. Every golfer on the sixth green made the long walk to number 4 to congratulate Nicklaus on his feat!]

If Spieth’s win was one for the ages, as it had been described given his youth and wire-to-wire victory, so was our trip to the hallowed ground of Augusta National.

If my daughter were to list the Top 10 events of her life, the Masters’ would be on it. Same for me!