The course itself was originally shaped by Dr. Alister Mackenzie and Jones. Jones had visited the site earlier while playing in Augusta. He had been searching for land to create a course. At the time it was an abandoned nursery. Jones was told of the property and upon seeing it for the first time, was quoted as saying “Perfect! And to think this ground has been lying here all these years waiting for someone to come and lay a golf course on it.” Consisting of 365 acres of rolling hills and many large trees, including the Magnolias that line the course, it was as Jones put it, perfect. Now if you have been there, you will know that a more beautiful course is hard to find. Add the beauty to the years of exciting golf and you have one of the finest events ever to be held. Jones would stand on a tee area and hit shots to assist Mackenzie in defining the best layout. Mackenzie was already renowned for his Cypress Point design along with Pasatiempo both on the Monterey peninsula near Pebble Beach. After playing Cypress Point, Jones had dubbed it as one of the best courses ever to have been built and knew he wanted Mackenzie for his Augusta layout. Alas Dr. Mackenzie died just 2 months prior to the first tournament in 1934 after completing the course.

12th hole at Augusta National

The very first Masters in 1934 was won by Horton Smith at 4 under par. After that, the club committee switched the back and front nines to create more excitement in the event. How prophetic was this bunch? Imagine Gene Sarazen holing out his 2nd shot on the Par 5 15th for a double eagle to go on and win in a playoff in 1935. This began the allure of the Masters and put it on the map alongside the U.S. Open and the other great events of the day. In 1939 they talked Jones into calling it the Masters for the first time. Fast forward to Saturday and imagine standing in the fairway and watching Phil Mickelson hole out his fairway shot on the 14th for eagle right after having made his eagle on the Par 5 13th. Then turn around and watch as he comes within inches of sinking his eagle chip on the 15th settling for just a Birdie! That’s 5 shots in three holes people. Excitement, remember the committee mentioned above? Now that crew knew what they were talking about. Mickelson’s Saturday heroics were enough to capture the tournament and the heart of the thousands that lined the fairways.

But wait, he then goes out and possible does it one better. Did you see the shot on 13 on Sunday? WOW! All I have to say is, he is either crazy or crazy good. I know it is the latter, but come on.

As somewhat of a history buff, I love reading about the old days when past greats like Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and many others before them marched across the now famous land and laid siege to the great course. If you have time, and you should if you are a fan of golf, go to www.Masters.com and you will find some great stories.

I was able to walk the course with my 14 year old son, Jaren and enjoy my 51st birthday. I could not have picked anything better than this for the day. We talked about how the course was made, why this land was chosen and many of the traditions of the event. I have been reading the Grand Slam of Golf, the Bobby Jones story. It has all the accounts of Bobby Jones and his ups and downs, victories and defeats, including the history of Augusta and the Masters. It is a wonderful chronicle of this great man and great golfer’s life. I did not intend on having the answers for my son, it just worked out that way. But it did make the day even more special. We flew home and now have a great memory to share for the rest of our lives. I can only hope it will be as great for him as it is for me.

So back to Phil and the 2010 Masters. As exciting as it was, one could not help but notice the stark contrast between Tiger’s finish and Phil’s victory. Having finished his round, Tiger was asked to sum up the week. His basic answer; “I finished 4th! I came here to win.” He went on to say that he would take some more time off and assess his situation before playing again. Really? He just finished 4th behind one of the great players and rounds in the history of the Masters and has to “assess” his situation? His game was clearly off after not playing for 5 months. Had he been in top form, we might have witnessed one of the greatest Masters ever. That is what we all were there to see, at least I was. Tiger Woods the golfer must not be thinking clearly. What else does he have to do? His great escape comes on the golf course. Imagine Tiger walking away from golf completely? I can’t, neither can the networks.

Now picture Phil, walking off the 18th green and hugging his wife. Talk about the picture perfect moment. Now cut back to Phil during the past 4 days. Did Tiger playing in the Masters make it more or less a magic moment for Phil? I don’t think it mattered one bit. Was it more of an “event” because Tiger was there? I don’t think so. What it did was create more money for CBS and the other news media covering the event. There were no more than the usual number of patrons (people who attend the event are referred to as patrons, not fans) they treated Tiger with respect and they applauded him as a past champion. All of this was refreshing within the confines of the event where Tiger’s past 5 months were not allowed. The Masters is bigger than Tiger or any other golfer. That is what Jack, Tom Watson, Arnie, Ben Hogan and the rest of the past champions came to understand. The Masters is a privilege shared by few. To come and win is an absolute honor. To play and feel the history, well ask the person who finished in last place what he thinks. Nathan Green is from Australia, he made a hole in one on the Par 3 16th hole on Sunday during his final round. Green said; “It was a big thrill to do it on this big stage.” He was on his way to a final round 75 to finish last of those that made the cut. He wasn’t thinking of anything but how awesome it was to have the hole in one. His main concern? Being able to play in the Masters again and performing better than this year. Did I say privilege to play? Nathan Green get its.

We will see all the usual suspects later this year at Pebble Beach for the U.S. Open in June. This is a crazy event. I cannot wait to go. I will be there watching and hoping for something special. We will see our cowboy with the black hat and the one with the white hat. You can figure out who is who. What you won’t know is who will win the next big event. Certainly this year at the Masters, Phil, Augusta National along with Jaren, myself and rest of the people watching were the Big winners!

Until next time, Fairways and Greens!

The old me!

Imagine that you don’t sleep at night. Imagine that you haven’t felt well in quite some time. What if you are sore or tired or just plain over weight? Does any of this ring a bell? For me, it was a combination of things, the weight, my shoulders hurt and I knew I wasn’t in great shape. After years of procrastinating, I finally decided at the ripe old age of 50 that I needed to do something about it. I could only Imagine what was to come.

I first met Aaron Benes of Imagine If after I heard about him from my friend Mike Randell. I was interested in getting fit, losing weight and making my shoulders feel better. Imagine my surprise (see how I have mixed in the Imagine theme?) when he put me through a series of questions that were meant to see whether I was even a candidate for him. I found out that Aaron is unlike any other fitness professional in the country due to his unique approach and his selectiveness with accepting clients. After we talked I agreed to come back for an “interview” and to see what kind of shape I was in.

I started by asking him about the cost of a program. No sense in going through all the stuff and finding out I didn’t want to spend a dime on my own personal fitness right? Just kidding! But isn’t it true? Most people will spend a weeks salary on junk food and doing things that are not good for them, yet when asked to do something that will benefit them the rest of their lives, will cry all the way to the bank.

Well the “interview” consisted of a series of assessments that allowed him to see where I was at physically. Although I knew I was overweight, I didn’t think I was THAT overweight. And I didn’t think I was THAT out of shape! Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t even do some of the things he asked me to try. The session was tantamount to me being told I couldn’t play golf anymore! After I completed the assessment, sort of anyway, Aaron and I sat down to talk about my goals. My goals were fairly simple. I wanted to 1) Lose 30 pounds; 2) Get rid of the pain I have in my shoulders; 3) Gain flexibility so that my golf game could improve; 4) Get down to less than 20% body fat.

Looking Good! Feeling Good!

After I agreed to the Aaron’s terms, lets just say, he expects you to live up to your end of the bargain, AND he took overall body measurements…Waste, chest, legs, hips, etc., he then told me what my body fat % was. Wow, did I say I was overweight? Ok, I was committed for several reasons (see goals above) but knowing that I was considered obese was enough to get me going. I started on a program in July 2009. 3 days of training sessions each week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. And on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays I would walk for an hour in the early morning. Aaron tailored a diet plan, workout plan and an overall life plan to aid in me achieving success and attaining my goals.

After 6 months and countless hours, I can tell you that I have lost the 30 pounds, I am in much better shape, have increased my flexibility, I feel great and the inches have been stripped away around my body. Not to mention that at last check, I was down to 24% body fat. My biggest problem now if finding pants in the closet. My waist is back to pre D 7 days; which is over 16 years ago. My plan worked for me. Aaron tailors a custom program for each person. The food that I eat and what I drink has also provided a much greater benefit. Some of you know that I am an insulin dependent diabetic. I have been taking insulin since 1980. Over the past years, I have struggled with the insulin and weight gain more than anything else in my life. So losing the weight also reduced my insulin intake by as much as 25% each day. When I first saw my doctor for a check up, he looked up upon entering the exam room and wasn’t sure if it was me or not. He wanted to know if I ever did anything half way? He knows that when I am doing something, it is done only one way, ALL the WAY!

6 months ago, I could only Imagine what I could do, how I could feel? The only thing that Aaron can’t help me with is the golf game. He can increase my flexibility, make me stronger, help me lose the weight and much more. But he can’t swing the club for me. That part is up to me. My goals have not changed. I plan on losing more weight, reducing my body fat further, getting stronger AND FEELING BETTER. Aaron was the reason for my success. He could be a willing contributor to your success, if only you can Imagine what it will be like. Imagine If? That’s what I did. Thank you Aaron! You can contact Aaron Benes at 949-475-5555 or email aaron@imagineiffitness.com