Golf Debate Answered: What is the most overrated Masters tradition?
Last year, we debated the best Masters traditions, and now it's time to look at the other side of the coin. Hence, we spoke to Golf Digest staff members to gather their thoughts on the most overrated Masters traditions. The takes were hot, from a flaming Pimento Cheese character assassination to an takedown of the old Par-3 Contest. Don’t say we never put our necks on the line for you, humble readers.
Coleman Bentley, Loop Editor: There are two types of people on earth. Those who don’t care how the sausage gets made and those who want to know what they’re biting into. I guess I fall into the latter camp, and that’s why for me the most overrated Masters “tradition,” if you want to call it that, is the mystery of it all. Are the birds sounds fake? How is the water so blue? What was Neal Shipley so afraid of!? The list of Masters mysteries goes on and on, but without any answers—without any “who” at the end of “whodunnit?”—it's all gone stale. In fact, after a while, all the secrecy even starts to feel a bit sinister. What are they really hiding in the shadowy reaches of the Crow’s Nest? The only thing thing we know for sure is that we will never know for sure.
Christopher Powers, Staff Writer: Let me preface this by saying that I am a huge food guy. A man of the kitchen. Big, BIG cheese guy. Havarti, Brie, Bleu, Gruyere. Stanky cheese. Sharp cheese. Creamy cheese. I’ll eat it all. Before I even attended my first Masters, I made a pimento cheese dip, which later became a pimento grilled cheese sandwich. It was ... fine. Surely, when I finally got my first crack as a member of the media at Augusta National, it would taste different. Better, even.
Goodness, gracious, was I wrong. And this is by no means “rage bait” or taking a contrarian stance for the sake of it, though this actually might be the simpleton stance from people I talk to. It’s just simply not a tasty sandwich; it’s something everyone on the grounds forces down in the name of tradition. To feel southern. I’m not even sure the southern people like it, either. It’s the absolute worst food item you can get there. And every year, I eat it anyway! I try to go full David Chang and put the chicken patty on it, stuff some BBQ chips in there as well. Nope, still sucks. Makes those things taste worse. I don’t get the infatuation at all. Yet, begrudgingly, I will once again take two to three bites of it this year, feel the curdling in my stomach, and question why the hell I bothered. It’s tradition, after all.
Joel Beall, Senior Writer: The Par-3 Contest isn't overrated so much as it isn't what it used to be. There was a time when it functioned as an actual competition; players showcasing their talents on one of the most charming par-3 courses in the world, with leaderboards and stakes and the competitive hum that makes Augusta feel like Augusta. Now it's essentially a family photo op: caddied by toddlers, interrupted by trick shots, commemorated on Instagram. Lovely for the players. Less so for anyone who came for golf.
Alex Myers, Senior Writer: You're gonna get me in trouble, but the par 3 contest. It's impossible to see anything there with the huge crowds and hardly anyone posts an actual score anymore due to the par 3 jinx and letting kids hit shots. Cute, but overrated!
Greg Gottfried, Web Producer: Now, I love arbitrary rules. I make them for myself all the time and then crash out when I accidentally break them. Which is, umm, not the healthiest way to live. But the obsessiveness by the Augusta National brass to ensure that looky-loos are always called “patrons” as opposed to “fans” or “spectators” seems a bit much. It’s not not pretentious, and, at the end of the day, it’s a bunch of people watching golf. Spectacular, world-class golf, of course. But let’s not pretend the Masters is better than other tournaments because they have “patrons” instead of “fans.” It’s better for many other reasons.
Our very own Dan Jenkins once said, “I never called them ‘patrons.’ It never occurred to me to use the term. I called them fans. I thought a ‘patron’ was a sponsor or someone who didn’t know much about golf." And who am I to argue with one of the best sportswriters of all time?
Augusta National
E. Michael Johnson, Equipment Editor: Which Masters tradition is overrated? How about none. Zero. Zilch. Think about the traditions. Honorary starters, manual scoreboards, Sunday pin placements, no cell phones, no running, the green jacket, food and drink at a reasonable cost (and without the smell of a grill working), the strict criteria to get in, the media lottery to play on the Monday after. Are we really wanting to change any of these? Force my hand and I’ll admit the Butler Cabin ceremony can seem a little stiff, however, even that is vastly improved from the cringeworthy Hord Hardin days. Leave the traditions unscathed. Anyone who feels otherwise is just looking for something, anything to complain about.
Dave Shedloski, Contributing Editor: There is nothing overrated when it comes to the Masters.
