Augusta’s 13th

As long as I have played the game, this week has always been the most special to me.  Of course it is the first Major of the year, which also equates to the more meaningful Golf Pools.  But Masters week has always heralded the official beginning of the Buffalo Golf Season in my mind.  If I have hit the links prior to Augusta, I feel like I have been blessed with Bonus Golf.  But if the winter has dragged on, this week strengthens the appetite for Golf even more.

As the only major to be hosted at the same venue annually, we all share a heightened sense of familiarity with Augusta National.  And that was before technology took us to a whole new level.

If you haven’t already discovered it, you owe it to yourself to look into Masters.com.   Before the event, this site will give you flyovers of each hole, interviews leading up to the opening tee shot, and many additional features.  Today’s latest feature is Live at the Practice Range.  While you’re waiting for Thursday, you can also enter the Lottery for the cherished Masters Tickets.  While the Lottery for Practice Rounds has existed for years, Augusta National has now expanded the process to provide a limited number of tournament round badges to the public.

Once the play begins, the coverage on the website is layered with more content than you can imagine.  Camera crews remain fixed at Amen Corner, as well as Holes 15 & 16.  Two featured groups are followed throughout their entire round.  If you can’t catch the entire round, no need to worry – you can “rewind” the day and look back at whatever you missed.  Interactive scorecards feature video links to show you how the eagle on 13 was made.  Masters.com helps you survive those horrendous hours you are separated from your television during this wonderful week.

And if, heaven forbid, you are separated from your computer while traveling, the FREE Masters App is there to feed your addiction.