Augusta GA. VS. Green Bay WI.

[Raider Pride]

Augusta GA. VS. Green Bay WI.

Packer Fans and season ticket holders are part of an elite club. There is a long waiting list to get a membership in the season ticket holders club at the frozen tundra.

There is another elite club I visited today, and the difference between the two is remarkable, but more importantly very sad.

I was in Augusta Georgia today and picked up my ticket (Which I over paid for.) for the Masters. I then thought I might pick up a score card and golf shirt from the Augusta National Golf Club, and check out the grounds.

No such luck. The hallowed confines of Augusta National Golf Course can not be entered. There is no tour, no guides, and in-fact there is not even a look at the course from the road as they have maintained and cultivated hedges that would make the hedge rows in France during the Normandy Invasion on D-Day look like a shrub in a Detroit City park.

Security looked at me as a pest, a fly that should be swatted away. The locals cringed and muttered under their breath “Jeese, here is another one” I looked at them and thought I am a fan. I am a die hard fan of the game, of the ultimate tournament, on one of the ultimate tracks, in the history of the game of golf.

St. Andrews has tours on Tuesdays. The average golf fan can walk the course. I have a friend of mine who has a picture of his two year old sitting in the sand of the most famous sand trap in the world on “The Road Hole”

There is an atmosphere of “OLD MONEY” that hangs around Augusta like a bad stench.

I envy you, the Packer Fan that is part of the elite group that was born into “OLD PASSION”. Now some of you may be wondering “What the hell is old passion?” Old passion is it is an elite club, as elite as a membership at Augusta, and you can not get in unless you are born into it.

Being born into Old Passion is being born to parents that were avid Packer Fans. Being born into old passion is having pictures of yourself at the age of three with your Daddy holding you up while wearing his Number 66 Packer Jersey.

Being born into old passion is having Packer Season Tickets that has been in the family and passed down to the children it is a very elite group.

Being born into “Old Money” is having a Membership at Augusta and a trust fund that has been in the family and passed down to the children and it is a very, very different elite group.

Old Passion is much more pleasing than Old Money.

I have come to the conclusion that being born into “Old Passion” Is better than being born into “Old Money.”

Old passion has nicer people than old money.

R.P.

 

[cheesey]

Wow.......you would think they would WANT people to see it, to be able to be a part of it. But i guess thats where "rich" people differ from us. They walk around with their collective noses in the air, shunning us "mortals".
They don't want our lower class of people dirtying up their happowed grass with our "low class" Nikes.
It's THEIR loss.

 

[Raider Pride]

Cheesey,

I did not mean to trash the people of Augusta, because I met some wonderful people there. I was just looking at it as a whole.

The point I was making is that being a season ticket holder, and or a born Packer fan is an elite club, and most everyone in that club are kind down to earth people.

I met some very nice people in Augusta.

R.P.

 

[longtimefan]

Augusta National Golf Club has about 300 members at any given time. Fees are reported to range between $25,000 and $50,000. Membership is strictly by invitation; there is no application process.

 

[Tiger]

hehe, the richest golf course over here in Dublin actually bans women members...thats old school!
Theres another course here aswell that has been sold to property developers for 300millions euro, each of its members thus pocketed a cool 500,000 each, good money if you can get it!

 

[trippster]

Raider,

As an "old passion" packer fan, season ticket holder and a former golf professional I feel I am qualified to speak on this subject. I think that my views differ somewhat from yours.

your take on being a "born into" Packer fan is correct. I am very, very proud to be able to tell people that we have had season tickets to the Packers since 1959, a year before I was even born. I have very fond memories of going to the games in Milwaukee as a little kid, hustling down to the top of the dugout to get Vince Lombardi's autograph, watching Travis Williams (the Roadrunner) run a kickoff for a touchdown. I definately feel the specialness of being a lifetime packer fan.

On the golf side, I too have been to the front gate of Augusta. I am very possibly going to be there for a practice round this year forthe first time. I too was shooed away by the guard. As hard to accept it, that is what he is supposed to do. The general public is not allowed on the private property except for masters week.

This is a private club. The most prestigeous club in America. Members pay to belong to a private club and the privacy that it awards. It is not a public facility as is Lambeau Field. I for one, am very glad that they do share such a wonderfull peace of heaven with everyone once a year.

Augusta, with its private nature, is by no means alone in it's privacy policy. Most, if not all, private clubs do not allow non-members on the property unless it is for a specific function (i.e. wedding, banquet, etc...).

As far as the stuck up old money, I have been a professional at some of the finest country clubs in the country and while there are some that are the stereotypical types, I have found most of those that made their own fortune are some of the nicest, caring, and generous humans around. The ones that act like you would think (or typecast on tv) are usually the ones that inherited the money, or their spouses.

Augusta, is not really old money. It is still many first generations that are members. You do not get to be a member just because daddy was one. As LT mentioned, you can not ask to be a member. They decide to invite you. There are no stars that are members. Many are locals in Augusta that really don't have alot of money. Bill Gates once wanted to join and they politely denied him. It really is just a small town private club that has become world renown because one of it's founders (Bobby Jones) decided to invite some of his friends to the club annually for a little get together and some golf. Hence, the Master's Invitational.

There are no women members at Augusta either. But don't let that shock you. 80% of private clubs in america don't have women members either. At a club, there is one member and then the family members are considered "permament guests".

We should actually feel honored that such a hallowed ground and private facility opens it's doors to the general public every year even though the tickets are the hardest in sports to get. Once again, that is because they do not want a lot of people on the course so those that are there, have a good viewing ability and a pleasurable experience. It is a place where they don't gouge you for the food and drink. beers are a couple of bucks, so are hamburgers and hot dogs.

Raider, you live in Atalnta, try to walk onto the course at the Atlanta Country club, or some of the other private clubs and you will find the same welcome. There might not be a guard at the gate but that is simply because not as many people want to walk on the grounds as they do Augusta. Medinah in Chicago is the same as Augusta. Guard at the gate, can't see much of the course. The shrubs are not to keep the outsiders from looking in, it is to keep the environment within the propert quiet and natural. Could you imagine looking at #12 from the tee and seeing a house behind the green instead of the shrubs? You can see #4 green and #5 tee from the road next to Augusta if you go to the west side of the property. you might have to get out of your car and walk to the fence but it can be done because I did it!

In closing, private property, no matter how famous is still private. Augusta is a private club. it is not a resort, public attraction or anything else. There are hundreds if not thousands just like it. They all hold invitationals, they just aren't inviting the top players in the world and televising it.

 

[Raider Pride]

Great Post Tripster...

your right there are always two ways of looking at everything. I ran into 4 people that were rude, and pompus, however if I came accross as saying that they all are like that I did not mean to.

By the way... Bill Gates is a member. Perhaps he was rejected the first time round but he is one now.

RP

 

[trippster]

Great....I will have to give ole Billy a call so we can tee it up. Are you going all week? I am still trying to secure either tuesday or wed. tickets for my dad and I.

 

[Raider Pride]

I will be there moving day!

Saturday was all I wanted to fork out for.

RP

 

[trippster]

what did it run you? did you get it from a scalper er...um... broker?

 

[Raider Pride]

$795.

Online Broker.

 

[cheesey]

$795???
Geez........guess i can officially scratch that one off as a place i want to see someday.
Man...........i could get an autographed Brett Favre jersey and probably have money left over for a hot dog for that price!
I can understand that the rich folks don't want to be bothered by us.
I can't even stand to watch "homes of the rich and famous" on TV, as most of them have bathrooms bigger then the place i rent to live in.
Oh well.........not much i can do about it.
Such is life i guess!

 

[packedhouse01]

Raider that was absolutely eloquent. It could not have been said better.

 

[Cdnfavrefan]

795$ RP looks like you are Old Money. LOL
I'd would love to see Agusta but being a redneck I just finished booking my trip for next years Daytona 500. Now those are my people.