This year is a very special one for Rolex, as it celebrates its 50th year of partnership with the Masters Tournament, which is into its 81st year. It all began with Rolex’s very first meeting with the late great golfer Arnold Palmer in 1967, and the partnership has grown from strength to strength. Today, the Swiss watch industry leader supports the game at every level — from elite players to legends of the game.
While I left the professionals to do what they did best, I had to admit that I was bitten by the golf bug. The next step was to request for a lesson from one of the golfers at the Augusta Country Club, and I was fortunate enough to meet Gary Cressend. As a pro for the last 14 years, Cressend was the perfect person to teach a newbie such as myself. We started with getting a proper grip on the club — right hand over the left for right-handed players and the other way around for lefties. Then, it was getting the stance right with feet a comfortable shoulder-width apart and from there, it was a matter of getting the swing right — and to always follow through after taking a swing. The first few balls were disappointing as they just rolled along the grassy patch and I embarrassingly missed a few. In what seemed like a hundred balls later, I managed a few good shots. The key here, according to Cressend, was to keep practising. Another piece of advice he offered beginners was to take up ballet to get a good balance — a key component when you want to play a good game. Apart from learning to get a grip on golf, there are plenty of other things to do at the Masters Tournament, such as shopping and dining. I got hold of the Spectator Guide, an informative 68-page book that tells you everything you need to know from the Course Map to tournament records, the players’ profiles in detail and, of course, a list of dos and dont’s. Armed with my map, I headed for Berckmans Place, a 90,000 sq ft building at the end of Magnolia Lane that houses a number of restaurants, shops and even a place where you can learn the history of the Masters, narrated in memorabilia and old black-and-white photographs. The shopping was amazing and I was able to get caps, golf balls, ball markers, hat clips and so on for friends and family back home. Happy with my haul, I made my way out to catch the golf buggy back to the main clubhouse and spotted former Republican secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. A crowd was beginning to form around the one of only two female members of the Augusta National Golf Club (the other is Darla Moore, a partner in a private investment firm), shaking her hand and having a quick chat with her. In 2012, Forbes magazine ran an article by author Brent Beshore, who wrote: “In golf and in life, the difference between a great shot and a lost ball can be merely a few feet. Most people call that luck. Successful people know it’s not. Sure, bad bounces happen and, occasionally, the winds of fortune may swing in your favour, but the primary driver of consistent success is practice. You must try, fail, adjust and try again. Your margin of error decreases, the bunkers look smaller and the cup looks bigger.” It may be an old article, but it holds true today, and perhaps in the lives of Rice and all other golfers. This sport originated in Scotland, where it was known to have been played by noblemen with a stick and a leather ball. The equipment may change, but the game of etiquette remains, as I found out at the Masters Tournament. This article appeared in Issue 781 (May 29) of The Edge Singapore.