Masters week at Augusta

By Tim McDonald

National Golf Editor, Golf Publisher Syndications

updated 3:58 p.m. ET April 3, 2006

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Okay, so you scored a ticket to the 2006 Masters, and you're headed for Augusta for a week at probably the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. You're salivating over seeing the best players in the world tee it up on American golf's most sacred grounds, reveling in the rarified atmosphere.

But, you can only watch the superstars hit 300-yard drives on the practice range and on the course for so long before you start to feel woefully insignificant. Besides, maybe you have women in your group, and they tend to want to lead healthy, well-balanced lives. There's a lot to do in the Augusta area during Masters week. You can't spend all your time watching golf. Well, yes you can, but there are those women to consider.

Here, then, is your non-Augusta National guide to Augusta during the week of the Masters:

Golf

Let's say you aren't depressed by watching Tiger, Vijay, Phil and the boys, but actually inspired. If they can do it, why not you? You've brought your clubs and you're eager to put what you've seen to work.

First, be aware that green fees are radically jacked up during Masters week, like everything else in town. We aren't allowed to use the term "gouge" in such a classy place, but let's just say you'll be paying well above the usual rate. Still, there are some very good courses to play in the area, so much so that Golf Digest named Augusta-Aiken one of the better metro areas in the country for golf.

• Goshen Plantation Country Club: This may be the best bargain in the Augusta area, with green fees of $29 weekdays, including cart, and $39 on weekends during normal times. During Masters week, green fees shoot up only to $100.

It has one of the best practice areas anywhere, with a 400-yard driving range with good targets, and a short game area that lets you practice even fairway bunker shots. The front nine has some nice elevation, though not as dramatic as some other areas courses, and its greens are probably the best in Augusta aside from Augusta National.

• Mount Vintage: The greens at the semi-private club are difficult, especially for the first-timer, but the rest of the course is very playable, even with the considerable elevation changes, and even with its slope rating of 138 from the black tees and 130 from the blues.

There's enough water to keep it interesting, and plenty of risk-reward options, like a number of doglegs that can be cut. It's a very picturesque course, with tall, stately Carolina pines and only a smattering of homes along the perimeter.

• River Golf Club: The River Golf Club is one of those admirable golf courses risen, literally, from the rubbish heap.

It sits on the site of an abandoned railroad yard and former illegal dump, a 5-iron over the Savannah River from Augusta. Many a local will tell you this is their favorite course.

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