April 14
The Flowers of Augusta National Golf Club
I am thankful for the flowers of Augusta National Golf Club. Their beauty adds to the beauty of the golf course itself. Augusta National is synonymous for azaleas, and although they make up the majority of flowers there, there are many more flowering plants than just those.
Today, I am continuing the theme of the Masters, however, I am diverting from my normal Photo of the Day theme to have a Photos of the Day perspective just because one photo cannot do justice to the flowers at Augusta National. Because Bobby Jones built the golf course on a former nursery, the Fruitland Nurseries, it followed that trees, shrubs, and flowering plants would be a very important component of the golf course. Although they do not generally affect the strategic nature of anyone's golf game, they lend beauty to the course and are part of the Masters' mystique. In fact, all the the holes are named after trees, bushes, or flowering plants.
It's amazing that the azaleas always seem to be in full bloom during the tournament. It is an unfounded rumor that the grounds crew ice the azaleas to prevent early blooming. Not so. The rumor was apparently the result of an experiment done near the clubhouse by a groundskeeper, which probably proved not to be practical or effective. One only need look back at the 2012 Masters to see that the azaleas bloomed early and died off before the tournament.
The photo above is from the hill across from the lake overlooking the fifteenth green, an absolutely gorgeous location on the golf course.
Azaleas:
Wild Azaleas
Azaleas Overlooking #6 (lft) and #16 (rt) Greens
Azaleas at #13
Azaleas on #10
Azaleas in Front of Cabins at #10
Azaleas Under Tree Next to Lake at Par Three Course
Azaleas on Par Three Course
Azaleas on Hill Overlooking #16 Green
Azaleas on Hill Near #6 Tee
Other Flowers:
Yellow Pansies form Logo in Front of Clubhouse at Founder's Circle
Dogwoods
Wisteria
And Finally, what photo discourse of the flowers at Augusta National would be complete without this - "Patron Flowers" as reflected off the lake at #16?
flowers at augusta national
flowers so beautiful so grand
flowers must have been part of the great plan
when God’s hand commanded life
the way that only a loving God can
but at augusta national
it was bobby jones’ great dream and hand
that lended his help to God in creating
a masterful course from God’s great land.
© rt tulley