But Can You Grow Azaleas?

From Augusta, Georgia and the Augusta Golf Club’s Par 3 course

It was a trip I had looked forward to for many years since I had not seen Augusta since Ben Crenshaw’s emotional victory in 1995. I recently married a beautiful woman from Belgium, who had never seen a golf course…ever. I felt it was my duty to announce a vacation, and plan it around the first National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National.

She thought it was absolutely crazy that we could not bring a cell phone and take pictures of the golf course, especially the scenery. We headed immediately to the first tee, as I told her we must walk the entire course and embrace every breathtaking hole. As I studied the subtle changes, the terrain and watched the best amateur women in the world tackle the lush fairways and the difficult greens, my wife was patient and listened to my commentary…even though I know she had no idea what a “dogleg” or a “fringe” looked like. I didn’t even test her with “the first cut.” But my wife noticed one thing and was mesmerized.

The azaleas.

While Wake Forest’s Jennifer Kupcho stood over a three-footer on #2, she had to ask.

“What are those? They are beautiful? Can we grow those in Florida?”

So instead of discussing the club of choice on the short par 4 3rd, or what to hit on #4, the par 3, I was giving her the history of the Augusta National Azaleas. I told her that when the course was developed from the Fruitland Nursery days, each hole was named after a flowering bush, tree, or plant…and I’m sure Bobby Jones had something to do with it since he founded it and helped design and build Augusta National.

“Who is Bobby Jones?”

It doesn’t make any difference, but let’s go look at #13. The hole is called “Azalea.”

So as I fast forward…the following week, there were two azalea bushes planted in our yard. They will always remind me of Augusta and the day my wife learned to appreciate golf…and the shot Kupcho hit from the fairway on the short par 5. 13th. Kupcho made eagle and went on to win the tournament.

Right in front of the azaleas.

—Mac McDonald