As April approaches golfers are always excited for the start of the golf season and of course the Masters Tournament. This year is no exception however for Mark Strachan and Jay Gazeley the anticipation included a trip to Augusta National in Augusta, Georgia to watch the Masters!
As some of you know both Mark and Jay were long time PGA of Canada Professionals so getting to watch the Masters is definitely a highlight. The journey began with an invitation to attend the Masters with good friends Ken Thompson, Scott Buckley, Paul Newhouse and another golf pro, John Doolan.
We were sharing 2 tickets for the 4 days so what would we bring to Augusta? Golf Clubs of course! But wait, Scott and Mark love their fishing as well, so Scott brought his fishing boat down on the trip. We stayed at Hickory Knob State Park. As part of the park, we had access to Lake Strom Thurmond which is a man-made lake built by the US Army Corps of engineers. The build began in 1946 and was completed in 1954. It is one of the largest man-made lakes, about 71,000 acres with a shoreline of almost 2000 kms.
Golf was enjoyed at a few courses on the drive down and while at our home base of Hickory Knob. Courses included Penn National, Pete Dye River Course of Virginia Tech, Hickory Knob, and Tara Golf Club. Lots of laughs, great weather, and a few birdies made for great memories. If you are looking for a nice weekend getaway check out Penn National. It is about a 6 hour drive from Kingston with 36 holes on a beautiful rolling property.
How was the fishing? Well, it is Saturday afternoon, and we are still waiting for the bbq to get fired up with some fresh fish. Scott and Mark have lots of reasons that they haven’t caught us dinner yet. Almost like golfers explaining how well they played but just a few shots didn’t work out. Day one fishing was the lures so some live bait was added. Then it was the wind. Maybe the fish cooperate tomorrow, and Sunday night will be the feast!
What about the Masters Tournament? It is everything that you have heard. The elevation, the difficulty, the conditions were stunning! Everything about the Masters is a testament to excellence – a value we hold dear at Gazeley Real Estate Group. As we walk the hallowed grounds of Augusta, witnessing the world’s finest golfers, we’re reminded of the parallels between their pursuit of greatness and our mission in the real estate world. Each element of the patrons experience is systemized, for the golfers every swing is deliberate. Each practice session focuses on their fundamentals. Every step before the first tee is scripted so that nothing is left to chance. At the Gazeley Real Estate Group, we believe in sytems. Our processes are defined. Each purchase or sale requires a series of steps, each being completed at the right time along the journey. Nothing is left to chance.
We had a great trip. Lots of memories and a few souvenirs from the proshop. Part of the beauty of Augusta is that cell phones and cameras are not permitted on the course during tournament rounds so we will need to return for a practice round in the coming years. It was a great trip, and we were grateful to share it with some good friends.
Jay and Mark