The 2008 golf season has started here at Brickyard Crossing. Mother Nature has been the star of the show, with up-and-down temperatures and rain.

So let’s talk about the upcoming Masters at Augusta. The Masters is like the Indy 500 of golf; it is something that is on everyone’s to-do list as a spectator. I have been fortunate enough to have been to Augusta a few times for the tournament, and it is an incredible experience.

My father, Rollie Schroeder, pro emeritus here at the Brickyard, got to play the course twice back in the late 80s. I asked him about it upon his return, and he said it was a trip of a lifetime, without a doubt.

The hardest thing he found when he played at Augusta for the first time was that golf was irrelevant because of the history of the course and the beautiful setting. His trip included staying on the grounds in one of the cabins.

My visits to Augusta were during the practice rounds. I first walked into the grounds at 7 a.m. on a Monday, and the place already was crowded with thousands of golf fans. My first impression was, “Is this grass or carpet?” The course was perfectly manicured and there was not one piece of trash, cigarette butt or leaf on the ground.

Augusta National has so many personnel just walking around, picking up anything that is not attached to the ground. All of the paper products for the concessions are produced in a shade of green that almost perfectly matches the grass, so if something falls on the ground, it blends in with grass.

The concessions also are amazing at the event. You can buy just about any sandwich and a drink, including beer, and it won’t cost you more than $6. There are two signature items: a pimento-cheese sandwich and a chicken sandwich that is on a half-bun.

Augusta’s outdoor golf shop, which is more like a pavilion, is loaded with all sorts of Masters apparel and other Masters items.

If you ever get a chance to go to the Masters, do not pass it up. It is like attending the Indy 500; there’s nothing else like it.

Speaking of Indy, the IndyCar Series starts its season this Saturday night at Miami with 26 cars. The race is on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. Saturday night. It’s the first race since the unification, so good luck to all the teams and officials as they start a very busy schedule.

Jeff Schroeder

PGA Head Professional

Brickyard Crossing