- Amen Corner, appropriate off the back again porch.
- Throughout a bored 2020, Tommy Craig grew to become a “greens” keeper.
- Hungry? Grab and egg salad or pimento cheese sandwich.
As the year’s to start with main golf championship has arrived, Tommy Craig has stepped up his match.
For various yrs, Craig and his wife, Stacy, have taken care of the 4 men’s majors as exclusive events within their Ormond Seashore house — complete with decorations and exclusive food menus, generally themed all-around the tournament’s spot.
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“It turns into a four-day bash,” Tommy states.
The Masters, the lone significant played at the identical location each individual 12 months, offered the best opportunity for the Craigs to do one thing a little bit extra permanent.
The tournament’s rich heritage and traditions played into some new additions — specifically an artificial-turf duplicate of Augusta National’s famed 12th eco-friendly, the picturesque middle ground of the course’s Amen Corner.
The Masters at household: The start of an idea
“Over the past 12 months, with the COVID stuff, I was bored,” says Tommy, a 49-12 months-aged former location club pro who now works in RV sales. “I was continue to operating, but immediately after function there was nowhere to go, so I stayed property a large amount. I’d generally mow the grass back below and say, ‘That’d be a good location for a eco-friendly.’ Then I made a decision, why not No. 12 at Augusta?”
Like the true 12th at Augusta, Craig’s tribute green contains two bunkers driving, a person in front, with a reproduction Rae’s Creek passing in entrance, and his personal edition of the Hogan Bridge. It all sits in the shadows of huge pines (like the authentic) and nearby is a scaled-down, ideal duplicate of just one of Augusta National’s huge, hand-operated scoreboards.
“If you cannot really attend The Masters, the subsequent ideal detail is attending Tommy and Stacy’s Masters occasion,” suggests Hal Brooks. “They’ve equally worked exceptionally tricky to supply a memorable placing wherever pals can gather and take pleasure in the event. Their awareness to detail is outstanding.”
But Brooks is barely an unbiased observer, because he was recently named “chairman” of the full affair, a placement that came with his very own inexperienced coat — another Masters custom. Tommy Craig refers to Brooks as “Clifford,” in honor of Augusta National’s initial chairman, Clifford Roberts.
“From the pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches down to the par-3 12th replica gap in the yard, looking at the Masters at the Craig dwelling has become ‘A Tradition In contrast to Any Other,’ ” Brooks suggests, “and a person I glimpse ahead to just about every and each and every 12 months.”
Here is what you can discover at the Craigs
The yard setup consists of various small picnic tables with inexperienced umbrellas, reminiscent of the outdoor eating place behind Augusta National’s historic clubhouse.
There are also two other artificial greens, with two teeing areas roughly 50 yards away from each, which permits readers to perform on their wedge games, employing soft follow balls. Tommy Craig purchased the elements and installed all of the greens and tees.
Stacy Craig, an area chiropractor, takes demand of the indoor routines in the course of match week. Together with wall-to-wall mementos and decorations, she focuses on the food stuff and consume menus.
For Masters 7 days, she gives all the things readily available at Augusta’s famously economical concession stands, where by sandwiches are the primary fare.
A tiny added for Sunday’s ultimate spherical
For Sunday’s closing round, she prepares everything from the pre-tournament Champions Dinner menu, the once-a-year Tuesday night time gathering that this calendar year showcased all the things from filet mignon to pigs in a blanket.
“For the other majors, it all depends on where by they’re played that year,” Stacy claims. “When the British Open was played in Eire (2019), we experienced a big Irish breakfast — blood sausage, common sausage, fried tomatoes, beans … it was massive.
“When we come across out in which they are performed, we do some study and determine out a menu, but it generally starts off with the local cocktail.”
When he was a club professional at the former Tomoka Oaks golfing training course in Ormond Seashore, Tommy Craig was capable to use his PGA of The usa status to go to the Masters.
He states he went nine or 10 moments over the yrs. Considering the fact that he no for a longer time goes, he is accomplished the up coming ideal issue and brought a piece of it to his backyard.
And he might not be as a result of.
“I see ample home to add a couple additional holes out right here,” he says. “Probably even a par-4 if the neighbors are Ok with it.”
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