The golf majors are a special time of the year. It's the morning of the first major of the year, and arguably the most special one of them all - the US Masters. Players will tee off at about 2 pm Irish time, and golf fans will be reminded of the unusual rules for the Masters by then. Augusta National golf course rules means that broadcasts won't be available to the public until much later in the evening.
The weekend will see the BBC's coverage begin, and it will be one of the last times we will hear the voices of Peter Alliss, and segments like Ken On The Course. Given what comes out of their mouths, it's hard to believe that they are told what they can or can't say. But Augusta is different.
Darren Rovell of ESPN found this rulebook from the 1979 Masters about what TV commentators can or can't say. Needless to say it's quite bizarre:
Highlights include: "De-emphasize the players' antics", "Do not estimate the length of a putt", or "Do not compare any holes at Augusta national with those at another golf course".
It points to the attitude at Augusta National that stops patrons from running or use cameras on the course, and it makes it very difficult to play or find tickets compared to other courses. Rovell couldn't find an updated version of the 1979 rulebook, but this is last year's edition:
Augusta National - where the rough is known as the second cut, the first hole is known as hole number one, and sponsors of other tournaments are completely rejected. Only at Augusta.
