Rachel Stuhlmann Declares She's 'Back' From Neck Surgery, Kim Mulkey In Her Masters Attire & Austin Fisticuffs
Seven days away from Augusta: Where is the best place to park the Masters folding chair for the day?
We've covered shoes. We've covered whether it would be a bad look to place a few blades of Augusta National grass in a medicine bottle. We've covered the advantages to attending different days at The Masters.
Now it's time to get serious: Where should Canoe Kirk and I place our chairs on the Augusta National grounds next Tuesday?
Amen Corner has always mesmerized me via TV, but I'm completely open to suggestions. Some have said No. 16 is an amazing experience. Is there a spot I'm not thinking? Do you have a secret spot that has transformed your Masters experience?
Please share details.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Yes, we'll get up EARLY to get to the course. Our ticket source should be there EARLY. No, I WILL NOT REVEAL the source.
We're staying downtown (can't reveal our undisclosed location just yet – it's a content surprise), so I don't expect too many issues getting to the course EARLY. Is 6:30 too early, too late? I want to be there so EARLY that I get to experience breakfast, lunch and dinner on the grounds. I may never get to experience concession prices like this the rest of my life.
Yes, we'll head straight to the Masters shop, buy our stuff, check our bags, then turn and burn to place our chairs for the day.
Trust me, I've been going over this plan in my head like the Allies planning D-Day.
Here's one more thing I wanted to ask you guys: What time does John Daly shut down his RV flea market each day? We want to go to Hoots to get something special signed for the text group, but we're just not sure the timing on how this is going to fit into our day.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
• Mike D. says go to the gift shop at the END of the day. But we don't have our chairs, Mike!:
Joe, as someone who has been to the Masters 40 to 50 times, I have a few tips for you to make your day as enjoyable as possible.
- Golf shoes, don’t wear them unless it’s actually raining and will rain most of the day. I wore them last year on Saturday when it rained all day and it was great but mostly because my golf shoes are waterproof and not so much for traction. You will get made fun of if it is a sunny day.
- Gift shop, go at the end of the day otherwise you will have to carry around all the stuff that you purchased. Now you can ship stuff but then you have to wait in yet another line and you will be wasting valuable time on the course.
- Arrive at the golf course at like 6:00 in the morning. This will give you a chance to see the course without as many people around and it is also interesting to watch that whole process of opening up the gates.
- Walk the course backwards starting at #18. You will have less people around but also will give you a better chance to watch different golfers. Also, when you get groups coming thru like Tiger, Rory, and Phil you can find a good spot on the ropes or in the stands. Speaking of places to sit the 14th tee is an excellent place as you can watch the par 5 13th hole and then watch them tee off on 14. The concession stand is right behind you and bathrooms are a quick walk away as well.
- The driving range is a great place to spend a few hours if you like to watch the pros hit shots you will never hit. Over the years, I have found this to be a good place to have lunch with a sandwich, chips, and beer.
- The 10th tee box is also a great place to watch some action as you can see them drive that hole but also practice putting on the green right behind the tee box. If you can canoe Bob get a chance walk around to the front of the clubhouse to get your picture taken by the Augusta photographer. It's free and has the Masters symbol in flowers as well.
- At the end of the day, go watch them cut the grass on the fairways and then head to the gift shop to get a few shirts and call it a day.
• Anonymous writes:
Needless to say, you will have the time of your life next week in Augusta. I'm fortunately old enough to have attended the event (mostly practice rounds) a dozen times. I remember the days (Pre-Tiger) when you would simply drive-up on practice days, purchase a pass for $15 and walk right in- NO LOTTERY! No bragging, just fortunate to have been so much, when I was younger. Times, and the game changed when Tiger emerged. Face-value practice round tickets is now $100.
Fast-forward a few decades and I've gone sparingly - mostly on someone else's tickets, having never won the lottery. One side note- I went once using a patron's badge that belonged to a former US Senator from GA but had to sign a legal agreement that I would not do anything to jeopardize him losing the badges AND was also required to leave an ID & credit card to guarantee the safe return of the badges- no messing around at the National! Same deal when I went to my one tournament round- serious business- so keep your contacts secret!
I am happy to report that I won my first lottery ever for this year's Tuesday practice rounds! I have no idea what the odds are to win but I've been at zero for decades. I think the only reason I won is because I moved this past year so maybe the address change had something to do with it. Anyway, I'm just as excited to go as the first time I went!
Final advice: eat and drink your face off, walk the entire course, wear comfortable athletic shoes and be sure you are nowhere near your credit card limit before walking into the shops. You'll need it because you will want to buy literally everything in sight!
Looking forward to your report, I'll share mine.
Kinsey:
Keep an eye out for the TNML sticker on a Masters chair, Anonymous. That will be where Canoe Kirk and I are sitting.
• John B. writes:
Frog Hollow was a great recommendation. Pricey, but service and food are worth it. Farmhouse Burger is owned by the same guy and is about two blocks away. Awesome chili dog.
If you want a touch of local culture check out the Sulkowski exhibit at the Morris Museum downtown across from the Marriott Hotel.
BTW, it should be against the law to mow after 5 any weekend evening.
Keep up the good work and thanks for it.
Kinsey:
John, thanks for the suggestions. We're definitely going to be downtown. Who knows what kind of culture we might get into.
• Scott shares this golf nugget:
It’s rarely (if ever) mention on television, but all four of the following went to the same high school (The Baylor School in Chattanooga), within ~5 years of each other:
- Stephan Jaeger (who won the Houston Open yesterday, currently ranked No. 43 in the world)
- Harris English (ranked No. 40 in the world, 4 PGA Tour wins, 2021 Ryder Cup Team)
- Luke List (ranked No. 65 in the world, 2 PGA Tour wins)
- Keith Mitchell (ranked No. 75 in the world, 1 PGA Tour win)
This is insane. Four of the top 75 players in the world.
Parents: Are you dropping $50 in attendance fees to see your kids play 6th grade basketball games?
Are these basketball tournaments strict with the attendance fees? I'm told some of you just walk right past the ticket booth, or claim you're a coach, and sneak in without paying the fees.
Is one parent going to the games, recording the footage for the other parent at home with the other kids? Or are you dropping $50, $60 and more to attend these games before figuring in concession prices?
I'm intrigued by all of this. Please tell me the conditions you're experiencing.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com
Heads up across Ohio today
Like I've said since we framed the basement man cave, if a tornado hits our neighborhood and the 10X10 kids' room doesn't hold up, it just wasn't meant to be. My father-in-law insisted on using a double 2X4 framing plan to make drywalling a breeze. In turn, our basement is built like a true bunker.
I'll put it up as one of the safest places in this zip code based on the position of the kids' room, the framing and the two cinderblock walls that are part of the room. If Mother Nature takes us while we're down there, it was time to go.
Be safe.
Is a Cub Cadet double bagger worth it?
I can't remember which emailed asked about whether he should go with the double. To me it seemed like a no-brainer to go big, but I thought I'd let the readers have their say.
• Andrew K. writes:
Thanks for publishing my piece on the zero turn vs. tractor. I stopped on the submission today for the Rookie Cub Cadet owner seeking a recommendation for adding the bagging assembly. I have the Cub Cadet ZT1 42" cutting deck with the double bagging unit. Awesome tool for residential use.
Total property is 1/3 acre. Not huge, but too large for the walk behind my parents gifted us when we bought the house. In the backyard, I couldn't do a stripe (left to right in the photo below) without having to empty the bag. Now that I have the larger mower with the bagging unit, I can usually mow the entire front (4 outlined areas) without having to dump. After fertilizing, the bottom left outlined area alone will require a dump. I had read some reviews of the mulching unit Cub sells and it talked about how they are plastic and cheaply made. So, the bagging unit would be the way to go in my opinion.
Pros: High capacity bags, easy take out/put back ability
Cons: the chute can plug easily when the grass is damp and when the bags get full. It's easy to disassemble to remove the chute to shake out, but adds to job time and can be very messy.
The other thing worth mentioning with zero turns is the practice time. I bought from a local tractor/equipment dealer and the salesman said to practice in a driveway or street before operating on the lawn. There is a learning curve, but anyone can get the hang of it with 5 minutes of practice. I was out in the street squealing the tires and making really abrupt corrections/turns. I am happy I didn't try to learn on the lawn because I would have easily chewed up the grass. The bagging unit also adds length to the unit so be aware when up against a fence and making turns. I have dragged the cover top against the fence many times from cornering too soon. That just means the user will need to edge out into the lawn further so mower turns won't need to be as tight.
Hope this helps and enjoy the new mower!
‘An amazing thing happened’
• Jeremy P. writes:
I just wanted to write in today about something really cool that happened to me last week. March 14th marked the 10 year anniversary of my dad passing away. I miss him everyday. When I was about 8 or 9 years old he taught me how to mow using our old Snapper lawnmower. Once he saw I had it under control, he handed over the weekly mowing responsibilities over to me. He was a farmer, he had lots of other things that needed to be done. We had a one acre yard so it took a while to get it done with that skinny single blade mower. Once our yard was done he'd have me drive it the 1/10th of a mile down the road to mow my grandma's over one acre yard as well. We also mowed the yards of a couple of widows that lived near us. We'd load up the trailer and drive over to Ms. Lewis' house and mow her over two acre yard. Her family appreciated it so much they let us have her barn after she passed. We also had an old Cub Cadet that he would use while I had the Snapper. Then we'd be off to Ms. Sinclair's house to mow her yard as well. Needless to say many of my memories growing up centered around him and I working on the mowers.
Never in my life have I ever gotten any mail addressed to my dad at my current address. I grew up on a farm in South GA and now live in a suburb north of Atlanta. Well, last week after my first mow of 2024 I went to check the mail. In between all of the junk mail I find an advertisemant for mowers. It wasn't addressed to me, it was adressed to my dad. So on the month of the 10th anniversary of his passing, on the day I mowed the lawn for the first time this year, I got an ad addressed to him selling mowers. I showed it to my wife and she thinks it's just him saying hi. I think so too. I just wanted to share that with you and all of Screencaps since it's also a coincidence that I'm a daily reader of a column that has an audience that is dedicated to mowing! I may be overthinking this but I don't care. That one piece of mail brought back a ton of fond memories the past few days. Thanks so much.
Lump or briquette charcoal?
• Mike T. in Idaho has a question that could get the emailers fired up:
Greetings from beautiful sunny Idaho where spring has sprung!
With the welcoming of spring we get to enjoy the patio life and all that goes with it, TNML, gardening and BBQ! I don’t want reopen the old controversy’s on BBQ, gas vs charcoal, if a pellet grill is really a smoker ect, ect…
I’d like the team’s thoughts on charcoal, specifically Briquettes vs lump charcoal. I currently have a Weber kettle grill and a Traeger grill. When I use the Weber, I use both Briquettes and Lump depending on what I’m BBQing.
Hamburger/ sausage/ Hotdog just Briquettes, quick and simple. Longer sessions , mixture 50% briquettes and lump, like steaks. Really long bbq times, all Lump , like a Tri Tip.
Interested to hear the team’s input, also any brands of Briquettes or Lump charcoal they’d recommend?
Kinsey:
Let the emails fly. If Mike T. is asking this question, I know it's something that the Millennials reading can use to their advantage. I'd love to get an email from a Millennial who makes some insane meal on a grill and his buddy asks him where he learned to make such a spread.
"I read Screencaps," the Millennial responds.
I want the Mike Ts asking questions, the readers chimining in, the Millennials picking up tricks and then using them in their everyday life. That's the sign of an incredible column.
Speaking of Millennials
I want you guys to see the turf at Millennial Chris B. in Bowling Green's house. This Millennial didn't even bother sending in turf reports last year because it was a complete dust bowl at his house. I went over there for the tractor pull and his yard looked horrible.
Yes, he's a friend, but as the TNML commissioner, I have to call it as I see it. The yard was trash.
Now look at it.
Kinsey:
The Millennials are definitely reading. They're definitely learning the tricks. Now it's up to the elder statesmen to keep sharing the tricks of the trade. Be the eyes and ears.
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That's it. The weather is getting interesting. The rain just stopped. I have a full day of blogging ahead of me and TNML stickers to send out.
Let's go get after it.
Email: joekinsey@gmail.com