IMPOSTER syndrome ? Nah, mate.
I sit writing this weeks blog in the $100m media centre at Augusta National Golf Course amongst the world’s best golfing reporters, writers, analysts, photographers… and then there is me.
I’m not 100% certain, but I think I am the youngest person working in here, one thing for certain is that I am the person with the least experience.
Do I care ? Nope.
Am I nervous ? Kinda.
Am I soaking it all in ? Absolutely. That includes the scorching sunshine too !
How did I get here ?
London – Charlotte – Atlanta – Augusta.
I have been lucky enough to been on many aeroplane journeys, but I never like the food, so I usually fill my belly with enough food to keep me fuelled until I reach my destination.
So, at London Heathrow, after I went through customs and got touched up, patted down and swabbed, yes, the full monty, I sat down at the only place that did a full English breakfast in Terminal 3.
I ordered the biggest one they did and a pint of beer – time is imaginary when it comes to airport beers, it was 8am – and the waiter said “that will be £27 please”.
I gasped.
I’ll let you decide if this ‘full’ English was worth the money…
I was sat in seat 39H, second row from the back of the plane, aisle seat, and buckled up.
Floating at 38,000 feet in the air I was dipping in and out of sleep, I re-watched the film Oppenheimer again, and was just imagining what the next 12 days were going to look like.
Well, I can tell you the first three days have been far superior to what I imagined.
Peter, the lecturer who I am replacing at the Masters this year, told me that the ‘press’ get treated like a VIP, it being arguably the best event possible to work at, I guess it will only get worse from here then !
Peter was true.
The quality is ridiculously good, in every way, everything I look at, touch, smell, is of the utmost quality, think perfect, but better.
Obviously the grass is green, but it’s greener than green, and it smells so good, the flowers are just gorgeous and full of life.
I haven’t had to push a single door open as their is someone on every entrance for you.
Walk ? Nah, a golf cart taxi to transport me from the media centre to the golf course, it would literally take five minutes to walk.
Hungry ? Thirsty ? All covered, everything that goes in my mouth and into my stomach is free, and it’s bloody delicious.
I even have my own desk in the 500 person deep media centre, I have a little gold plaque with my name on, I’ll be taking that home with me.
It really is heaven on earth, but there is just one golden rule… no mobile phones allowed outside the media centre.
I can deal with that, it is actually nice to be at one with the tasks at hand and embrace the gorgeous golf course I’m situated on.
Another benefit is that they reward the press with a lottery, a lottery to have a chance of playing the golf course the day after the final round is played on Sunday.
Now, I love golf and I’m not the worst at playing, but my word would I be horrendous here, this course is hard for the professionals, let alone me !
The chance of playing here is actually the thought that keeps me awake at night, not the articles, not the press conference, but potentially being stood over the first tee at Augusta National and probably pulling it into the trees shouting “FOREEEEEE”.
I heard a funny conversation related to this on the course as I was watching the dramatic final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in which England’s Lottie Woad won.
Two American guys, who had a beer in each hand, which were stacked upon many empty cups, got chatting to another man behind me, and the two alcohol-induced fellas asked the other guy, “How much would you pay to play the whole course, $1500?”
He responded, “Yep, double it”
The two fellas swayed back on their feet in amazement, and definitely the beer too, and a bidding war commenced, in a slightly slurred tempo.
“$3000?”
“Yep”
$4500??”
“Yep”
$10,000???!!!”
“Yep”
As the price rose, so did their tone and loudness in shock, until their brain couldn’t count higher than 10,000.
I was chuckling throughout this whole conversation because I knew that I might be in with a chance of playing it for $0.
It really humbled me in realising how lucky I am to be here right now, something I’m acknowledging every day.
I finished my articles and left the course, but I decided to soak in the sunset in downtown Augusta.
I parked up the rental car and strolled along the riverwalk that people mentioned to me, it was nice just to have a walk, camera in hand, just me and my thoughts.
I’m a sucker for a pretty sunset, so I stayed and took some pictures…
The people of Augusta are full of love and are very kind and helpful, this picture I took, maybe one of my best ever, really encapsulates the people, and the guy is in a Masters green jacket !
As the night sky became dark, I hopped back in the car and drove to get some dinner, and I stumbled across a mexican restaurant with a full car park, that is always a sign of good food.
Good food it was.
So there I was, sat in a bustling Mexican joint, alone, with a sizzling skillet of chicken, beef, peppers and three tortilla wraps in front of me, and for a moment I felt lonely.
The imposter syndrome hit me.
But immediately snapped out of it, I smiled and laughed to myself.
I thought, “this is not normal”.
A 21-year old, second year sports journalism student is at the biggest golfing major, all by himself, in a place he’s never been before, on the side of the road he’s never driven on before… but I absolutely love every second of it.
This whole experience, golf included or not, is a fast track system to becoming a proper adult in a fast paced industry like journalism, and I know that I am meant to be here, I enjoy the deep end.
It’s funny how the world works, because as I got to the house I got into bed and opened up Netflix… tell me why ‘Happy Gilmore’ was the first movie on my suggested list !
Anyways, the sun is still shining as I’m ending this blog, done for the day, well, I’m off to the driving range to hit some balls tonight.
This time next week I will have seen the 2024 Masters Champion be crowned, written about it and I’ll then tell you everything that went on in between.
Read my previous blog here…
