Augusta As Seen By The Son Of Its First Superintendent

Golf's Michael Bamberger interviewed Shurley Hammack, son of Augusta National's first superintendent, who was raised on the property until his father's death and a abrupt eviction by that always gentle Clifford Roberts.

Still, “Daddy had no love for Clifford Roberts,” Shurley said over the course of a three-hour inter-view in which he displayed a keen memory and exemplary Southern-tradition storytelling skills. “For the longest time I thought his name was Sumbitch Roberts, ’cause Mr. Roberts would come down from New York and Daddy would say, ‘Sumbitch Roberts coming to the club today.’ ”

Simpson was the superintendent (the club’s term) for the first nine Masters. The course closed for the war, and the tournament wasn’t played in 1943, ’44 or ’45. During that time Augusta National was used for cattle grazing, but just briefly. The herd ate not only the grass but also the azaleas, and the experiment was quickly shut down. 

Another revelation: Hammack's dad, Simpson, left holes in the greens when the club was closed for the summer, allowing Shurley and friends to still play the course. That will have the ghost of Mr. Roberts stirring...