Walking the line

Fergus enjoys a police escort on his walk to the course.

Augusta Sheriff
Fergus Bisset
By Fergus Bisset
published

It's going to be a beautiful day here at Augusta. It looks like being clear, sunny and hot, but not sweltering. The forecast is set fair for the rest of the week and getting progressively hotter.

From the board in the press centre, it seems more players are out practising this morning and I'm looking forward to getting out and seeing who looks to be on-form and might be worth putting a small wager on.

The problem is, when I see any of the top pros strike a ball or caress a pitch up to the flag, it's enough to convince me they're going to be unbeatable. So, I know I will probably put money on the first player I stop to watch. At the moment that might work as Phil Mickelson, Luke Donald and Bubba Watson are all out early.

This event is run with extreme precision and there are police, security guards and officials to guide you every step of the way. I walked to the course this morning from the Golf Monthly house - about a 15 minute stroll - in the cool early morning air and marvelled at how the pedestrians are shepherded towards the correct gates. There are cops at almost every junction within half a mile of the course and you receive a police escort over every road you cross.

At one of the more significant crossings I found myself in the midst of a throng of people. The State Trooper guiding us over gave a powerful toot on his whistle before shouting, in the style of a US Marine Sergeant, "When you reach the other side, stay on the curb. Do not walk in the road. If you choose to walk in the road you WILL be run over." I'm not sure if he was trying to be funny but it made me laugh.

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Fergus Bisset
Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?

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