I had the pleasure of playing there in 82 with a member who was on active duty in the Army (son of member if I remember correctly). He flew us up to Augusta from Fort Benning (helicopter pilot, getting flight time) and I got to play the front 9 with him paying for rental clubs and all. I lost about 16 balls in 9 holes and didn't appreciate the gift of playing the course until much later in life.
I have also been fortunate to be at Augusta during the event 3 times (lived there for about 5 years and had a home on Washington Road across town in Evans which is about 6 miles from Augusta National). One of my old employees has a son that works the pro shop and got me in for the final round 3 years in a row (cool perk). Through the military, I got in 2 years in a row to the early rounds.
Until changes are made to A) the ball, B) the equipment, or C) both, the courses will have to change to keep players challenged and viewers interested. Short of placing Rotweillers on each tee box, the folks that own these courses need to be able to change with the times.
While I think the changes do alter the historical perspective of the course, I think they are needed to keep the "historical" challenge of the Master's alive. There is only so much they can do without making these changes. The greens are already hard as a rock, sloped and tiered (Georgia clay is great). Their next alternative is to place more trees, higher rough, and finally lengthen some holes.
I certainly understand Jack N's comments especially since I watched him play Arnie on Shell's WWofG last night. While long, not terribly long, and certainly, neither Jack nor Arnie are as accurate as many of today's tour players. I mean face it, these guys today hit 8 hour approaches on par 5's and kick themselves if they are off line by 3 yards.
Face it, times change.
By the way, I did meet both Arnie and Jack at a celebrity tourney in Myrtle Beach (in 77 or 7
while working for a large hotel chain there. Both really nice and got autograph from Jack which was really cool. I didn't play then and started because they were both so nice and gracious. We were volunteered (use the term loosely) to help out on a Saturday by the hotel and they made a point of talking to many of us during the day which is why I "love" this game and the folks associated with it.
I mean, take this site for instance. Where else can you go and get "premium" intel on the Golfing Machine and discuss the ins and outs for free? Awesome.