AUGUSTA, Ga. (PGA.com) -- There are many meeting places throughout the world. A few that come to mind are the coffee shop, a restaurant, a park, a house, an office, a library, a bar. Heck, even Donald Trump's famous boardroom.
But when it comes to golf, the greatest meeting place on earth is under the oak tree at Augusta National. There are many oak trees on the grounds, so what makes the big oak tree on the golf course side of the clubhouse so eloquently known as "The Oak Tree," so special?
Well, during Masters Week this is where you'll find all the movers and shakers in the golf industry -- everyone from coaches and agents and players to caddies, CEOs, clubmakers and club tweakers. It's a roped-off area about the size of a football field that is canopied by the towering and breathtaking oak tree.
Augusta National is a remarkable 365-acre property with hundreds of oaks, yet when someone passes by and says, "I'll see you around 2-ish under the oak tree," you know exactly which oak tree they're talking about.
Take for example Guy Kinnings, the Senior International Vice President of Golf for the International Management Group (IMG), who was hanging around under the tree on Tuesday.
"It's not only a fantastic setting -- probably the prettiest you'll find anywhere -- but it's common parlance, 'you want to meet? I'll see you under the oak tree,'" said Kinnings, whose clients include Colin Montgomerie and Retief Goosen. "You know where you're going to be. For me, it's perfect.
"Within about 100 yards, maybe even less than that, you're going to meet everyone who's anyone in golf. It makes life a whole lot easier," he added. "You've just got to make sure you've got your wits about you for the couple of days when everyone is around together. It makes it all part of the experience."
And what kinds of things does Kinnings take care of under the oak tree?
"I'm here for the players," he said. "You need to catch your guys and make sure everything is well. You'll see your guys off-site as well, but you'll catch them here at the course under the oak tree. You also meet people from the media, of course, equipment manufacturers, members of the tours, people you maybe don't see for the rest of the year, you know you'll see them here. This is absolutely perfect."
Also under the tree Tuesday, you could find arguably the most tired man in Augusta -- the voice of the Masters, Jim Nantz from CBS.
Nantz had just pulled into town having flown in from Indianapolis, where he was Monday night to call the NCAA men's national basketball championship between Florida and UCLA.
"This is always where you get a chance to catch up with the world of golf," a weary but gracious Nantz said of the area around the oak tree. "Everyone hangs out here. I'm coming in just a few hours after covering the national championship game last night, trying to get my bearings straight and really walking around -- it's almost like a vitamin B-12 shot for me. I'm getting my energy back just being here, seeing the old friends and acquaintances while looking out at the course. It's a thrill to be back. It's my 21st time."
Will Nantz be rested up in time to add his brilliant commentary to yet another Masters?
Of course.
"All that excitement and the adrenaline rush that you have and all that goes into the last month having called 16 basketball games in the last 28 days, I'm a little fatigued," he conceded. "Coming here you catch your second wind and I love it. I don't want anything to take away my focus because I'm so thrilled and pleased to be back here. This is my favorite week of the year by a mile. I'm not going to let anything dampen it."
While Kinnings was out tending to the needs of his IMG stable of players and Nantz was bumping around taking everything in, PGA Professional and renowned instructor David Leadbetter was running around helping his pupils work out any last-minute kinks.
"I'm working with a few players," Leadbetter said. "This is quite a difficult event from a coaching standpoint, because you're not allowed inside the ropes. You can't do a whole lot apart from the practice tees. But it's always great to be here. It's a fantastic atmosphere. It's one of those places that you just don't want to miss.
"It's the first major of the year, everyone is excited. Everyone is looking to see how the players are going to handle the changes," he added. "All in all, you wouldn't miss this. I think if you take a look around, you see a lot of people walking around seeing this place for the first time marveling at the surroundings, the conditioning and the beauty of the whole place. It's a fabulous place to be, it really is."
Leadbetter is also a big fan of the oak tree and understands that lots of business gets done under it.
"It's nice and shady and it's a good spot to be," he said. "You can meet the who's who of golf standing around over here. Every year you come and meet people you haven't seen for awhile. I'm sure many great ideas have been spawned here under this tree. It's a great spot to be and it's a part of the Augusta tradition really."
Speaking of that who's who, as Leadbetter walked away, putter-maker Scotty Cameron was having a chat with his boss, Titleist CEO Wally Uihlein, right near the oak tree.
The Masters isn't simply a special place for just the players, as Cameron explained.
"This is my 16th year and I never get tired of it," he said. "The changes keep it interesting. I enjoy seeing the greens change, but I'm here to make sure the players are happy with their putters, of course. I make sure the grips are OK, the lie is OK, it sits OK and then anything else I can do to help.
"When Bernhard Langer won in 1993 with a Scotty Cameron, it really put the name on the map. This was the first major we won with my putter," he explained. "I'm going to say out of the last 16 years we've won it eight or nine times and I never get tired of it. This is the best of the best and I'm thrilled to be here. If you’re a golfer, this is like the Kentucky Derby or the Super Bowl. There's an awe factor here that you never get tired of."
Titleist Tour Representative Steve Mata, who tweaks clubs week in and week out for the players, also enjoys and appreciates the significance of the oak tree.
"There's no question this is the best meeting place in golf," Mata said. "It's phenomenal. This is the place you want to be when you're at the Masters because when you're standing around under here, you're bound to see everybody you need to see."
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