18 secret Augusta facts about the Masters: Cows used as lawnmowers, grass painted green, bunkers not filled with sand and a deranged gunman
Augusta National is one of the most well known and secretive golf courses in the world... how many of these titbits did you know?
THE MASTERS is just around the corner.
Everyone knows the winner gets a green jacket and that Augusta is one of the most incredible courses in the world.
But beneath the surface lie a whole host of quirky and little-known secrets.
From deranged gunmen to painted grass, read on below for 18 incredible Augusta facts.
They paint the grass
Yep, Augusta's other-worldly colours are not all as they seem.
The eye-catching azaleas and towering pines give the course an incredible colour.
But blemishes can creep into the fairways, greens and around the putting surfaces, where a lot of professionals walk.
Andy Stranger is a greenkeeper who has worked at Augusta in the run-up to the Masters.
He told : "You will get weak spots, bits that are in the shade we will be working on.
"Anything that can be picked up on camera will be painted green."
Bird noises are put in by television companies
If you ever get the chance to visit Augusta, then look up at the trees and see how many birds you can spot.
Chances are it will be significantly fewer than what you imagine.
That's because when you're watching at home, television companies put in bird noises.
American network CBS admitted doing it to make it seem more of a "natural paradise".
The water is dyed
Those crystal clear reflections are not by chance.
An American journalist took a sample from the pond in front of the 15th and ran tests to reveal the water contained food dye.
Turns out it was a dye similar to that used in blue-coloured icing.
Players were not allowed to bring their own caddies
Before 1982, all players were assigned local caddies.
So that meant even the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer had to rely on men they didn't know for one of the most important events of the year.
The course is shut for members until October
Chances are if you're a member at Augusta then you don't get a lot of time to play golf anyway.
Only the rich and powerful are welcomed in.
But even so, they must be a little peeved that they can't go on the course for so long after Masters week.
The Bermuda grass they plant turns sour and it is only later on in the year that they can plant Ryegrass.
But as soon as October rolls round then preparations begin again for the Masters in April.
All plastic bags are green so they blend in with the grass
Patrons - you must call them patrons, not fans - rave about the pimento cheese sarnies at Augusta.
They get through a lot of them in the week - with someone inevitably dropping a bag.
It's no big deal when they do though, because they are all green.
That means they blend in with the grass if picked up by a television camera.
The co-founder committed suicide on the course
Clifford Roberts was credited with being the driving force that made Augusta what it is today.
But he shot himself on the banks of the par-three course in 1977, at the age of 83.
He left instructions for an unmarked grave.
Each hole is named after a flower
The fourth is called Flowering Crab Apple. The seventh is named Pampas.
The par-three 12th, Nicklaus' favourite hole, is called Golden Bell.
All members (and winners) wear green jackets
This tradition began in 1937 and continues to this day.
The original blazers were purchased from New York's Brooks Uniform Co.
Members wore them so they could be distinguished from mere mortals.
Sam Snead was the first player to get a jacket for winning the event in 1949.
Cows were once used as lawnmowers
The Masters was postponed between 1943 and 1945 due to World War II.
And in place of the world's best golfers was turkey and cattle.
The animals were given free reign over America's most exclusive club in a bid to help the war effort - and cows munching the grass kept it from growing too long.
Its most famous stretch of holes got its name from an old jazz song
Amen Corner is the term used to describe holes 11, 12 and 13.
The saying goes that players would utter a small prayer before taking them on.
Journalist Herbert Warren Wind coined the term in 1958.
He borrowed the name from an old jazz recording called Shouting at Amen Corner by Mezz Mezzrow.
Members once banned a commentator for life
Gary McCord is an irreverent American commentator with a quick wit.
But that got him into trouble back in 1994.
With one ball rolling toward the water, McCord said: "There are some body bags down there if that keeps going.
And commenting on what makes the greens so fast, McCord said: "Bikini wax."
It led to a life ban.
A deranged gunman once demanded to see president Ronald Reagan on the course
Reagan was playing as a guest of his secretary of state George Schultz when Charles Harris stormed the course.
Harris had crashed his truck through a gate and was demanding to see the president.
The gunman then held five people hostage in the pro shop before he was captured.
Rae's Creek has links to England
The water hazard in front of the 12th green is a card-wrecker - and it has a link to England.
John Rae was a businessman in Augusta in the 1740s and traded deerskins.
He would send the sought-after product to Indians in the south east and to England.
You cannot apply to become a member
Most golf clubs are crying out for new members. Not Augusta.
A current member has to nominate you just to have a chance of being accepted.
The basic policy is: If you have to ask, you're not welcome.
People who call it their golf club include Bill Gates, billionaire Warren Buffett and Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL.
As it is, a year's membership costs between £8,000 and £24,000.
Phones are banned from the course
There is no chance of catching up on emails or ringing loved ones when watching the Masters.
Being on your phone will get you kicked out.
One prominent journalist had to get his bosses to say sorry after he was caught on the blower and told to leave the grounds.
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You can go to prison for selling tickets
On the Tuesday before the 2012 Masters, an incredible 24 people were arrested for flogging tickets outside the course.
Law prohibits people buying and selling tickets within 2,700ft of the entrance to the club.
The bunkers are not filled with sand
The bright white "sand" that fills Augusta's copious hazards isn't actually sand.
It's actually a waste product from mining and is a substance called quartz.
Professor Drew Coleman said: "That's why the bunkers are so white.
"Spruce Pine quartz is the best in the world, and the quartz created from the feldspar mining process is so white and pure."