How the golfers shop at Augusta National

Perhaps 100 yards remained on his walk to the first tee. But no worries. John Daly knew he had plenty of time. It was the Sunday before the Masters would start, the serenity was thick, traffic on the golf course thin, and the lure of the pro shop was impossible to fight off.

He veered left and went shopping. For ashtrays. Boxes of them, the volume requiring assistance from a few others to carry out to his car.

Daly knew it looked curious, so he stopped to answer the inquiry. “Love the ashtrays,” he said to a reporter.

OK, that explained buying one or two. But not boxes of them.

Daly laughed. Lots of friends who deserved, and would get, gifts. Then he shrugged. “Plus, who knows how many more times I’m going to be in this thing?”

Which is a layer of the story that supports the notion that the Masters is unlike any other week of the golf year. The merchandise – only available on-site at Augusta National; there is no online shopping presence -- is such a huge attraction, even the players partake.

The same players who every other week of the golf season see only the golf course, the practice range, and the dining area.

Even Mark Calcavecchia – a notoriously fast player who wouldn’t strike you as the sort who’d meander through the shirt or hat rack to find the perfect gift – concedes he made the merchandise shop an annual stop in his 18 Masters.

“They have a lot of cool stuff,” Calcavecchia said. “Basically, it was my Christmas shopping.”

Of course, there was a strategy, given the crowds and his desire to get in practice rounds. “You always went on Monday, to get ahead of people and you’d have lot more stuff to choose from.”

Chances are, Calcavecchia crossed paths with other players and caddies, because veteran Augusta visitors knew the secrets. Hitting the merchandise shop on Monday was one of them.

“A high priority,” said Jim “Bones” Mackay, longtime caddie for Phil Mickelson, a three-time winner of this fabled tournament. “Having been blessed to be there quite a few years, I realized early that they ran out of some merchandise quicker than others.”

And when you have a shopping list from your wife and friends, you cannot fail. So, Mackay said his mission on Mondays was the go-to items. Near the top of the list, if not the very top, wasn’t the golf shirt with a Masters logo, it was the onesie for the newest editions to various families.

“My wife (Jennifer) loved them,” he said. “They are the best gift in the world, a cool onesie with the logo on it.”

His assignment had other must-stop points on the merchandise trail. Passing hats and other popular items, Mackay was a big fan of some “really good workout shirts that made for cool gifts.” He also fell for the Masters gnomes that became quite popular a few years ago.

OK, maybe he was partial to it because the little fella is dressed as an Augusta National caddie – the famed white jumpsuit even features the players’ registration number on the left chest – with a golf bag over his shoulder. Of course, the hat is green with an iconic logo.

While many of his purchases are for family and friends, Mackay concedes that he and his wife very much like the gnomes and have the collection strategically spread out in various potted plants in their home.

While they may not resonate like the personal rewards of those Mickelson wins in 2004, 2006 and 2010 – that being flags from the 18th hole – Mackay said the gnomes draw plenty of attention from visitors.

That is the power of the iconic Masters logo.

“All the stuff has the logo on it and people everywhere see that and know it’s a prestigious place,” Calcavecchia said.

“Yes, I did,” said Brandel Chamblee, when asked if he included shopping duties when he qualified for the Masters in 1999. “Not only to remember the week, but because it is the one place where all of your friends and family make requests of the players for gear from the event.”

Chamblee’s visit 21 years ago left an indelible impression, because he opened with a 69 to share the first-round lead with Nick Price, Davis Love III and Scott McCarron. Jose Maria Olazabal would win the green jacket for a second time that year, but Chamblee acquitted himself nicely with a share of 18th, and should he need reminders of his one Masters appearance, there are the prizes he earned (crystal vase for his low score in the first round, crystal goblets for an eagle at No. 13, also Thursday) and purchases he made.

“I still have the T-shirt I bought that week and the high-ball glasses I bought with all the former champions on it,” he said.

Brett Quigley, like Chamblee, got only one start in the Masters (2007) but confirms that merchandise was a big part of it. “We had two houses rented that week, so we had lots of friends there,” said Quigley.

“Both houses were full of the Masters gear – hats, T-shirts, golf shirts, baby clothes, umbrella, and chairs.”

Just so you don’t think it’s only first-time visitors like Chamblee or Quigley who are part of the shopping corps, there was the legendary Billy Casper. He first competed in the Masters in 1957 and for all his 44 other starts and all those years through 2014 that he regaled the pageantry with is presence, gifts were a must.

True, he entrusted his wonderful wife, Shirley, to organize the gift list, and “each year she bought an item for each of the 150 players in my dad’s charity event,” said Bob Casper, one of Billy’s 11 children.

One-hundred-fifty gifts, at the minimum? “We always enjoyed shopping at the Masters,” said Bob.

Truth is, who among the fortunate attendees doesn’t?

“I would always go early Monday or late Monday,” said Mackay, who would be out of uniform (not wearing the caddie jumpsuit), yet it wouldn’t stop fans from pointing him out or even engaging in conversation.

“But people were always nice,” said Mackay, who never had an issue. The reason, he suggested, was simple.

“When you get in (the merchandise shop), you have a responsibility,” he said. “You’re there to get it done. Everyone has shopping on their minds because there are amazing keepsakes.”

Amazing socks, too, and if you find yourself laughing, chances are Fred Couples will not see the humor. The 1992 champion is arguably one of the most popular Masters participants of this and any other era, and few love the place like he does.

So, if Couples suggests that his impeccable longevity – 30 cuts made in 34 starts, a win and 10 other top-10s – is built from the bottom up, starting with the socks, then who would argue? True, his cool nonchalance is God-given, but the youthful spring in his step when he’s on property at Augusta National? Couples’ friends will tell you it comes from the new pair of socks he purchases every day.

“He loves the socks,” confirmed former longtime caddie Joe LaCava.

Not that the popular attractions don’t stretch beyond onesies, gnomes, and socks. They surely do, something Billy Andrade always knew, though it was reinforced last April. Andrade, who played in six Masters and concedes that he was a typical shopper, was in Augusta doing some corporate hospitality. He’s done it in the past and has become friendly with many of the guests.

When a woman sat down at his table, Andrade noticed a couple of merchandise bags. “Get everything you needed?” he asked. The woman said yes, then laughed and revealed the highlight of her trip to the merchandise shop.

“You wouldn’t believe it,” she said, “but a man in a coat and tie was in line and he bought 150 Masters flags.”

Andrade said he chuckled, didn’t think anything of it until the woman stole a glance at a TV that was showing the Golf Channel’s coverage of the Masters. “There he is,” the woman exclaimed, pointing to a gentleman in suit coat and tie. “The man who bought the 150 flags.”

Andrade laughed. Yes, he knew the person the woman was pointing to; it was somebody well-known in golf circles. But we’ll keep it a mystery. Shopping at Augusta, even very large orders, is just part of the experience – for patrons, players, and golf analysts.