AUGUSTA — A commotion broke out underneath the famous “Big Oak” in front of the Augusta National clubhouse Wednesday.
While the Par 3 tournament was being conducted out back and only a few golfers remained on the main course practicing midafternoon Wednesday, a group of black-clad, yellow-helmet-wearing men toting ropes, steel couplers and other climbing equipment surrounded the 175-year-old tree. They already had been hurling ropes with heavy weights attached to one end before a group of Augusta National personnel emerged and encircled the entire area beneath the massive, low-hung limbs with a thick, purple rope, urging the patrons underneath to back up.
No, no one had spotted a rogue squirrel, a rare sighting on the expansive property. The crew’s mission was to hang lights in the tree for the cocktail party that was being held later Wednesday night underneath the tree on the back lawn next to the No. 1 tee.
Augusta National doesn’t allow just anybody to climb its tree and hang lights. The sharply uniformed crew of a half-dozen or so men are professional arborists and work for Arborguard Tree Specialists of Atlanta. They regular attend to the Big Oak and many of the other massive trees scattered throughout the Augusta National property.
