Local artist uses memories, talent to preserve beauty of Augusta National

As a child, Grady Abrams would look forward to strolling down to Augusta Country Club’s eight and ninth holes hoping to once again catch a glimpse of the living history opposite of Rae’s Creek.

He was a caddy at the time, and his obstructed views of Augusta National Golf Club through the trees were about as close as he could get without stepping foot on the course.

It wasn’t until he was in his early 40s that the former Augusta City Council member was able to step foot on one of golf’s most hallowed grounds.

“TV does not give all the credit that’s due for how that course looks – the cushioned fairways, and there are no rough,” Abrams said.

As an artist, he has felt compelled to give his impression of the course.

Four exterior walls on his 1,680-square-foot art studio at his Martinez home are adorned with larger-than-life murals of Magnolia Lane and Amen Corner, a slice of Augusta National that includes many of the same holes Abrams saw as a child from Augusta Country Club.

“Amen Corner is what everybody knows about the Augusta National,” he said. “You could just say, ‘Amen,’ and somebody would put the next word to it. If you’re going to paint anything from Augusta National, you will have to paint Amen Corner.”

Likewise for Magnolia Lane. His painting captures the familiar shot down the tree-lined road that extends from a the white guard shack on Washington Road with the clubhouse just barely visible in the distance.

He estimates that he spent more than a month painting the murals. Abrams likes to say that none of his paintings are ever really considered

complete.

In his bedroom, he has two more paintings, one of three-time Masters Tournament champion Phil Mickelson and another of four-time champ Tiger Woods.

Mickelson’s painting was an adaptation of a photo that appeared in an issue of The Augusta Chronicle following his first win in 2004. Former Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson is seen handing Mickelson a sterling silver replica of the course’s club house, which is given to each Masters champ.

On the same wall, Tiger Woods is seen crouched down next to his former caddy, Mike Cowan, as the two read a putt during Woods’ first win in 1997.

“I would think that if you live in a town that’s famous for something, if you’re an artist, you ought to participate,” he said. “How can you live here and not do something about the Masters? If I’m a writer, I wrote about it. If I’m a painter, I paint about it.”

Abrams twice played the course as a guest of a club worker, once in the late 1980s and again in the early 1990s.

AUGUSTA CHRONICLE INTERACTIVE: Tour Abrams' Art Gallery

Once an avid golfer, Abrams had played practically every golf course in the two-state area but had only seen Augusta National on the television or from afar.

“While you’re walking, you’re thinking about the great players who walked the same course, who made certain shots on certain holes,” Abrams said. “You can see how difficult No. 12 is when you’re on the tee and stare down at the hole with the water in front of you.”

It was during those two trips that he decided to preserve the beauty of the course through his paintings
that had captivated him since he was 12.

“There’s nothing like seeing it for yourself in person,” Abrams said.