We can now look upon the dying winter with relish and we have proof of the demise as we see The Masters reaching out to us.

We are awash in the spectacle that is the outdoor cathedral known as Augusta National. This is a sporting event that crosses boundaries of appeal, ranging from the hard core golf fan to the horticulturalists.

The horror of golf, for those who are not familiar with the game, is that not all courses look like Augusta National and not all players look like the guys on TV.

If a player stubs his toe in a fairway at Augusta National and digs up a little turf you will see 14 guys immediately attack the damage with all kinds of equipment and once repaired you will never know it was there.

Most of us play at places where you can drive a golf cart into a divot and have to call fire and rescue to get out.

Professional golfers, like professionals and experts in any field, make what they do look a lot easier than it is.

You will hear a professional golfer describe the light fade they hit to the middle of the fairway or the soft wedge onto the green. You will see a smooth swing causing the ball to explode off club and land 300 yards away.

You seldom hear them describe the screaming hook that could kill someone in the next county or the power shank that rips down low hanging branches as it disappears into the woods.

And the swing of the weekend golfer is more chunky and nut-filled candy bar than buttery smooth, with the results being the all too familiar bounce-the-club-off-the-ground pop-up that goes 40 yards.

Probably the most astonishing aspect of weekend golf is how few players are actually killed or maimed on any given Saturday.

But even as The Masters grabs out attention, a bill has been offered in the General Assembly to limit the size and speed of golf carts. This has to do with safety and various and assorted other reasons which may be valid in some respects as golf carts are now being used as a primary source of transportation in some places.

But for the golfer this is a potential horror because every reasonable golfer knows the man with the fastest cart gets the best lie.

Rather than making carts slower and lighter, they should be faster and bigger. You should be able to buy one with options, like the oft needed four-wheel drive or a brush-cutter mounted on the front for easy access in and out of the woods.

And given the wildlife some golfers encounter installing a gun rack could be a nice touch, although having access to a firearm might not be a good thing when you partner four putts and costs you $10 and a pitcher of beer.

It should be noted many carts now come equipped with a GPS system. Some golfers think this is designed to help their game but in truth it was installed mainly to help lost souls find their way back to the clubhouse.

You don't see many carts on TV because players walk, which is the ideal way to enjoy golf, but this is not something necessarily available to all golfers, especially those of girth and bad knees.

Even in cases where you can walk, it is often avoided like the plague by some because it is difficult to carry a golf bag and a cooler at the same time.

But spring is upon us and Augusta National shouts its colors to the world. In the still frozen north they look at the green grass and azaleas with pure envy while we watch them shovel snow and think, "bless their hearts."
Because a pure screaming shank on a glorious spring day in the South is still better than any day that requires you to put on snow shoes to go to the mailbox.

Ric Latarski is a freelance writer who writes on a variety of topics and can be reached at Rlatarski@aol.com.