Patching it up

The affordability at Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known as "The Patch," is a major draw.

AUGUSTA, GEORGIA |  Ira Miller has seen some new faces file through the pro shop at Augusta Municipal Golf Course in recent months, a byproduct you’d expect when the Masters chairman announces that Augusta National Golf Club is going to invest in the local muni. Miller, the charismatic general manager of the course affectionately known as “The Patch,” gets a chuckle when he hears some of the comments from strangers unfamiliar with the nearly 100-year-old public golf course.

“This is the funny part,” Miller said. “People come out here and say, ‘Man, Augusta National really has put some money out here, haven’t they?’ I say, ‘Man, they haven’t even been here yet.’

“It’s because people haven’t been here in so long. Once that announcement was made, more people start coming here. Which, we benefited from that. Get more people to come, and they see the course is in good ...