hand and said, “Golf.” Witt’s mother told her to find another room to watch the hoops in. Williams doesn’t realise how big a selling point “the house Seve stayed in” is, but she may not even need to. On VRBO, where I first found Williams’ home, it was listed on a normal week for about $2 500. For Masters week, Williams estimates she’ll get $30 000. Williams, who has rented out differ- ent homes in the past, puts some of the money back into the house, then uses the rest to invest or go on vacation. Hilton Head, Italy and Hawaii have all been checked off. She’s thinking about a cruise – anything that isn’t Augusta in Masters week. “The area is just pande- monium,” Williams says. Steve Hale knows this, which is why the former caddie for Keegan Bradley decided to buy his own place in town after falling in love with the area after a few trips to the Masters. Hale first experienced the Masters in 2008 when his boss at the time, Johnson Wagner, won the Houston Open and earned a last-minute invitation into the field. Hale bunked with a few caddie buddies who were renting a townhouse from a grandmother. The townhouse was one of 12 units that are right behind The Fresh Market, and over the years it had become the caddie house. In 2016, one of the units went up for sale, and Hale made an offer that was accepted. Two weeks later, Bradley fired him. Hale has not worked the Mas- ters since, and he’s beginning to think that if he wants to get back inside the gates, he should sell the townhouse to reverse the bad mojo. For now, he treats the place like a 1957 Chevy, going back and forth for weeks at a time to do his work on the house. He uses the place to take care of his fellow caddies when they come for the tournament. Hale has full-time The ‘Augusta Rule,’ Created in the 1970s, Lets homeowners rent out their properties for up to 14 days a year with- out needing to report the Rental income on their Individual tax returns.
renters, too, and they usually vacate the premises. He gives them a month of free rent for their troubles. Hale’s original intention was to be back every year, and it still is. In the meantime, he’s perfectly fine with the extra income and, if and when he no longer has a full-time job on tour, he has dreams of living in Augusta for a season or two and looping at the golf club. Taking care of the place is something all residents of Augusta take seriously for 51 weeks of the year in preparation for a tournament many of them likely never even see in person. Then, for one week, they gladly leave and wel- come visitors who would otherwise never drop in on this golf mecca. All the homeowners ask for,u outside of big-time money, is that the guests take care of the place, too. SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY Like many Augusta homeowners, Kathie Williams and Janienne Brey like to put up special decorations for their guests during Masters week.
78 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
MARCH/APRIL 2024
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