Patrons stock up on Masters gifts

After 25 years of marriage, Trent Propst of Concord, N.C., knows how to take orders.

When his wife sent him to the Augusta National Golf Club gift shop Monday, he knew better than to argue.

“She’s getting one planned gift and one for when I make her mad,” Propst said at the jewelry counter.

He bought a leather bag she wanted as a Mother’s Day gift.

“She told me on the way in, ‘You might want to visit the jewelry counter,’” Propst said. “So here I am.”

He picked out a gold charm that looked as though it was based on the 1962 Masters badge.

“This one is for when I get in trouble,” he said. “And hey, the day is young. That may happen today.”

This is the couple’s first time at the Mas­ters, and they wanted some goodies to take back to Concord.

Across the store, Melvin Harris was shopping for his 10 grandchildren in southern California. They ranged in age from 2 to 21.

“This is not going to be cheap,” he said as he held up a basket full of baseball caps in colors from pink to blue to Masters green.

“This one is for my rebellious grandson Melvin Jr.,” he said, holding up a trucker hat. “He’s named after me, which means the poor boy acts like me, too.”

Harris, whose wife comes from a golfing family, has been to two other Masters in the past 15 years and could not remember so many colors and styles to choose from.

“I have gotten into it over the years,” he said. “And let's face it, if the grandkids see you and you don't have a gift for them, you might as well turn around and go back home.”

Harris won the tickets this year in the lottery.

“You never know when you are going to come back,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to spend some money on the family.”