Loran Smith celebrates 55 years of covering the Masters

As the morning sun creeps over Augusta National Golf Club this time each year, Loran Smith makes an uphill walk from the media center toward the No. 1 tee box.

The mass of patrons will arrive shortly, as will gallery guards, caddies and competitors. But right now, the course is a panorama of green.

“The first time I ever walked into Augusta National, I was so overwhelmed by the view looking from the clubhouse down to the golf course,” Smith said. “The flowers were perfect. The white sand, too. To this day, I’ve never seen anything quite as spectacular.”

Smith, the longtime sideline reporter for the University of Georgia, first attended the Masters Tournament in 1960 during his senior year at UGA. He joined Arnie’s Army that weekend, watching closely as Arnold Palmer birdied his final two holes to edge Ken Venturi by a stroke.

“I’ve been hooked ever since,” Smith said. “Arnie could relate to people and he truly became a sports hero. Watching him beat Venturi in 1960 will never be erased from my memory.”

A year later, Smith was granted a media credential through the Athens Banner-Herald and has covered the past 55 events. He recently received the Masters Major Achievement Award, given to those who have covered the tournament for 40 years or more.

In the early years, the Banner-Herald wouldn’t pay for a Western Union transmission, forcing Smith to purchase overnight envelopes and mail his article to Athens.

“Somebody at the paper would go down to the post office and get my story,” Smith said. “Fortunately, the Athens Banner-Herald was an afternoon paper, so it would still make it in.”

Technology has advanced since then, but Smith still relishes his early years at the Masters. In his Athens home, he keeps tape recordings from his time at Augusta National, which includes interviews with the likes of Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Gene Sarazen, Jack Nicklaus and Palmer.

“Golfers, particularly those of yesteryear, were very generous to the media with their time,” Smith said. “In the 1960s, I was hesitant to ask a question, so I eavesdropped a lot. I had the most fun turning on my tape recorder and just listening to the all-time greats.”

Through covering the Masters, Smith has grown close to a number of golfers, including Nicklaus and Gary Player. He once visited Player’s ranch near Johannesburg. He exchanges Christmas cards with the Nicklaus family.

Walking the grounds of Augusta National remains surreal for the journalist.

“I’m just a kid from Wrightsville, Ga., who grew up reading about big-time sporting events,” Smith said. “I never imagined I’d be fortunate to go to any.”

The novelty of Augusta National never diminished for Smith, who still rises early during Masters Week and makes his morning walk from the media center toward the first tee.

Sure, the course has evolved. The galleries have grown. The faces aren’t quite as familiar under the clubhouse oak.

But as the sun rises over Augusta National, Smith will gaze down to the course and remember Palmer beating Venturi.

“The sand still sparkles like 1960,” he said.