The pro shop, a small building a few yards from the Clubhouse, is where a game of golf really begins at the course.

Members check in there - there are no starting times at the course, except for club tournaments such as the season-opening party and the closing Jamboree Party.

The pro shop, which is next to the first tee, is also where members decide whether to take a caddie or golf cart for their round.

During the club season, the pro shop is a quiet, friendly place where time stands still. Some days, only a few groups play the course.

But during Masters Week, it's a different story.

For those seven days, the building is bustling with those lucky enough to have access to it. It is limited to Masters participants, members, tournament officials, and media and Clubhouse badge holders.

It is a popular spot, and no wonder. Practically anything with an Augusta National or Masters Tournament logo on it is available, and there's hardly any waiting.

At the store's busiest, the lines are two or three deep at the two registers. At the huge gift shop near the entrance to the main gate, patrons sometimes have to wait in line just to get in, much less to get to the checkout counter.

The pro shop is a good place to see the captains of the golf industry, all of whom have Clubhouse badges and drop in from time to time to pick up a gift or souvenir.

Masters participants are known to come in, too.

In the early 1980s, when Seve Ballesteros (Stats | Bio) was the dominant player in the Masters, he would pop in early in the week, buy a Masters-logo visor and wear it for the entire tournament. Check any photo of Ballesteros during those years, and you'll see him wearing one.

This isn't the club's original pro shop. The first one was just east of the Clubhouse, but it was torn down in 1946 to make room for a large kitchen, which is still there.

By the start of the 1947 club season, a new Clubhouse had been built at its current spot.

How prestigious is the job of Augusta National club pro? Let's put it this way: There have been more Augusta National chairmen (five) than head pros (four) since the club opened in January 1933.

Ed Dudley, the first pro, was hand-picked by Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones when the club was forming.

Dudley, a native of Brunswick, Ga., is the only pro at the club to play in the Masters. He played 14 times, starting in 1934, and was a top-10 finisher 10 times. Dudley's best finish came in 1937, when he finished third. In contrast, Jones, his boss, played in 12 Masters, and his best finish was 13th place in 1934.

Dudley held the position until 1956, when Gene Stout took over. Stout remained until 1966; he was replaced by his assistant of three years, Bob Kletcke. In 1967, Dave Spencer joined Kletcke as co-head pro, a position they still share.