The short drive from my motel to Augusta National on Sunday morning was an eye-opener. The famed course is on Washington Rd, which can best be described as a seemingly endless strip of fast-food joints, steakhouses, car repair shops, shopping malls, motels and churches. Yes, churches. There must be one on every block.

Once inside the gates of Augusta National, the flotsam and jetsam of Washington Rd could have been a million miles away. James Hilton wrote in his novel, Lost Horizon, of a mythical place known as Shangri-La – an earthly paradise, completely isolated from the outside world. In golf, that place is Augusta National.

The Sunday leading into Masters Week is Member’s Day at Augusta National. The course is closed to the public but the media along with players, coaches, caddies, club members and VIPs are welcomed.

First port of call for me was the driving range – a world-leading facility which is presented to the same incredibly high standard as the course. After watching Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Jason Day work through their practice sessions, I headed out on the course (after a quick walk up and down Magnolia Lane).

First timers at Augusta are always struck by the big elevation changes on the course, like the sharp fall of the 10th fairway and the long climb up the 18th hole. However, I was more surprised by the steepness of the slopes around the greens. When you watch the Masters on TV the view is always from an elevated tower position which flattens the landscape, so six- and seven-foot-high slopes off the edges of the huge, fabled greens appear nothing more than knee-high mounds on TV. The back of the 17th green is a wonderful example of this and now, having stood behind that green, I can see why so many players over the years have had trouble getting up-and-down from there.

A mild winter in Georgia meant the azaleas were in full bloom for the start of the Masters, while long-time visitors suggested the warmer weather had also helped present the course in the best condition they had seen in more than a decade. During my Sunday afternoon stroll I made a mental note to keep an eye out for any weeds. Not one to be found anywhere.