Masters patron took different approach to get badges

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Andrea and Edward Gatzke examine a leaderboard during the third round of the Masters Tournament.

In 1970, Joe Ramage, of Richmond, Va., took a different approach to get Masters Tournament badges. He wrote a polite letter to Augusta National Golf Club asking for them.

“I thought I’d be on a list for five years, seven years, 10 years. They sent them to me right away. I’ve had them ever since,” Ramage, 72, said Saturday.

While attending graduate school at the University of North Carolina, Ramage rented a room in a house on the edge of campus. Another student in the house was from Augusta. That roommate, who later was best man in Ramage’s wedding, asked Ramage to visit Augusta for the Masters in 1966.

“I thought and thought and thought for about half a second and said ‘yes,’ ” he said. “They invited me back several years, and I thought this was fun.”

Before arriving in Augusta this year, Ramage, a fan of Duke basketball, attended the NCAA Final Four as he does often before the golf tournament. Former neighbors David and Meg Downs watched golf with him Saturday.

Ramage has seen many changes at the Masters in nearly a half-century. He remembers patrons surrounding the greens with clicking camera shutters as golfers putted.

“There are more people but, always, everybody is so courteous, kind and polite,” he said.

Photos: Masters Tournament Badges