The Augusta Museum of History’s (AMH) Brown Bag History Lecture Series hosted a presentation post-Masters week full of Augusta National Golf Club anecdotes from Phil Wahl, the son of the golf club’s General Manager from 1963 to 1978.
Wahl shared details on his father Phil Wahl Sr.’s time at Augusta National as well as his own recollections from behind the scenes, as he has memories of the club from as early as age four.
A unique upbringing
“My father was there from the time I was an infant and you know, having the memories of being out there and being around my father…when I was probably 10 years old, my dad said ‘hey, you know, you can hang out and I’ll let you do some clubhouse runner duties,’” said Wahl. “I was, you know, the little guy that was around and got to, you know, help out.”
Clubhouse “runner” duties for Wahl included everything from fishing balls out of the course’s ponds to bringing food and drinks to guests.
Wahl worked for the club until he was in college. Today, he is the president of Security Federal Bank and also works with the Red Carpet Augusta Showcase. The Red Carpet Tour held every April is centered around The Masters and brings in CEOs from around the world for a four-day look at Georgia, taking corporate guests to metro Atlanta, metro Augusta and one other region of the state each year.
The April 16 lecture at the museum was attended almost entirely by individuals who also had connections with Augusta National. Wahl said that rather than it being an educational lecture, it was a chance for the audience to remember a history they helped contribute to.
“The audience that we had here were all people that have connections…I think everybody here had some connection either with my father or Augusta National…It’s a lot of reminiscing,” said Wahl.
“It’s always fun for me to reminisce by telling my stories, and I could go on for hours,” he added.
Phil Wahl Sr., who was hired for the management position at age 26, died in 1978 at age 43. Wahl Jr. presented a video during his lecture, a commercial filmed by Suntory Whiskey in the year of his death for Japanese Television.
Wahl’s full lecture will be made available soon on AMH’s Youtube
Upcoming lectures
The next AMH Brown Bag History Lecture will be a presentation by Helen Bissell, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, held on May 14.
Lectures are free for museum members and $5 for non-members. The lectures take place in the History Theater at 12:30 p.m. followed by a brief Q&A session. Participants may bring a lunch to eat in the Museum Rotunda beforehand, as early as 11:30 a.m.
