“M” is for Masters

ALUMNA PUBLISHES CHILDREN’S BOOK ABOUT FAMED PGA TOURNAMENT

Julie Alfriend Ferris (‘97) has combined her love of golf with her love of children’s books by publishing Badges, Egg Salad and Green Jackets: The Masters A to Z. Ferris’ first book introduces children to the rich history and traditions of the Masters, one of four major championships in professional golf. The easy-to-read format uses a letter of the alphabet on each page to focus on items specific to the tournament. Some of these include “G” for Green Jacket, describing the jacket worn by Augusta National members and the tournament champion, and “M” for Magnolia Lane, the tree-lined drive leading up to the clubhouse. Illustrated by Joshua Henry Thomas, other pages describe the types of food served, tournament rules and landmarks of the famous sporting event.

Ferris, a teacher and Thomson, Ga. native, first fell in love with the game as a high school student, when she worked during spring break vacations at the Masters. “I handed out egg salad sandwiches and Cokes at a concession stand in Amen Corner, and it was really exciting when Phil Mickelson stopped by my stand,” she remembered.

Her Masters’ memories also include witnessing stampedes of spectators running through the gates each year for the final round. “It was amazing watching hundreds of men, women and grandparents sprinting through the gates with their chairs to get a good spot on the 18th green. And this was at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning!” she said.

Since that time, Ferris has avidly followed the Masters as a spectator, attending more than 20 tournaments. Her career in children’s books, however, was only launched after Ferris’ daughter Kathryn began asking questions about the tournament a couple of years ago.

“The Friday of Masters week, my husband went to the tournament with a member of Augusta National. Kathryn asked me several questions such as, ‘Where did daddy go today?’ and ‘Where did he eat lunch?’ I told her that he ate in the clubhouse, and she asked, ‘What does the clubhouse look like?’ I love children’s books and I love the Masters, so I wondered if there was a children’s book about the tournament,” she recalled.

After researching the Internet, Ferris realized there wasn’t a book written specifically for children. With notebook in hand, she spent the weekend watching the televised tournament to get all of the key words for her A to Z format.

Now in its second printing, The Masters A to Z is available for $14.95 per copy on Ferris’ website at <a href=”https://junebugprint.com/”junebugprint.com, in select gift stores throughout the Southeast as well as nationwide in the PGA Superstore.

– Mary Beth Spence