New cars, new homes

 OUT WITH THE CADDY, IN WITH THE BENZ: White DeVilles have given way to silver GL 550s.

Masters visitors have noticed the change in courtesy cars as the Augusta National Golf Club has selected Mercedes-Benz as the exclusive provider of transportation services for the Tournament. For decades, Cadillac – a former broadcast sponsor – was the official courtesy car for players and other Tournament VIPs.

“I’m partial to Cadillacs – I own two of them – but this is an international event and everything about it should be international,” Mark Reeder, a first-time visitor from Peoria, Ill., said Wednesday.

The partnership between the Augusta National and the German automaker was announced late last year.

Charles Coody said he enjoyed driving his Mercedes this week. He laughed when asked if that was because the Benz had more features than the Caddy he drove after winning the 1971 Masters Tournament.“Everything now has more features than what I drove,” he said.     

HOUSES, NOT CABINS: Eagle-eyed course visitors may have glimpsed the new homes east of the No. 10 fairway, barely visible through the pines and azaleas.

Unless your a guest of one of the three broadcast sponsors – AT&T, IBM and ExxonMobil – that is as much as you’re going to see. The Augusta National confirmed the homes are hospitality houses that were built late last year to allow the sponsors to entertain their guests and clients.

Unlike most professional golf tournaments, the Augusta National does not allow corporate sponsors and partners to have on-course tents or other temporary structures.

Because the hospitality homes have no overnight accommodations, the homes will not be considered one of the “cabins” on the course, of which there are 10. The Eisenhower, Butler and Roberts cabins stand alone.