Is the sand somehow ‘special’?
Wash, rinse, repeat.
I lived in Augusta for a number of years. The Augusta National takes itself very very seriously, indeed.
The club and tournament logos are copyrighted and they prosecute every possible infringement.
This guy is lucky he didn't get any sand and that he only got disorderly conduct. If he'd got the sand and, say, tried to sell it on eBay or something he'd probably be in real trouble.
I never actually set foot on the course nor ever attended even the practice rounds. My late in-laws lacked the foresight to get on the ticket list back in the day when it was possible to do so and I kept putting off going to the practice rounds till you couldn't easily do that, either.
Now I live far away and don't miss it a bit, though I'd love to see the course (it was built on the site of a plant nursery). I came to loathe the tournament because it totally disrupts life; smart locals take the week off and go somewhere else.
Tradition has it this is the holy sand trap from which the prophet Mohammed pole vaulted into heaven.
Or was that broad-jumped?
Hmm...I get a little confused insofar as the specific details are concerned...
Patrons don't just walk onto the grounds, whether having a ticket or buying one at the gate. It's strictly controlled. A limited number of tickets are made available through a random drawing. However, most have been made available in the past through waiting lists, which have been closed for some time.
For a short example on how things are run, here's an example. Scroll down to the "Prohibited Items List" for an idea. They don't fool around, and this guy had it coming to him.
Why, yes. Yes it is.
For one thing, it's from my home state. Specifically, it's quartz, a byproduct of feldspar mining near Spruce Pine, North Carolina.
Click here for more information on Augusta National's dazzling white sand.