The Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known locally as The Patch, is set to reopen April 15 after nearly a year of construction. The renovation includes a newly designed nine-hole short course by Tiger Woods and his firm.

For Dr. Gregory McCord, The Patch is more than a golf course. McCord grew up in government-subsidized housing where the Augusta Aquatics Center now sits — just through the trees from the municipal course.

As a child, McCord and his friends would sneak through the woods to steal golf balls from the course.

“It’s totally different, so we would come right through here,” McCord said, describing the path he and his friends used. “And sneak through the woods.”

Read more at WRDW.