Brian:
I certainly agree re: many of your statements. It is a very desirable invitation, no doubt, and with that, comes many issues that are difficult for a club to manage. Augusta National probably has one of the most difficult jobs in the world in that respect. And let me be clear, there are many things that Augusta National does for which I strongly respect the club.
However, at the same time, the club is very conscious of its image. It has been carefully crafted by the club in everything that it does. If there was any image that they did not desire, they would quickly refute it. They want to be known as the most exclusive club in the world..... the myth of not asking to play the course has been allowed to be advanced because the club allows it. They want this image. If not, they would find ways to limit it. No club in the world goes to its lengths to present an image of exclusivity.
The reason that I mention this? I have read several books on Augusta National. In so, I have developed an enormous admiration for Bob Jones. He was the ultimate gentleman and, maybe more than any golfer in history, put golf in its proper perspective. Bob Jones said "First come my wife and children. Next comes my profession--the law. Finally, and never as a life in itself, comes golf." Of all places, Augusta National should be entirely about Bobby Jones and his ideals. When it allows itself to have this kind of image, it is not.