The only thing you can't do is smell azaleas or taste pimento

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The video version of Augusta National masterfully replicates the course's changes in elevation. Here's the view from the 11th tee.

VIRTUAL AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Getting a tee time at Augusta National just got a lot easier.

That's not to say the video game version of the course is any easier than the real one, but with the release on Tuesday of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters, anyone can now play on golf's most hallowed ground.

How it all came to be -- and how it was kept a secret as long as it was -- is quite a story (click here to read more), but just as compelling is the quality of the game itself in its intricacies of Augusta National.

Remembering my inaugural trip to the Masters, the first thing that really stood out was just how dramatic some of the changes in elevation are. You can't fully appreciate them until you see them in person -- or in this case in the game, which does an excellent job of doing so whether it's on the opening hole, in the fairway bunkers on the par-4 fifth hole, or as you stand on the tee at the downhill par-4 10th hole and so on.

The other note of significance is of course the undulations in the greens.

More on Tiger's game

INSIDE THE GAME: Mike McAllister sits down with Tiger Woods and others to tell the story of how the game came together. Click for story GROWING THE REAL GAME: How to get kids to take up the game of golf? For some, it starts with playing video games. Click for story NOTEBOOK: Among the other new features in Tiger's video game this year is the ability to rely on a caddie to help improve your score. Click for notes PHOTO GALLERY: Want to see more images from the video game? Check out the photos. Click for photos OFFICIAL SITE: For more on Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters, visit the game's official site. Click here

Want a free game?

PGATOUR.COM is giving away copies of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 12: The Masters each week on Facebook leading up to the Masters. Click here for details

Being as stubborn as I am, as soon as I popped the game in I immediately tried it on the hardest level (tournament) and was immediately presented with the unenviable task -- if you could call getting paid to play a video game that -- of trying to negotiate all the slippery slopes of Augusta National's greens without the use of the game's putting meter.

I at least had a caddie (another new feature to the game), but I was hitting the putts, not him. It took all of two holes to register my first three-putt and the only reason it didn't happen sooner was because I missed the green on No. 1 and somehow got up-and-down for par.

Then there's Amen Corner, complete with azaleas in full bloom.

Remember Phil Mickelson's second shot on the par-5 13th last year? You can relive and try to match that shot, among other iconic shots, in the game's "Masters Moments" section.

Or you could just go for the green in two from the middle of the fairway like I did using a virtual Bubba Watson. Splash.

Not even the Masters' musical score, the soothing voices of Jim Nantz and David Feherty, or the slick television graphics -- all of which are part of the game -- could take the sting out of that shot.

In the end, I shot a 6-over 78, which is a whole lot better than what I would do there in real life.

Determined to improve, I next turned my attention to the par-3 course. Now, that's a cool feature.

The par-3 course at Augusta National measures 1,060 yards with holes ranging from 70 yards (No. 2) to 140 yards (No. 6), and it's as much if not more fun than the big boy course.

One birdie, one bogey and seven pars later, I was feeling better about myself and already addicted to the game and all its features.

There are some quirks, however, that I'll never get used to. Like Ian Poulter using what looks like an Odyssey 2-Ball putter. I could be wrong, but I don't ever recall him using one of those at any point in his career. Equipment is an inherently tricky thing when it comes to video games, but the flip side to that is the pro shop section of the game does feature items from all the major manufacturers.

Still, the game delivers both in variety and attention to detail.

In career mode, for example, you work your way up through q-school and into tournaments before ultimately garnering an invite to Augusta National.

A number of other tournaments and courses are of course available, too. And I'm sure I'll get to them -- right after I'm done playing Augusta National again.