A Trip To The Masters
More people watch the Super Bowl. Far more people attend the Indy 500. But pretty much everyone agrees that the Masters stands above them all. In the entertainment industry, it’s known as “the toughest ticket in sports.” It’s a true bucket list event for anyone who loves sports and spectacle, especially so for golf fans.
When it comes to spectator events, bigger is not always better. Exclusivity helps give the Masters its unrivaled cache, but being part of an elite club is not the reason to attend. What makes it so special is the ultra-rich history of the event, the always star-studded field, an atmosphere unlike any in sports, and most of all, the course itself, the spectacular Augusta National Golf Club. Getting there in person is far from easy, and it can be quite expensive, $10,000 or more. But it’s a trip you aren’t likely to forget or regret.
When Rory McIlroy took home his first green jacket last year, he became just the sixth golfer in history to win a career Grand Slam, all four Majors. The Masters seems like history in the making every year that consistently produces the biggest winners in golf, from Nicklaus to Woods, Palmer to Watson, Couples to Mickelson, Faldo to Scheffler. But despite the star-studded field, people who have attended the Masters—even those who go repeatedly—rate the course before the players. And they say there is nothing like seeing it up close. The first thing that stands out is how different it looks in person.
“You cannot appreciate it on TV,” says Peter Harris, a PGA Class A teaching professional who has been in the golf industry for 40 years, including a lengthy stint with Titleist. He has been to the Masters six times. “The sixth hole looks like they buried a car under the putting surface . . . . Looking down from the tenth tee, it’s like being on a cliff. It just drops away.”
“TV doesn’t do it justice with the elevation changes,” says Kevin Frisch, a golf industry insider and longtime teaching pro who attended the Masters for 10 years. “My tip is get there early, right when the gates open. Concessions are so cheap, just do breakfast on the course, then walk all 18 holes in order. It won’t be crowded in the morning and that’s the best way to appreciate how stunning and big and hilly it is.”
The number one piece of advice from Frisch and other Masters regulars is to walk all the holes in order at some point, which is easier to do early in the day and early in the week.
“It’s the tradition, it just reeks of history, and it’s one of those courses that deserves, no begs, to be walked and experienced. Walking the entire course in one day is a treat, so follow a group from start to finish at least once,” says Chad Clark, who knows a thing or two about the subject. The former TV sportscaster is a rabid fan of spectacle and has been to every major sporting event on earth, from F1 to Wimbledon, the soccer and rugby World Cups, Super Bowl, Kentucky Derby, Final Four and finals of the NBA, MLB and NHL. But to him, the Masters holds a special place, and he has been three times. Now, as one of the nation’s leading luxury travel advisors and owner of Chad Clark Travel in Phoenix, he regularly helps his high-net worth clients attend.
“It is simply one of the greatest spectator events in all of sports,” Clark says, “and in my opinion, one of the top two in-person golf tournaments in the world, along with the Phoenix Open, the sport’s most-attended event. Both are awesome, but the Masters is totally different. It’s rarefied, all about golf and the setting, while Phoenix is all about a party. The patrons, or spectators, and the players each have the utmost respect for each other.”
Rules Of The Game
In a world where most people are tethered to their cell phones, the Masters is somewhat of a technology desert. Cell phones are completely banned at the tournament. When you enter, you’ll need to surrender your phone and check it at a locker. (If you’re found with a cell phone on the premises you will be kicked out, and placed on the naughty list, which can get you banned from the event for life.) Laptops and tablets are also banned.
You can bring a camera, but only during the pre-tournament days. When the official play begins on Thursday, cameras are not allowed in the hands of the patrons, as Augusta lovingly calls its on-site audience.
Without a cell phone, patrons are in their own little world, free of distraction and absolutely in the moment, but also often well behind the television audience in terms of knowing the score. “Without cell phones,” says Harris, “even seeing the leaderboard change is dramatic.”
Running is also banned, so practice your power walking to give you an edge to get to the good spots first when the gates open. Cigars on the other hand, are welcome, and smoke wafts throughout the grounds. No tobacco is sold on the premises, so you have to bring your own. You can also bring a cutter, lighter or matches, but since larger backpacks and purses are not allowed, pack these in a clear plastic bag to be safe. If you did not plan ahead, the closest good retailer to the course is Marcella’s Fine Cigars & Tobacco, a mile away on Washington Street. If you are staying in downtown Augusta, there is also the Downtown Smoke Shop.
With tons of staff, well-behaved guests and plenty of rules, the atmosphere is a unique mix of electric and cloistered—a cathedral to the game. This is another aspect that makes fans feel so good about their decision to bite the bullet and knock it off their bucket list. In the 90-plus years they have been hosting the tournament, Augusta National has perfected the execution of a sporting event and infused it with Southern hospitality. It is an expensive but extremely well-oiled experience, and once you arrive, everything from the food to the layout to the thousands of flowering azaleas is spectacular. But it is not something to be stumbled into blindly, especially given the cost, so it pays to make a plan, get some insider knowledge and make the absolute most of your first Masters experience.
How To Do The Masters Right
The Masters is always held the first full week of April, and the spectacle begins on Monday with two days of practice rounds. These are traditionally the least expensive tickets of the week. There are also smaller crowds, making this the easiest way to see the course. The downside is you won’t see competitive golf.
Wednesday is also a practice day but the main event is the Par-3 Contest, a unique and beloved part of Masters tradition that involves players using their wives and children as caddies and one that typically sees several holes in one. (The record was set in 2016, with nine.) It is fun and lively and colorful, and it has become a fan favorite rivaling the tournament itself.
Play begins on Thursday, and that day and Friday are marginally less expensive than Saturday and Sunday, the most desirable tickets. You can buy tickets on the secondary market, but one golf tour operator who requested anonymity due to Augusta’s famously sensitive stance on pricing and resale warned that even legitimate major online ticket agencies were caught shorthanded last year and failed to deliver tickets they sold, causing spectators to be unable to attend at the last minute. “The secondary market is extremely unpredictable,” he says. “Last year, in the week leading up to and during Masters Week, prices went through the roof—anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000 per ticket for Wednesday through Sunday, if you could even find them. Right now, StubHub is showing around $3,500 each for 2026.” Monday and Tuesday practice round tickets are usually about half that price.
Lodging is also hard to come by, and while there are a number of mid-tier hotels in downtown Augusta (think Holiday Inn Express) these are usually completely pre-booked by tour operators. Almost all the private homes in the area are also booked by tour companies and the main corporate sponsors such as Mercedes, which takes over an entire development. Unaffiliated spectators stay as far away as Atlanta (a two-hour drive) and the most popular luxury option is Reynolds Lake Oconee, a large golf resort with a Ritz-Carlton and hundreds of homes and condos, plus five golf courses, about an hour away. Those who can afford it stay as far off as the luxury golf resorts at Kiawah and Sea Island and transfer by helicopter. Since most fans only get two days of tickets, these create “stay and play” options and you can make a dual golf and golf-watching vacation out of your trip. Another great add-on is Forest Hills golf course, a public layout in Augusta that recently reopened. They raise green fees to $300 during Masters Week but if you get in early you can actually get a tee time. Playing in Augusta this week is a special luxury.
The smoothest and most reliable way to attend is through high-end travel agents. Premier Golf, one of the largest and best established, offers package lodging, tickets, transfers, hospitality and more. “The majority of our customers book a three-night and two-round package,” says Bill Hogan of Premier Golf. “Our packages all include private hospitality near the club, we shuttle people door-to-door, and it’s a great experience for a full day and into the evening. We have a variety of accommodations, both in Augusta itself and also some hotels in Columbia. Yes it’s expensive, but it is certainly a bucket list experience for every golfer. As you might imagine, everything in Augusta is 10 times the price during this one week of the year.”
At the highest end, these trips are full luxury experiences. “Our programs include private home luxury accommodations just 15 minutes from Augusta National, breakfast each morning in your home, weekend brunch at our 19th Hole Hospitality House, nightly cocktail receptions with gourmet dinners daily, and transportation,” says Clark, adding that guests enjoy open-bar service and all-inclusive food and beverages throughout their stay. “For an additional fee, we can arrange tee times at premier area courses. This is a popular request and includes Augusta Country Club, The Tree Farm, Palmetto Golf Club, The River Golf Club and Champions Retreat Golf Club.” Due to Augusta’s policies, he would not cite prices.
This is not a trip you should attempt on short notice. Most people plan a year ahead to attend, and prices almost always rise over time, so you might as well book early.
All of Premier Golf’s packages had sold out by the end of October. At press time, Premier Golf was still offering “stay and play” practice round packages combining two rounds of golf and lodging at Reynolds Lake Oconee resort, about an hour away, with either Monday or Tuesday Masters tickets, from $7,700 per person. U.K.-based Golf Traveller was still selling packages for three nights at Reynolds, private transfers, off-course hospitality and two days at the Masters from $16,400 per person.
If you’re feeling lucky, there is an annual online lottery for rare at-cost tickets on the Augusta National website that takes applications the first three weeks of June for the following year (you can try for 2027 this summer). That is the only realistic way to get affordable tickets.
Insider Tips
You are allowed to bring chairs, and this is important, as other than a few grandstands and the odd bench, there is very little seating within the grounds. A famous Augusta tradition is that once you place your chair, no one will move it, or take it, and you can come and go and expect it to be vacant in the same place when you return—even up against the ropes at the 18th green. Many stores in town sell collapsible travel chairs. “It’s so safe,” says Clark, “that not only can you leave your chair and know it will be there in the same place when you get back, you could probably leave your wallet on it.” Frisch adds: “Get there early and put your seat down at 18. You can then walk around all day and it will be there when the leaders come up the final fairway.”
There are two entrances to Augusta, the main one, near one, 18 and the clubhouse, and the South Gate, closer to five, six and Amen Corner, so plan on arriving closer to where you want to set your chair, since it’s a fast walk once the gates open to secure a fine spot. Many patrons prefer to stay in one place but it is optimal if you can view more than one hole at a time.
Harris likes Amen Corner but also points out the back of the second green. “That’s a great spot because you can watch the approach and putting on two and the tee shot on three.” Ten-time veteran Frisch points to the grandstand behind 12 and the hill on hole six. “Anyone can go to the practice range,” says Harris, “but a lot of people do not take advantage.”
While tickets are sky high, prices within Augusta National are dirt cheap. (Where else can you get a sandwich and a beer and get change back for a $10 bill?) Don’t miss the beloved Georgia peach ice cream, served at hyper-efficient concession stands. The lines for the clean bathrooms move fast here, unlike the long, slow moving line to get into the massive merchandise pavilion, where everything that can be adorned with a Masters logo is sold. The secret is a smaller (but still well-equipped) option with consistently shorter lines, the South Gate merchandise tent, near the 16th hole. Augusta offers efficient packing and shipping services inside so you don’t have to carry anything home.
Many people who make the investment to attend are so wowed they end up going back more than once. It is an unforgettable and deeply moving experience, and like the players, the audience is part of the history being made each year.
“Every year everyone who goes can potentially be part of golf history,” says Clark. Those in attendance last year got to see the completion of the rare Grand Slam. Harris has his own Masters history: “The greatest shot I’ve ever witnessed was Phil Mickelson’s putt to win on 18. First it was completely dead silent, than a murmur grew when he rolled the putt, then dead silence again when it hung on the lip and no one knew which way it would go. Then it just erupted, exploded, when it dropped. Just talking about it now, 20 years later, it still gives me chills.”
