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Masters Tourney Tip Sheet

Masters Tourney Tip Sheet

by Eric · 27 things on Twos

Have flown to Augusta, Atlanta (2.5 hours) and Savannah (2 hours 15 min.). Both ATL and SAV are easy drives, the ATL drive on Interstate 20? Columbia another easy choice, but we haven’t tried it yet.
Get house within 5 miles of Augusta National (AN),if possible. Evans? We stayed in 2022 at 206 Kings Chappel? Drive is approx. 10 min.
Go back way to AN (stay off WA Road). Approach AN on Berckmans Road from the South (cross street is Ingleside or Wheeler?). You can approach AN from the North on Alexander Dr. (Which turns into Berckmans Road when it crosses WA Road) from River Watch Parkway (which parallels WA Road and runs East-West).
Get there from 7:30-7:45AM (gates open at 8AM?) and hope to be in lots C or D, nearest South Gate. So, enter the lots at the earliest opportunity. They won’t let you in the Berckmans Place parking, which is farthest South.
Leave your phone in the car!! If you forget to, you’ll have to check it and that may require standing in line. For emergencies, there are a few banks of wired phones to make free calls.
Line up and enter South Gate (chair out of bag, please). Not sure what the rule is on taking in multiple chairs. It used to be you couldn’t; not so sure anymore.
Pick up Spectator Guide and pairing sheet as you walk in.
Entrance to Berckmans Place on your right as you walk onto the grounds, if you’re lucky.
You need a Masters chair. If you don’t have one, buy one ($30) in the shop on the right, if the line isn’t too long? Have a pen to put your name on it.
Careful if it’s wet from dew or rain. The hills get slippery (we seen more than 1 patron with a muddy backside from hitting the deck).
The first day, hustle down the hill following the signs to 16 (bear left; if you bear right, you’ll be at 15, etc.) and put your chair on 16, across the lake from the green (in the first couple of rows behind the rope and even with the first trap on other side?). Check your sight lines to 15 and 16 tee. Make sure you remember where you put them because when you return to them later in the day, there will be hundreds of the same chair all around them!
Head for the first tee/putting green at first tee/main shop. If you can make it in time, try to see honorary starters tee off? If you’re not going to make it, along the way, grab a breakfast sandwich (breakfast sandwich with sausage is best?) and coffee (at concession stand around 14 tee). As you walk along, stop, look around and take it all in (as you cross 15, stop in the walkway and imagine hitting the approach shot to the green (this may be my favorite place to stop and take it all in) and check out the “perfection” of the fairway. Also, as you walk, make plans to meet up certain places at certain times if you get separated. Our “go to” is the Masters records monument behind the 17 green stands. So you might say, “if we’re separated, meet at the 17 monument at 11AM, then 1PM, and 3PM.” Remember, you won’t be texting to reconnect if you get separated.
When you’re around the first tee, think hard about going to get your complimentary Masters photo in front of the clubhouse/at the end of Magnolia drive. It’s a good time to try to get it. Expect line of 30+ mins. You need to walk East between the clubhouse and first tee putting green, between Butler cabin and Ike’s cabin towards the Par 3 course, and turn left/North and then walk East. You’ll see some of the Par 3 course holes as you walk which are cool.
After you pic, go the the main shop. Line will be long but it moves pretty quick. If you don’t get there relatively early during your visit, it will sell out of stuff (the hottest item in 2022 was the Masters gnome, which are like collectibles; they limited them to 1/patron). Inside it’s an absolute zoo. Be ready for mayhem. Keep your eye out for certain hats you like (there seem to be a few most popular styles each year), get a pin flag, ball marker set, key chain, t-shirts, the year’s collectible poster, etc. Have a list of folks you’re buying for and be ready. Things happen fast in there. Ask about Masters tees, which they haven’t had in a number of years, but everyone wants.
When you walk out of the shop, think about shipping your stuff at the shipping location immediately left as you walk out of the shop. There may be a line. It’s an amazingly efficient process and it goes pretty fast. Seeing how the Masters has shipping organized is worth standing in the line.
Unless there is a player on the early holes you want to follow, think about heading to the range. If you can get a seat or there’s a spot on the standing rail (where the sun will be hitting you if it’s cold), tend towards the left end of the range (nearest the putting green). That is where the majority of players hit balls (it’s closest to where they leave the range to walk to the first tee). On the other end, you can be person who says good morning to them/their caddies as they come out of their locker room (unless it’s Tiger, who got to the range on another path?), if you want. Pretty cool to watch the players hit balls on probably the coolest range you’ll ever see (in 2022, we watched Scott, Hutton and Berger the most and on the days we watched them on the range, they all played poorly!).
You can also watch them putt and practice their short games (and keep an eye on the shop line while doing it if you haven’t hit the shop yet).
After you’ve done the “obligatory” stuff (pic and shop), time to watch golf. If physically able, every first timer should walk the ENTIRE course, first tee to 18 green. It’s amazingly beautiful and to a person, “a lot hillier than TV does justice to.”
As you walk around, be looking at stands and viewing areas for future reference. Try to think in terms of where/which holes you would most like to watch. Look at the Spectator Guides for Bobby Jones’ recommended multiple shot/holes viewing areas.
Our favorites through the years have been: 16 green (where you’re “reserved” chairs will be for the day (no one will mess with them!)), 16 tee and 15 green (wherever you place your chairs, sit in them to confirm you like the views); (2 green (for the approach shots down the hill) and 8 tee shot; 3 green and 4 tee shot (a 220+ yard, very hard 3 par); 5 fairway; 6 tee shot (check out the pin placement on Sunday); 7 green and 8 tee shot; 8 green (5 par reachable in 2); 9 approach and green; 10 tee shot down the hill; 10 green (200+ yard approach); 11 green and 12 tee (in the stands, preferably right behind 12 tee, but good standing areas as well; 13 fairway; 13 green and 14 tee; 15 fairway and 15 green; at 15 green, stands on the North side, as far west as possible for a possible view of 16 green; Stands at 17 green; behind 18 tee box (looking through the 18 tunnel) and 18 green, which can get pretty crowded (12 rows deep?).
When you place your chairs to use later in the day, try to anticipate if a player will hit an errant shot into the area where your chairs are; if this happens and you’re not there to remove/replace your chairs, your chairs will get moved out to allow the player’s next shot and won’t be put back where you left them; you’ll have a tough time finding them later! This has happened to us before!
Over the course of your day(s), try all the sandwiches! As everyone has heard, all the concessions are very inexpensive and tasty. A pimento cheese sandwich is obligatory (so you can say you’ve had one), and the BBQ, chicken club, egg salad, chicken, ham and cheese on rye, are all great! We didn’t get one in 2022, but the ice cream sandwiches/bars look great, especially if hot.
Drink the beverages (beers!) in the plastic souvenir cups. Start your “stack” of cups early and return with as many as you’re willing to carry. Try to get those with the year (“Masters 2022”) on them. The “dated” cups will help you remember when you were there (if you’re trying to build your stack drinking beers, your memories may be a little fuzzy and the dated cups will help!).
Get to AN early in the AM because it’s beautiful; Also, make full days of your time there as the late afternoon/early evenings are maybe the best time. Lots of patrons get worn out and leave mid-afternoon. So, the late afternoon/early evenings are less crowded and make watching easier.
If there’s a thunderstorm/lighting warning and you’re asked to leave AN, drag your feet. Be one of the last patrons off the property because they’ll often reopen the course/start golf again and, when they do, you’ll have the run of the place. Some of the best times to watch the action are after rain/lightning delays.
When you leave for the tourney/year, stop and reflect on how great it was. It’s really the best ticket in sports, I think. Then, get busy figuring out how you’ll get back because you now have the “itch” (I promise; I’ve always said, if someone offers a ticket for even a half day, I’d do it in a heartbeat (and that’s after having been to the tourney a dozen (?) times). It’s always worth it!
Side note: I think it gets more and more crowded each year (despite what AN says otherwise). So, the sooner you go, the better. By the way, even with the ever-growing crowd, it’s still amazing!!!