Augusta National Golf Club: History, Traditions, and What Makes It Different
Augusta National Golf Club is the most famous golf course in the world. It hosts one event — the Masters Tournament, held every April — and is otherwise closed to the public and deeply private. Its membership is restricted, its layout has never hosted any event other than the Masters, and its traditions are so precisely maintained that the same music plays at the same moments during broadcasts each year. Understanding Augusta National means understanding why golf has a cathedral and what that cathedral's architecture is designed to produce.
The Origin: Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie
Bobby Jones retired from competitive golf in 1930 after winning the Grand Slam — the US Open, British Open, US Amateur, and British Amateur in a single calendar year, an achievement that has never been repeated. He wanted to build a golf course that expressed his ideas about what the game should test. He purchased a former indigo plantation in Augusta, Georgia, and hired Alister MacKenzie — the Scottish doctor-turned-architect who had designed Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne — to design the course with him.
MacKenzie died before the course opened in 1933 and did not live to see the Masters inaugural in 1934. The course as it was built reflected MacKenzie's design principles — wide fairways, dramatic undulation around the greens, ground-game options for every approach — filtered through Jones's ideas about strategy and the specific pleasures of golf played on receptive, beautiful turf. The course has been modified significantly over the decades, primarily lengthened, but the essential MacKenzie-Jones design logic remains.
Amen Corner
Amen Corner — the collective name for holes 11, 12, and 13 at Augusta National — is the most famous three-hole sequence in golf. The name was coined by Sports Illustrated writer Herbert Warren Wind in 1958. The 11th is a long par 4 with Rae's Creek guarding the left approach. The 12th — Golden Bell — is a 155-yard par 3 over Rae's Creek to a narrow green that angles away from the tee, where the wind swirls in ways that make club selection essentially impossible to read reliably. The 13th is a reachable par 5 with Rae's Creek crossing the fairway in front of the green.
More Masters championships have been won and lost in Amen Corner than on any other three consecutive holes in any major championship venue. Jordan Spieth's 2016 Masters collapse happened at the 12th. Seve Ballesteros's 1986 final round faltered at the 15th after surviving Amen Corner. The corner is where the Masters is decided.
The Traditions
The azaleas. Augusta National's azaleas — pink, white, and red — bloom in time for the Masters and are the visual signature of the tournament's spring atmosphere. CBS's first broadcast shot each year is typically the azaleas. The coincidence of bloom and tournament week is not coincidental; the course's horticulture staff manages the bloom timing carefully.
The Par 3 Contest. Played on the Wednesday before the Masters opens on the Augusta National par-3 course. Champions traditionally allow family members — children and grandchildren — to caddie. No Par 3 Contest winner has ever won the Masters in the same year; the streak is maintained earnestly by players who consciously sandbag the Wednesday event.
The green jacket. The Masters champion receives a green jacket at the conclusion of the tournament, fitted specifically to the winner's measurements. The jacket must remain at Augusta National; champions may not take it home. A replica jacket is provided for display purposes.
The champion's dinner. The defending Masters champion hosts a dinner for all past champions the Tuesday before the tournament. The menu is chosen by the defending champion; the dinner is one of the most exclusive events in professional golf.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the public play Augusta National?
No. Augusta National Golf Club is a private club that does not offer public play under any circumstances. Access requires membership or an invitation from a member. The Masters Tournament is the only event at which spectators may observe play at Augusta National.
Who designed Augusta National?
Augusta National was designed by Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie, opening in 1933. MacKenzie died before the course opened. Subsequent modifications have been made by multiple architects, most significantly lengthening the course in response to advances in equipment.