The Masters Tournament: Augusta's Complete History
The Masters Tournament is the newest of golf's four major championships and, by almost any measure, the most iconic. It has been played at the same course — Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia — every year since 1934 (with interruptions for World War II). It is the only major that returns to the same venue annually, which has allowed Augusta National to develop the infrastructure, conditioning, and visual consistency that makes Masters week look like no other week in sports.
The Founding: Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts
Bobby Jones — the amateur golfer who won the Grand Slam in 1930 (the US Open, US Amateur, British Open, and British Amateur in a single calendar year) and then retired from competitive golf at age 28 — co-founded Augusta National Golf Club with financier Clifford Roberts in 1933. Jones worked with Scottish architect Alister MacKenzie to design the course on a former plant nursery. The tournament they organized — initially called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, renamed the Masters in 1939 — was intended to reunite Jones with his friends from the amateur game and honor the sport he loved.
Jones never won the Masters; his retirement from competitive golf predated the tournament, and his attempts to compete revealed a game diminished by years away from serious play. He stopped competing after 1948, declining health eventually preventing him from attending in person. But his presence shaped the tournament's values and character for decades after.
The MacKenzie Design
Alister MacKenzie died in January 1934, two months before the first Masters Tournament was played on his course. The design he and Jones produced is considered one of the greatest in golf history — not for its difficulty (Augusta plays easier than most major championship venues) but for its strategic complexity. Every hole offers multiple routes, and the optimal route changes depending on where the pin is located. The 13th hole, a par 5 that can be eagled, birdied, parred, or reached only in three, is the most strategically layered hole in major championship golf.
The Amen Corner
The 11th, 12th, and 13th holes at Augusta National — the stretch Herbert Warren Wind called "Amen Corner" in a 1958 Sports Illustrated article — is the most drama-generating stretch of holes in major championship golf. The 11th is a long par 4 where Rae's Creek on the left swallows right-to-left approach shots. The 12th is a 155-yard par 3 across Rae's Creek to the narrowest green on the course, where the wind swirls unpredictably from the surrounding pines. The 13th is the most reachable par 5 in major championship golf, where the decision to go for the green in two — over the creek that fronts the putting surface — produces some of the Masters' most electric moments.
The Champions
The Masters champion list reads as the roster of the greatest players of the last 90 years. Jack Nicklaus won six (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986). Tiger Woods won five (1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2019). Arnold Palmer won four (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964). Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Phil Mickelson, and Sam Snead each won three. The roll call is essentially a timeline of golf greatness.
The Traditions
The Masters' traditions are carefully maintained: the champion's dinner (where the defending champion selects the menu), the Par 3 Contest on Wednesday, the presentation of the green jacket to the new champion, the same volunteer policies, the same CBS broadcast team, the same practice round format. These traditions give the tournament a continuity that the other majors — which rotate venues and inevitably change character — cannot replicate.
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Masters Tournament start?
The Masters Tournament was first played in March 1934 at Augusta National Golf Club. Horton Smith won the inaugural event. The tournament was renamed from the "Augusta National Invitation Tournament" to "the Masters" in 1939.
Why is the Masters always at Augusta National?
The Masters is a proprietary tournament owned and operated by Augusta National Golf Club, which means it is not subject to the rotation requirements of the USGA (US Open) or R&A (The Open Championship). Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts established it as a tournament held at their own course, and that arrangement has continued under the club's successive leadership.