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AUGUSTA, Ga. - Who should we see first: Tiger Woods or the gnome?
Those are the types of questions my family and I pondered the night before going to The Masters Tournament for the first time.
The weather on Thursday made our Friday tickets even more valuable since Round 1 still needed to be tidied up with play restarting just before 8 a.m. Tiger still had 5 holes left at Augusta National and I wanted to see every shot I could. I voted Tiger. The group chose otherwise and now I own a $50, 13-inch-tall gnome that will age like a fine wine if kept in tip-top shape.
That question might be unique to our experience, but like every other Masters rookies, the entire day was a new and exploratory experience - from crushing pimento cheese sandwiches and Crow’s Nest beers to trying the navigate the course and find the best viewing spots. It's a mix of excitement and anxiety being a Masters patron for the first time. You don't know where to go, how to act and what to see.
There was a lot to like and plenty I would do differently. If you have yet to experience the Masters, perhaps this will help you maximize your own first-time experience.
Morning at The Masters
My brother lives in Augusta and was able to get tickets from someone he met. On the secondary market in Augusta, tickets were going for anywhere from $2,000 to $4,500 each day. There are plenty of ticket brokers in the area during tournament week, but Augusta National does have protocols in place to track where the tickets come from, and they frown upon secondary purchases. Buyer beware.
The house we were staying at was 15 minutes from the course, so we left just before 6 a.m. Traffic and parking, which is free, was a breeze. We were parked and in line waiting for the gates to open in less than 30 minutes from the time we left the house.
The phone-free wait with temps in the high 50s as the sun just began to peek over the Georgia pines was an underrated moment of the day. The only mistake I made was not having a hot coffee in a disposable cup for the 35-minute wait before the gates opened (I was too eager to leave the house).
We entered the North gate, which leads right past the Tournament Practice Facility and main merchandise building before reaching the course. The barricades forming the line to the merchandise building start far away. You cannot see how long the wait will be. If you are there early, it is a good idea to enter the line as you walk past it. If it is too long a wait you easily can exit under the rope and head to the course, but you can’t do the opposite - go under the rope if you see it’s a short line.
We went in right away to get our gnomes. All told, I ended up spending around $600 on a shirt, polos, hoodie and other small things for around the house that I probably don’t need. From what I saw from other shoppers, I was on the lower end of patron spending. It was well worth it in my opinion. One of us took all the purchases back out to the car. Each pass we had was good for two entries each day.
How to watch golf as a patron at The Masters
Now it was time for some golf. We made our way quickly to no. 15 to see Tiger play his third over the water. It was surreal to just be out there: the mystique of a course that you know so much about and have so many memories of - yet you’ve never been there - and now you are. It’s a feeling I will never forget.
After Tiger finished no. 17, we grabbed a coffee and took a stroll through the back nine even though no golf was being played. I recommend doing so. Amen Corner is tough to beat and with very few people out there you can take it all in.
With the second round underway, we headed to the front nine. The spot right behind the second green was one of my favorites to watch shots coming down the hill. The rest of the day was filled with walking the course two times through, first to loosely follow Tiger’s group in the morning and then Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s group in the afternoon. We tried to hit holes we skipped in the morning the second time around. Two trips around gave me two lasting memories: A great feel for the course and sore legs the next day.
My two favorite places to watch golf were behind the sixth green and on the hill behind the 11th green and the 12th tee, that fascinating short par 3 where so many tournament dreams die. Hole 6 delivers perfect viewing. Because it’s shaded, patrons can see the shots in the air the whole time. You’re above the hole so you can see the cup when the pin is out. The hole 11/12 combo spot is great for obvious reasons. It was easier to find a good standing spot than I anticipated.
A menu guide to The Masters
Throughout the day, we made nine trips through the concession buildings. Only once did we have a wait longer than 5 minutes. It’s quite the operation. The pimiento cheese was tasty but a little more garlic-salty than ones I’ve had in the past. The Crow’s Nest beer is a wheat ale that is quite refreshing; I had a few. Since everyone keeps the cups, they serve as evidence of those who have over-imbibed. My favorite was the Pork Bar-b-que sandwich. It wasn’t too heavy or saucy but still had nice flavor. Though to be honest, the low prices and being at Augusta National watching the best players in the world makes all the food taste better than it probably is.
We wrapped the day on the 16th hole. It was equally fun to watch Jon Rahm hole a 40-foot birdie putt from across the green as it was to talk with my family about the famous shots we all remember having taken place on the green right in front of us. In the words of a man who made a career staring at that exact green, 'Oh my goodness!'
What a day it was.
What are your favorite memories from attending the Masters? Let us know in the comments below.
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