Augusta National declined to comment on the video. Well, sort of. They very literally commented on the YouTube video itself — “Hello, friends,” wrote the Masters account, which leads the comment section with 10,000 likes — but didn’t offer official comment on the process itself. Still, GOLF.com spoke with multiple people familiar with the decision-making process that allowed Dude Perfect through its gates.
From Augusta’s perspective, the group of trick-shot artists provided a logical way to reach a younger, more diverse group than typical Masters attendees. The folks involved with running the Masters speak frequently about “growing the game” through initiatives like the Asia-Pacific Amateur or the Latin American Amateur. But those are tournaments for top-ranked golfers, while this was a chance to reach potential golf fans who’d never watched a single shot. The tournament built trust with the Dude Perfect squad over a period of time, inviting them to last year’s Masters and staying in regular communication.
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“This was a chance to draw eyeballs who might not have ever watched a golf video,” Coleman said. “We wanted to do something that would showcase some of the things that matter at Augusta while also pushing the envelope enough to draw people in.”
Rather than laying down the law and explaining what was off-limits, Coleman said that Augusta encouraged their group to pitch their ideal video and then see how close they could get to making it happen. This level of access is the sort of thing that would have been greenlit by Augusta’s membership as well as its chairman, Fred Ridley. The fact that the video is now public suggests the membership and its chairman were amenable to the idea.
It was important for both sides to connect the video to the Masters itself. Nantz’s voice was a last-minute addition (“Augusta National is able to work their magic when they can,” Coleman explained). “Masters Facts” pop up periodically. And the inclusion of a Masters competitor led Dude Perfect to DeChambeau, who has YouTube dreams of his own and has been a fan of the group for a long time.
“He was great,” Coleman said of DeChambeau. “He was like, ‘You need me there tomorrow?'”
The video was filmed a couple of weeks before tournament play; you can see grandstands already in place. And, to paraphrase someone with close knowledge of the situation, no blades of grass were harmed during production. Unless it came from a frisbee skimming across the green, that is. In hindsight, the frisbees could have been more carefully vetted.
It’s tough to poll the collective internet, but reaction to the video’s release seemed to be generally positive. Viewers praised Augusta’s willingness to be showcased in a different light and not take itself too seriously. Some skeptics, meanwhile, objected that the video felt off-brand for the tournament’s carefully crafted reputation.
No matter which side you fall on, it’s worth noting that this isn’t likely to open any floodgates. Vloggers won’t suddenly be welcomed up Magnolia Lane to try on members’ blazers and play the par-3 course. Instead, our exposure to the course will be restricted, as it has been, to one short stretch in April, when it captures the eyes of the sporting world.
