If you’re watching the Masters this week, you may be thinking some variation of the following:
Hmm, that place looks cool.
Fun par-5s.
Green, green grass.
Big, fun trees.
Cool creeks!
I’m gonna book a tee time.
But that last bit may give you some trouble. After all, Augusta National is one of the most exclusive golf clubs in the United States. It’s also arguably the most famous golf course in the world. That combination means it can be very difficult for you, a member of the general public, to play it, like, ever.
But not quite impossible. And I’m here to help.
So how can you access Augusta? Here’s a semi-exhaustive list:
1. Befriend a member
Probably the most common way that people get to play golf at Augusta National is by invitation via one of the club’s members. While its membership roll is not public, Augusta has in the neighborhood of 300 members and most are allowed to bring guests on select days of the season to play. There’s a little flexibility with these invites, too: while members are required to be on property with their guests, they don’t actually have to accompany them throughout the round. So start sending those LinkedIn requests!
2. Befriend a Masters champ
In the leadup to the Masters, past champs come and play Augusta National to take advantage of their honorary memberships and prep for the tournament. Think Tiger Woods traveling to town with his righthand man Rob McNamara, his son Charlie and his buddy Justin Thomas. If you become best friends or family with a Masters champ then you, too, could make some simple trips like this one.
I’ll add that you could befriend someone who’s in the Masters field, too — you just probably have to be even better friends. Some first-timer is unlikely to bring a second-tier buddy to join him and a member in a pre-Masters practice round.
3. Become a member
Just don’t ask to become one; that allegedly dooms your chances. But I don’t love your chances as it is. There are only a few hundred of these people, after all. So if you’re a normal member of society rather than a head of a corporation or state, this might not be the right pathway for you.
4. Volunteer at the Masters
Even without a connection to a member, there are still other ways to play the course. Volunteers who work a full week at the Masters are invited to an “Appreciation Day” each May, where they are allowed to play a round of golf. The only problem? There’s a waiting list to even become a volunteer! This is a tightly-guarded honor that can get passed from one generation to the next without ever entering the open market.
5. Become a media member — and then get lucky
There are other perks to this gig, too, like access to unlimited chicken sandwiches in the palatial media center. But among the tensest moments of the week is when reporters and photographers rush to check the list of lottery winners on Friday afternoon. Roughly six foursomes-worth of media (that’s 24 people) win each year. Only downside: once you win, you can’t enter again for seven years. So this isn’t a recipe for regular play.
6. Join Augusta University’s golf team
Patrick Reed’s alma mater, the Augusta University Jaguars, play at nearby Forest Hills but get invited semi-regularly to the National for outings. Other Georgia golf teams reportedly also receive invites from time to time — Georgia Tech’s Christo Lamprecht talked about his team’s Augusta trips earlier this month. But age and skill could be limiting factors here…
7. Get a job at the club
Near the end of each season, club employees get the chance to tee it up before Augusta shuts down for the summer. (Augusta National is a winter club, which means it’s closed between roughly the months of May and October.)
8. Caddie at the club
After a season hauling sticks around the course, caddies get rewarded with a chance to put their learned knowledge to the test at the end of the season. Plenty of these guys work summers at prestigious clubs in the Northeast and plenty are nice players in their own right. We’re guessing they could beat most of the members…
9. Work for a big-time sponsor
In addition to media members, some select friends of Augusta National get to play the Monday after the Masters. We’re guessing that means a few folks from sponsors at AT&T, Delta, IBM, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex or UPS — but it’s tough to know for sure. The club doesn’t really like to talk about this sort of thing.
10. Qualify for the tournament
Making it into the Masters isn’t exactly a picnic. It requires winning a PGA Tour event, cracking the top 50 in the world rankings or taking down one of the world’s most prestigious amateur events. But once you do? Plenty of golf at Augusta awaits!
And if you’re a female amateur, the Augusta National Women’s Am is for you. Your course access will be limited — after two rounds at nearby Champions Retreat, just 30 players make it to the final round at Augusta — but every competitor at least gets to play the practice round on the Friday of the event.
There are other sneakier or more nefarious ways you could finagle a few swings at Augusta, but we can’t recommend those in good conscience; the security is too good around here.
And don’t wear your Jason Day sweater.
Good luck!
