Going to Augusta for the Masters just got easier. Here’s how

Getting Masters tickets remains the most elusive act in golf. But for a long time, getting to Augusta, Ga. ranked a close second.

Not any longer, it seems. On Friday morning, Delta Airlines announced plans to “nearly double” its year-over-year offerings to the Augusta Regional Airport for Masters tournament week. The effort will see the addition of six brand-new routes to Augusta from a series of airports around the United States, tripling the number of available direct destinations from three to nine.

According to Delta, the new schedule features new routes from Washington D.C., Boston, Austin, New York-JFK, Palm Beach and Orlando — in addition to preexisting direct flights from New York-LaGuardia, Detroit and Atlanta. Those changes will result in over “200 one-stop connections to Augusta” from a host of airports around the United States, including through popular Delta hubs JFK (New York), Atlanta-Hartsfield, and Detroit Metro Airport.

“As an official partner again this year, customers can expect a Delta experience that goes beyond the flight, from takeoff to the greens in Augusta,” Delta SVP of network planning Joe Esposito said in a release.

For years, those who wanted to attend golf’s first major from out of state were faced with only three choices. The first, and by far most common: fly into Atlanta, a huge international transit hub welcoming millions of visitors per year, and drive the nearly 2.5 hours into Augusta. The second, and by far least common: fly private into Augusta, minimizing travel time but maximizing odds of running afoul of your climate-conscious friends. The third option, perhaps least convenient, was to fly commercially into Augusta — a tiny airport located on the outskirts of town with few flights that often cost a small fortune.

Now, with Delta’s increased partnership, there is reason for hope that reaching Augusta will not only be more time-efficient but also more cost-effective.

The business of reaching the Masters is, we should remind you, not cheap. Those who attend the Masters from out of state are forced to manage a travel schedule that can take a whole day just to navigate from other east coast cities to the course. With hotels and Airbnbs in town costing so much money the U.S. Tax Code created a provision just for tournament week, often just the cost of getting to the tournament represents an exorbitant expense — let alone earning access to the most expensive ticket in pro sports.

In theory, the Delta change most benefits those from big U.S. cities hoping to splurge for a life-changing day without incurring the time burden of reaching the tournament or the financial burden of staying in town. Under the new schedule, fans will have more access than ever to jet in and out of town in a jiffy, which is great news for those sitting on the brink of a bucket list trip.

In short, it might never be easy to get to the Masters, but thanks to Delta’s schedule shift, it’s getting easier than ever. Now about those tickets…