Augusta National's Evolution Through Eyes of Masters Patrons

This year’s Masters Tournament was my first in attendance, and I can now attest that the present-day in-person experience is a delightful one. However, I found myself curious about how the patron experience has changed over time and wanted to tap into the memory bank of seasoned attendees, those who had walked the fairways decades before I’d even been born.

So as Rory McIlroy and Cameron Young made their way to the course on Sunday morning, I roamed Augusta National, surveying elderly patrons about the first Masters they attended and how the annual tournament has changed since.

Behind the 16th green, I spoke with a man decked out in American flag-themed clothing from head to toe who recounted the Masters experience in 1960. Another older gentleman who was struggling to keep his footing down the 10th hole wasn’t quite sure the year of his first Masters, but laughed and told me he’d met Bobby Jones. A woman born and raised in Augusta didn’t hold back between shots as she sat near the fifth green. I also spoke with a man along the 11th fairway who had no interest in talking to me but looked like he could have watched Horton Smith win the inaugural Masters in 1934.

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“Sir, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s the first Masters you ever attended?” I politely inquired. “This one, why?” he grumbled back.

Responses varied, but a consensus from participants formed around two themes. When the overwhelming majority of patrons heard what I was interested in, they chuckled and escaped into a world of nostalgia for a few minutes, reminiscing about a tournament that carries deep meaning in their lives.

Here is a sampling of my favorite anecdotes I collected on Sunday.

Patron(s) 1

First Masters: 1973

A couple who have attended the tournament annually since 1973 immediately pointed to the swelling crowds as the biggest change. Parking is completely different, too, they added. The husband gestured in the direction of Washington Road, noting that where they once parked is now a neighborhood.

Both agreed that the Masters is just as good now as it was back then — “the grandest experience of any tournament in the world” — although they wistfully wondered aloud how many more Masters they’d be able to attend given their age. They also expressed confusion about the craze surrounding the merchandise tent. “Why are some of these people even here?” the wife asked. “Is it for the tournament or for the merchandise?”

When I solicited her opinion on the rumor that 2026 could be the final year of the garden gnome, she didn’t hesitate: “Well, I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

Patron 2

First Masters: 1976

“People used to dress up, like they were going on an airplane,” one longtime attendee told me. “They used to sell tickets in the local banks to try and promote the tournament. It’s impossible to get a ticket now.” Back then, his group would park a motor home near what is now the South Gate and share a couple of badges among 12–14 people, coming and going freely throughout the day. Today, badges can only be scanned twice per day. In his view, patrons were more focused on the golf itself in those days.

Patron 3

First Masters: 1975

Crossing the sixth hole, a woman described how the tournament feels entirely different now. One change she noted is how accessible it once was for military members. “My husband was in the Navy, and he could walk up to the gates in his uniform without a ticket and get in for dirt cheap, something like $15,” she said.

Patron 4

First Masters: 1960

This marked the 47th Masters for one gentleman I spoke with. Back in 1960, he noted, you could walk right up to the gate and buy a ticket. “Now, you wait in line for everything,” he said.

He also mentioned that the course has grown significantly longer and more difficult to walk, and that course caddies were once stationed on every hole to rake bunkers.

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Patron 5

First Masters: Early 1970s  

An Augusta native eagerly shared stories of her time regularly attending the Masters throughout the years. She loves the tournament but expressed some frustration. Her father used to have tickets every year; now she struggles to find tickets.

“We were too stupid to get on the list back then, is what you’re trying to say,” her husband interjected. She also talked about the social scene between the sixth hole and the 16th green. “That’s where all the young people partied,” she said, laughing.

If she could change anything about the experience today, it would be implementing a ticket lottery for Augusta locals to restore access to their hometown tournament.

“It used to be more of an Augusta local event,” she said. “They’ve taken that away from us.”

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Augusta National

Augusta, GAAlister MacKenzie & Bobby Jones1933

Ever since it opened, Augusta National has been in a constant state of evolution (for better or for worse), but it remains one of the greatest championship venues in the world

Hole 1 - Tea Olive

Par 4445 yds

Augusta National's property is defined by a single broad downslope that ends at Rae’s Creek, and this par-4 opener is the only hole on the course that sits completely on top of it. Strategically, No. 1 at Augusta National is one of the most compelling opening holes in professional golf.

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Hole 2 - Pink Dogwood

Par 5585 yds

The second hole at Augusta National produces more off-the-tee variety than most par 5s in professional golf.

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Hole 3 - Flowering Peach

Par 4350 yds

Players face three basic options off the tee: hit a long iron or hybrid near the bunkers at the top of the first ridge, leaving a full wedge in; bash it left, past the bunkers and into the valley short left of the green; or go straight for the green in hopes of at least holding the narrow shelf short right. The most strategically complex hole on the golf course, “Flowering Peach” has stood the test of time, less affected by distance gains than most holes at Augusta National.

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Hole 4 - Flowering Crab Apple

Par 3240 yds

The first — and longest — par 3 at Augusta National has historically required a strong strike with at least a long iron, though club selections in the Masters have shifted as distance gains have spiraled out of control. Can you execute a towering shot with a long iron, hybrid, or fairway wood?

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Hole 5 - Magnolia

Par 4 495 yds

“Magnolia” is like Paul Thomas Anderson’s film of the same name: brilliant, probably underrated, but a tad bloated. Nonetheless, the hole presents an honest challenge, and the green is one of the most artfully shaped at Augusta National (or anywhere else).

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Hole 6 - Juniper

Par 3180 yds

“Juniper” is, in our opinion, Augusta National’s second-best par 3. Each pin position presents a different range of challenges and exciting possible outcomes.

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Hole 7 - Pampas

Par 4450 yds

Yes, the green contours are fun, but “Pampas” has morphed into something that Alister MacKenzie likely would not endorse: a hole that merely defends itself through length and narrowness rather than asking complex strategic questions.

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Hole 8 - Yellow Jasmine

Par 5570 yds

This uphill three-shotter consistently produces the highest scoring average of Augusta National’s four par 5s, but it still presents a welcome birdie opportunity after the tough stretch of Nos. 4-7. “Yellow Jasmine” is the most underrated hole at Augusta National.

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Hole 9 - Carolina Cherry

Par 4460 yds

The ninth hole plays from a high point near the first and eighth greens, down through a valley frequently used by galleries, and up the hill where the clubhouse sits. From a risk-reward perspective, “Carolina Cherry” is a bit of a muddle.

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Hole 10 - Camellia

Par 4495 yds

The 10th hole kicks off the back half of the round in hair-raising fashion, plunging 100 feet into a valley shrouded by tall pines. Perry Maxwell’s 1938 transformation of “Camellia” is one of the rare cases in which a change to MacKenzie and Jones’s design represented a substantial improvement.

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Hole 11 - White Dogwood

Par 4520 yds

No. 11 is simply a brute, often playing as the most difficult hole to par at Augusta National. It’s also been one of the most frequently tinkered-with holes at Augusta National.

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Hole 12 - Golden Bell

Par 3155 yds

The focal point of Amen Corner and the center of gravity in any final round of the Masters, the 12th hole at Augusta National is as terrifying as it is beautiful.

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Hole 13 - Azalea

Par 5545 yds

This iconic risk-reward par 5 offers the first of a series of birdie opportunities on Augusta National’s home stretch.

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Hole 14 - Chinese Fir

Par 4440 yds

Although some nuances of MacKenzie and Jones’s original strategic concept for the hole have been lost, “Chinese Fir” is still a compelling par 4, rewarding precise and well-shaped shots both off the tee and into the green.

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Hole 15 - Firethorn

Par 5550 yds

No. 15 consistently presents one of the toughest decisions players have to make during their rounds: go for the green in two or lay up to one of the most demanding wedge shots in golf.

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Hole 16 - Redbud

Par 3170 yds

Set at the base of the ridge that the fifth green and sixth tee occupy, the par-3 16th hole provides a ready stage for championship-defining shots. Over the past several decades, the 16th has shown an undeniable knack for spectacle.

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Hole 17 - Nandina

Par 4450 yds

From tee to green, No. 17 is one of the simplest holes at Augusta National and is likely the least-loved hole on the second nine.

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Hole 18 - Holly

Par 4465 yds

“Holly” is a little funky, but its design is smart and elegant: bend it around the trees on the right and bypass some of the natural difficulty of the next shot.

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