Speaking about a trip to Egypt, the great philosopher-quarterback Aaron Rodgers said, “It was one of the few places in life where it kind of exceeded the expectations, to be honest. The only other place that was kind of like that was when I went to Augusta.”

A trip to the Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters remains a singular experience in sports fandom. The stature and mythology have only grown. The attainability has not. It’s one of the few remaining bucket list trips in sports — the experience of a lifetime, shared by parents and kids, significant others, and friends. 

There are many more poetic and profound reviews of a pilgrimage to the Masters, but Rodgers is correct: it is the rare, extremely hyped experience that will, most likely, exceed your expectations as it did for him. It’s hard to do it wrong or have a bad trip to the Masters, but there are tips and tricks to get a bit more out of your time both inside and outside of the gates. What follows are some of our subjective recommendations on how to do a trip to the Masters. Tastes may vary, but it is curated from many team-wide visits to Augusta and the tournament, as well as locals.

So you’ve hit the lottery, either literally or figuratively, and come into tickets to the Masters. Start planning your trip. Here are our airport recommendations if that’s what’s required to get there.

Where to Fly

‍Augusta (AGS) – There are some direct flights into Augusta from a few major eastern seaboard cities and Chicago, usually either Delta or American. They are typically very, very expensive the week of the Masters, but if you can pull it off, it’s as good as you can get for the regular joes not flying on a private jet. As you can imagine, it’s a small airport that is typically easy to get through, even during the heavy traffic of Masters week. The rental car situation, however, can be a nightmare if that’s a step you need to take here.

Columbia (CAE) – A delight to fly into with direct flights from many major eastern seaboard cities, Dallas, and Chicago. It is a breeze to get through, get a car, and be down in the Augusta area in under an hour. Next to a direct flight into Augusta, this is the best option. 

‍Atlanta (ATL) – The most common and popular airport, for many reasons, but also the most painful. It’s often a mess to get in and out of, the baggage claim wait can be interminable if you’re bringing clubs, and rental car reservations the week of the Masters can be a disaster. The drive out of Atlanta and across to Augusta is no picnic, either. For frequency of flights and cost, many end up flying into ATL, which is fine, but the other options are far preferable, including

Charlotte (CLT) – This is often the overlooked alternative to Atlanta if you’re looking for a major airport within range. The drive is comparable to the one from Atlanta with an airport that’s often slightly more navigable with less chaos surrounding the rental car and baggage claim scene.

‍Driving tip – If you’re within driving distance to the course, great! Our one tip for coming into the course is to try and come in from the southeast side, up Washington Road, as opposed from the north or west side coming up Berckmans Road or from I-20 traveling down Washington Road from the North. Results may vary, but we have found this to be less jammed with easier access, even if it means you have to go around the course toward downtown Augusta to then come back up Washington.

Where to Stay

Aiken, South Carolina: If you’re lucky enough to get Masters tickets, don’t let the price of Augusta hotels or Airbnbs send you into shock. South Carolina is not that far away and you’re only going to be there to sleep or grab a nightcap. Aiken is a great place to start looking. It’s only about 30-40 minutes away, and it has a great walkable downtown with good restaurants like the Neon Fig and Whiskey Alley. Hotels in Augusta will cost between $300 and $1,000 (or more) during Masters week, but you can find spots in Aiken for far less. 

Columbia, South Carolina: If you want to pay even less for lodging, but you’re willing to drive 90 minutes, Columbia is an excellent option. You could rent a beautiful house on Lake Murray for the same price as staying in a mediocre hotel room on Washington Road in Augusta. There are roughly a dozen breweries you can visit, and plenty of places to watch and play golf. Several of the private clubs in the area are open to outside play during Masters week (albeit with a noticeable upcharge). Many Masters attendees have also learned that it can be easier to fly in and out of Columbia than Atlanta. 

‍Augusta, Georgia: For convenience's sake, Augusta is obviously a great option. But inventory is low and prices are quite high. You can stay in some underwhelming hotel, but it won’t be very nice and will cost a fortune relative to the accommodations. Maybe this is best if you’re there for only a night or two and want to roll out of bed and get to the course quickly. We’ve never done it. There may be an Airbnb option that becomes available, but the Masters rental housing operation is a well-oiled machine at this point, with no real short-term rentals. It’s worth taking a quick gander at the usual sites (Airbnb, Vrbo, third-party Masters Housing bookers). The Summerville side of the course is best to stay on for quality and access to the course, but again, if you’re coming for just a day or two, good luck.

What to Bring

A watch: With no phones on the ground, this is an essential for staying on task and time, especially if you’ve arranged to meet people on the inside.

Golf shoes: Look, wearing golf shoes as a fan or patron has become a major red flag. It’s an egregious faux pas that sets you up for social media ridicule. However! If it’s going to be a wet day, or was a wet week, and you’re going later in the tournament when patrons have traipsed across the once immaculate turf, golf shoes are a good option. It’s not a faux pas at the Masters, where Clifford Roberts and Bob Jones encouraged the practice in the earliest days. Most members still wear them when they are going out on the course in their jackets. I wore my old school Ecco Air Couples shoes a few years ago during a nasty day, and the dry feet and traction were delightful while sloshing through the wet areas. Plus, modern golf shoes can approximate tennis shoes anyway. Just do it, cast out the shame. 

Cameras : Monday through Wednesday is always littered with a sea of newly acquired, Amazon Basics point-and-shoot cameras. That said, there are always folks who don’t realize that cameras are okay for practice round days only. The current guidelines still state a single lens no longer than 8 inches is fine, but it’s always worth checking before leaving your car.

Pen and pocket notebook: This may sound corny or antiquated, but with no phone, your sense of observation is heightened. Document some of them! You may forget it in the weeks, months, and years that follow. We don’t need a game story written from this or pages and pages. But just bring a small notebook that fits in your back pocket, and take a couple of quick pages of notes for things you see, notice, or memories you will want jogged whenever you open it years later. I love looking back at some of the chicken scratch I put down in the moment from tournaments past.

Sunscreen and allergy meds: This should be obvious and require minimal explanation.

Folding chair and umbrella: Check the weather and just buy these on the inside at the merch center if you want a commemorative one. But most regulars who have a spot and come often are setting up their chairs first thing in the morning. Unless you absolutely need to be taking frequent breaks to sit down, carrying a chair might become a hassle. Also, see below on the non-chair owner tip.

Miscellaneous Tips

Seat’s not taken: An open chair can be an invitation to sit down as opposed to a Do Not Enter sign. If there are empty seats — as in rows or swaths of them as opposed to someone who just got up to go to the bathroom — you can take a load off and watch the golf in someone else’s folding chair. Security almost encourages it. We frequently do it in the area left of the pond at the 16th hole. If the chair owners come back, you just get up with a friendly salutation and continue on your day. This is accepted practice, though many people don’t know about it or even enter the folding chair areas assuming that space is reserved for the day, even with no one occupying the chairs.

The Merch Palace: The main merchandise center sits below the clubhouse, just to the right of the first fairway and main patron artery to the course. The lines can get very long. Look, we get that this is a main draw for the bucket list trip. We would not recommend against it — go find your joy and shop, get the keepsakes and items to memorialize the trip. But there are other ways to do so by not making it the first priority of the day. The lines tend to be longest at the start of each day, especially during practice rounds when entering the grounds. Hit the shop during lunchtime or late afternoon, or when a marquee group is out on the course and has drawn a crowd away from the merch center. If it’s basics you want, like a polo or green hat, try the auxiliary merch center out by the other south entrance near the fifth green. There are also some smaller stands out on the course near the eighth tee and behind the grandstands in Amen Corner if it’s a quick hat, shirt, or those popular Goodr Masters sunglasses you want. 

In the map section below, we’ll highlight our favorite places to watch golf and where to eat inside the gates, as well as some of our favorite spots outside the gates around Augusta.