All the Augusta National
Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is one of the most famous and exclusive golf clubs in the world, located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and i…
During the war years turkeys and cows roamed the sacred fairways and greens of Augusta National. The endeavor proved to be less financially successful than they hoped, and the end of the war brought the return of golf to ANGC. The Masters returned in 1946, where Herman Keiser beat Ben Hogan by a stroke to take home a check for $2,500.
“According to the Golf Channel, in the early 1930s, investment banker and co-founder Clifford Roberts suggested the tournament’s name be ‘The Masters’ as a reference to the ‘masters of golf’ who played in it, but legendary golfer and co-founder Bobby Jones ‘thought the name immodest.’
From 1943 to December 1944, Augusta National closed as a golf club. At Jones’ suggestion, it chose to support the war effort and improve its own finances by housing 200 head of cattle and more than 1,000 turkeys.
Bobby Jones (front) at the 1946 Masters, the first Masters following World War II. These days, Augusta is renowned for the impeccable conditions maintained by the club’s greenskeepers. It’s often said there isn’t a blade of grass out of place during the Masters. But the members were not always so precious about the fairways and greens.
Roberts wanted to call it the Masters Tournament from the very start, and that was because he wanted the name to reflect that the players competing in the event were masterful golfers and would be taking on the most brilliant new course in the world.
The idea for Augusta National originated with Bobby Jones, who wanted to build a golf course after his retirement from the game. He sought advice from Clifford Roberts, who later became the chairman of the club. They came across a piece of land in Augusta, Georgia, of which Jones said: "Perfect!
According to Golf Week, there are a few ways to play at the course. And getting invited by a member is one of them. However, despite being a 5-time champion at the Masters, Tiger Woods doesn't have a membership at the Augusta. The other option for Charlie to play at the Augusta would be to become a volunteer.
Wind, a veteran golf writer who also was a jazz buff, decided to combine his interests to describe the Sunday action. He took the name from a jazz recording, Shoutin' in That Amen Corner.
There are roughly 300 members of Augusta National, and being invited by one of them is the quickest way to get a round in at the famous course. Members are allowed to bring a guest on the course for a relatively small fee of $40.
Membership is believed to cost between $100,000 and $300,000 and annual dues were estimated in 2020 to be less than $30,000 per year. Club members are sometimes referred to as "green jackets."
Included in the membership are Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and billionaire Warren Buffett.
Mickelson, a World Golf Hall Famer with 45 PGA Tour titles, was removed from the club's participation list on March 21.
The club admitted its first black member in 1990, media executive Ron Townsend, and there are an estimated nine Black members at Augusta National today.
All the holes at Augusta are named after flowers and shrubs and the 13th hole at Augusta National is called Azalea, and on this hole are about 1,600 azaleas. Around the course are about 30 different varieties of azalea. The row of magnolia line Magnolia Lane, the entrance to the club.
Built in 1964, Butler Cabin was named for club member Thomas B. Butler. It is where the winner conducts his interview with CBS.
It's named for one of Augusta's founding fathers, an Irish trader named John Rae, who settled in Augusta in 1734. Rae was a farmer, rancher and even operated a ferry service at the confluence of Kenyons Creek and the Savannah River.
The name Augusta National Invitation Tournament was adopted and the title was used for five years until 1939 when Jones relented and the name was officially changed. Many decisions made in the early days of the Tournament remain today.
Formal opening took place in January 1933. Looking to provide a service to golf by hosting a tournament, Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts decided to hold an annual event beginning in 1934. The final decision was made at a meeting in New York at the office of member W. Alton Jones.
7. Augusta National’s co-founder Clifford Roberts [below at the 1972 Masters], a taciturn financier turned autocrat, was at turns beloved and despised.
With money tight at the time, the clubhouse survived — and prospered. 15. From 1943 to December 1944, Augusta National closed as a golf club. At Jones’ suggestion, it chose to support the war effort and improve its own finances by housing 200 head of cattle and more than 1,000 turkeys.
14. The original late 1920s prospectus for Augusta National called for the handsome 1854 manor clubhouse to be razed. The new edifice was to have been outfitted in whitewashed brick and would have housed a gigantic locker room.
13. Augusta National’s nines were switched after the inaugural Masters in 1934. Yet, records show Alister MacKenzie had first conceived of the current configuration, then changed the plan prior to construction in 1931, possibly to have the 18th (the present 9th) finish near the “new” clubhouse.
For years, it was mistakenly written that Bobby Jones chose Dr. Alister MacKenzie to design his dream course on the strength of Jones’ positive visits to MacKenzie’s Cypress Point and Pasatiempo in 1929.
The creek is named for John Rae , who was prominent in Augusta circles beginning in the 1740s.
These days, Augusta is renowned for the impeccable conditions maintained by the club’s greenskeepers. It’s often said there isn’t a blade of grass out of place during the Masters.
Without a U.S. Open to hold there, Jones and Roberts decided to create their own event, the “Augusta National Invitational” which soon came to be known as the Masters , and eventually rose in prominence to sit beside the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship as one of golf’s four majors. 4.
The 16th hole isn’t the only part of the course that’s changed dramatically over the years. The entire routing flipped. After the inaugural Masters in 1934, the front and back nines were swapped, leading to the familiar back nine finish we are accustomed to.
From hostage situations, to radical course redesigns, here are some of the most bizarre but true stories about Augusta National. 1. President Reagan’s round ruined by hostage situation. Heavily armed Secret Service agents surrounded President Reagan’s limousine during the hostage incident at Augusta National.
Harris held several people hostage in the pro shop at gun point. Tournaments. Lanny Wiles was supposed to play Augusta. Instead he was taken hostage in the pro shop. Once told of the situation, Reagan tried to talk to Harris on the phone, but the connection was spotty.
But it wasn’t always so. The Masters wasn’t even considered a major until the middle of the 20th century. In fact, the tournament was born out of a rejection from another major.
The heralded golf tournament, one of the four majors, needs to go back to its original name — the Augusta National Invitational. It became the Masters in 1939 . Tiger Woods, other big-time golfers and corporate sponsorships should demand it.
Here’s the problem. “According to the Golf Channel, in the early 1930s, investment banker and co-found er Clifford Roberts suggested the tournament’s name be ‘The Masters’ as a reference to the ‘masters of golf’ who played in it, but legendary golfer and co-founder Bobby Jones ‘thought the name immodest.’.
One of golf’s four “major” tournaments every year is called “The Masters.”. The field of golfers is the smallest of all the majors — only the best allowed — and the winner can be deemed “The Master” (plus, he gets a cool green jacket that every pro golfer covets).
Advertisement - story continues below. The Masters never felt good or even sounded good when you said it. And before we hear from the choir about tradition and history, save it. When that history and tradition is rooted in slavery, it shouldn’t be preserved and honored.