Son is on cloud 9 today as he is at the Masters Tournament watching the Par 3 contest and practice rounds.
I had no idea that one must enter a lottery to have a chance to buy tickets. He got the opportunity on his first try. He and his wife are there enjoying the nice sun shiny day. I can’t wait to hear about it. Phones aren’t allowed so I won’t know until he gets back to his car or where he is staying.
If you like golf, and you regularly watch the Masters each year, you will be amazed by the course once you attend in person. Television cameras can’t adequately capture the undulations on the greens. It’s an experience for sure, especially when the weather is nice and everything is blooming. I’ve been lucky enough to attend several times.
I would love to go to the Masters some year- DH went as part of a work function and one of my sons got tix through lottery the year after he graduated college. Not sure I’ll ever get there but hopeful. Looking forward to watching.
It is a really nice day even if you don’t love golf - beautiful grounds, well behaved patrons, surprisingly priced food with a menu that doesn’t change. I haven’t been in a few years though.
To your point, see below. A domestic beer in a commemorative plastic cup is $6 and a pimento cheese sandwich is $1.50.
I went to the Masters almost every year from 1993 to 2019 (we had tickets for 2020, but it was canceled). My in laws lived in Augusta, and we always seemed to be able to use the tickets of one of their friends for a day. We’d usually get two tickets, and sometimes we’d go part of the day & then someone else in the family would go. Our kids have both been. We always enter the lottery, as well, and one year we won 4 tickets to the Thursday round. We treated our good friends, who were thrilled. Unfortunately, the in laws’ friends are old enough that they have passed the tickets down to their kids, with whom we don’t have a connection. We still enter the lottery every year, but because the in laws are no longer in Augusta, we’d have to stay way outside town. Part of the charm of Masters is hanging out around town & chatting with people! Oh, how I miss April at Augusta National!
I think the beer was $3 or $4 in 2019, so it’s definitely gone up … but it’s a bargain compared to baseball/football games. We never drank beer there, though. And we were glad we didn’t the year it was especially hot & humid and H fainted from heat exhaustion right next to the 6th or 8th tee. I can’t remember which hole, but I sure remember the incredible assistance we received. Residents from the medical college staff first aid. H got a cart ride to the first aid station & IV fluids … and we never got billed.
D2 and her husband have been hosting a Masters Party for several years. Now that they are in an actual house rather than condo, it’s really gaining traction amongst their friend group. Not only do they have a really large TV in the den, her husband recently converted a 1950s detached 2 car garage into a lounge with golf simulator, bar, beverage fridge, darts area, huge TV, and comfy seating w/couches and bean bag chairs. They are suddenly the most popular couple amongst all of their friends, ha ha. Her husband is highly social, with a large high school and college fraternity circle. It sounds like a lot of fun, but so far I haven’t been invited. 
Evidently, some Masters tickets are reserved for the military. Until this summer, our son, who was serving at Ft. Gordon, lived right outside Augusta and had the opportunity each year to buy one of those tickets at a reasonable price as well as rent out his house (which he bought from one of the August National chefs) at a ridiculous sum for the week . He is neither a fan of golf nor home destruction, so he passed. If you live in the vicinity, tournament week is a time to hibernate from the crowds that descend on the area, especially the restaurants. Here in AZ, we used to live just down the street from the TPC/Phoenix Open, another must-to-avoid madhouse. But, if you like golf, I guess you don’t mind the crowds or prices.
We loved the crowds, but … we didn’t go to “hot” restaurants. We frequented several different places that were never excessively crowded. I definitely understand not wanting to rent during Masters. My in laws did it once, and they had no issues (they used a professional service), but my MIL just hated having someone she didn’t know in her home. That year, the notorious golfer with the wild clothing rented a house down the street from my in laws & trashed it. The homeowners were made whole, but that cemented my MIL’s decision to never rent again, for any amount of money.
So who thinks Tiger could pull it out? H and I said there was no way he could the last time he won - yet he somehow pulled it out. Or how about Rahm? He hasn’t won a tournament since last year’s Masters, but who knows? To be honest, there are a lot of excellent players, and I would love a surprise win!
When Tiger can actually complete a tournament he enters, then he might be competitive. Since the car accident, it is very rare that he doesn’t withdraw. He’s not even competitive and is not in a place to win.
I would love Rory McIlroy to win. Scottie Scheffer is the number one player right now and has been playing well.
I’ll root for anyone but a player that has gone to LIV. Those golfers I will actively root against
I don’t begrudge the LIV players. They cashed in, and I don’t blame them. I’ve never watched a LIV tournament though.
Every time I’ve been to the Masters it’s been with work, so everything is free. I really enjoyed the Magnolia Club the times we had corporate hospitality there. In fact, there is a photo of me still hanging on the wall. LOL!
A great neighborhood kid got his tour card this year (after a few years on the Canadian and Korn Ferry tours), won a tournament and qualified for the Masters. It will be really fun to watch.
I went to HS in the Augusta area and my Girl Scout troop ran a concession stand outside one of the entrances in 1976. Ray Floyd won by a mile that year, and people left early. A couple gave us their tickets.
We wore bicentennial GS uniforms (long dresses, aprons, mob caps) and we were QUITE the sight as we walked the course. Some people thought we were nuns! The course is indeed as gorgeous as the broadcast shows.
My dad was also stationed at Ft. Gordon and after he retired and stayed in Augusta, won lottery tickets for practice rounds. School closes for Masters Week, not spring break or Easter. My HS Algebra teacher rented her house every year and headed to Hilton Head for the week, with the rental fees covering a very nice vacation.
Can’t understate how important the Masters is to the local economy.
There is a joke in the first line of your post, but I will keep this PG.
Tiger is done and nothing makes me more happy.
I don’t blame the LIV players for cashing in. PGA Tour definitely keep the purses down over the years. Magically after LIV started the Tour raised a bunch of the tournament purses.
I made some $5 bets to keep things interesting this weekend.
Sheffler to win pays out $30.
McIlroy to win pays out $60.
Rahm to win pays out $64.
Schauffele to win pays out $75.
Aberg to win pays out $145.
Clark to win pays out $155.
DeChambeau to win pays out $170.
Harman to win pays out $330(this was a bonus bet, so house money).
I would love to see Max Homa win.
Chances are slim but I’m pulling for Tony Finau.
For those who get the chance, going to a practice round or the pro-am of a tournament can be a lot of fun too. The players are a little (a very little) bit more relaxed and it is fun to see the caddies work out yardage and wind and greens. I went to the Open once near Minneapolis and many times to the International (when there was such a thing). A guy I worked with played in the pro-am (I believe with Stuart Cink). There is also added excitement when watching later in the week on TV and being able to say “Hey, I was RIGHT THERE!”