It’s every golfer’s dream to walk the fairway of the most prestigious golf club in the world but is it even possible to play it? We take a look at how to play Augusta National without being a member.
How to play Augusta National: Be a top women’s Amateur
From 2019 the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur will be played the week before the Masters while the first two rounds of the event will be held at Champions Retreat with the top 30 players and ties who make the cut playing a tournament round at Augusta.
Despite this, all players will play a practice round at Augusta National on the Friday before the final round so even if you go home early you still get the chance to play the course.
How to play Augusta National: Become a volunteer
It’s a tough method, like any of the ways to play Augusta, but if you can manage to talk your way in to becoming a volunteer at the course you will get the chance to play it the month after the tournament.
How to play Augusta National: Play college golf
There a major golfing perks to going to one of the nearby Augusta University as once a year the golf team are invited to play the course.
How to play Augusta National: Join Augusta Country Club
It’s not quite the real deal but just a stone’s throw away is Augusta Country Club. It’s been known in the past that if Augusta National need one more player to make up a fourball then they will make a quick call to the Country Club to see if anyone is around to join them.
How to play Augusta National: Become a caddie
This isn’t meaning to become a full-time caddie for tour player, although that maybe your career choice. At Augusta National they have local caddies, just like at St Andrews and other courses across the UK.
Augusta’s caddie service, ‘Caddie Masters Enterprise’, puts you through vigorous computer tests before you can be put on the programme.
Once you have passed the tests and started to make a name for yourself as a caddie you will be able to work at Augusta National and then play the course once a year.
How to play Augusta National: Win the media ballot
The first step to this process is gaining a media pass to the Masters which is a hard job in itself.
If you manage to get a pass, you will be entered into a ballot where 20 members of the media will be drawn out to play the course on the day after the final round has finished. A dream chance to play Augusta while it is set up for tournament play.
How to play Augusta National: Get a job at Augusta National
Every so often Augusta will advertise jobs on the Augusta Chronicle website, if you pass the tests and meet the high standards the club sets you will be able to play the course once a year.
How to play Augusta National: Know a member
One of the simpler ways to play the course is to know a member. We’re not all on first name terms with Bill Gates but there are a reported 300 members at Augusta National.
If you’re lucky you might know one who can get you on the course.
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Matthew Beedle
