Planning on going to the US Masters, need some advice if it's worth it

Daniellowitz

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Hi Golfers

I am thinking about attending the US Masters 2019, but the extremely high ticket prices (around 2000 bucks), even though it is on the top of my sports bucket list, I am really in doubt if its "worth it"

So are their any in this forum who have attended the Masters and can help me decide if I should use such amount of money on a sports venue.

- I read that it is not allowed to bring camera and phone to the course and hence that I can't get any memories from the event to show to family and friends, or is it possible to have a photo taken by a professional photographer?

- Is it possible to walk around the course on Sunday and follow play, or do you have to stay on the same spot for the whole day, due to the big crowd of people.

Probably I will add further questions in this thread later.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to hear all your experiences.

Best regards

Daniel
 
They have a photographer at founders circle who will take your photo there. That’s the best you’ll get as far as photo memories.

I don’t think there’s more than 30k people there, which sounds like a lot but it’s not in the scheme of things. Following a group is just as easy as parking on a hole and watching groups come to you.
 
unfortunately nobody can decide if it's worth it, other than you.

i have been to a practice round, but not a tournament round. i wouldn't turn down free tickets and a place to stay, but if it were my $$$ i wouldn't spend it on a tournament round. i would rather watch it on tv and follow the meaningful action with great views.

but the practice round is something i would go back to in a heartbeat. for $2k, no, but i don't think practice round tickets are that much. the setting is very laid back. when i went, you could bring your phone and take plenty of pictures. we walked the entire course, enjoyed pimento cheese sandwiches and beer. loaded up on merchandise. it was a fantastic time that i would love to do again.
 
If it is at the top of your bucket list and you have the money to spare, I say go for it. I have never been and would honestly pick attending any of the other 3 majors over the Masters (with The Open Championship being way above all of them), but everybody that I know that has been has raved about the experience.
 
It was a once in a lifetime experience, and I don't regret spending the money one bit! You just can't fully appreciate Augusta National and the Master's Tournament quite the same on TV. The elevation changes in the course were a real surprise, and seeing the familiar holes in person was a real treat. Not to mention, we ate at the local Waffle House each morning before going to the course, and those ladies were so funny (and used LOTS of butter which made everything delicious)!
 
-So are their any in this forum who have attended the Masters and can help me decide if I should use such amount of money on a sports venue.

I’ve been to a practice round for the face value of a ticket of $75 and I would’ve paid a lot more after I went and had arguably one of the coolest experiences of my life. But truly like others have said, only you can decide if it’s worth it. Unfortunately, if you’re mind is only going to be on the cost of a ticket, you may not really enjoy the experience as it was meant to be.

- I read that it is not allowed to bring camera and phone to the course and hence that I can't get any memories from the event to show to family and friends, or is it possible to have a photo taken by a professional photographer?

You can bring a camera I believe, just not a cell phone. My cousin brought his camera and we have a ton of pictures from the day we went. I still love looking at those pictures.

- Is it possible to walk around the course on Sunday and follow play, or do you have to stay on the same spot for the whole day, due to the big crowd of people.

Sunday is an entirely different animal. Normally, as an unwritten rule, you can put a foldable chair down anywhere on the course and no one will mess with it while you explore the rest of the course. I’ve had friends who pick a front row to 18th green with a chair, walk the course most of the day and return to 18 towards the end of the day and their chair is waiting for them. Otherwise, you can certainly walk around the whole day but as you could guess, the best spots will be hard to get a front row to come Sunday. (Amen corner when the leaders come through, 18th tee in the afternoon, etc.)

Hope that helps!



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-So are their any in this forum who have attended the Masters and can help me decide if I should use such amount of money on a sports venue.

I’ve been to a practice round for the face value of a ticket of $75 and I would’ve paid a lot more after I went and had arguably one of the coolest experiences of my life. But truly like others have said, only you can decide if it’s worth it. Unfortunately, if you’re mind is only going to be on the cost of a ticket, you may not really enjoy the experience as it was meant to be.

- I read that it is not allowed to bring camera and phone to the course and hence that I can't get any memories from the event to show to family and friends, or is it possible to have a photo taken by a professional photographer?

You can bring a camera I believe, just not a cell phone. My cousin brought his camera and we have a ton of pictures from the day we went. I still love looking at those pictures.

- Is it possible to walk around the course on Sunday and follow play, or do you have to stay on the same spot for the whole day, due to the big crowd of people.

Sunday is an entirely different animal. Normally, as an unwritten rule, you can put a foldable chair down anywhere on the course and no one will mess with it while you explore the rest of the course. I’ve had friends who pick a front row to 18th green with a chair, walk the course most of the day and return to 18 towards the end of the day and their chair is waiting for them. Otherwise, you can certainly walk around the whole day but as you could guess, the best spots will be hard to get a front row to come Sunday. (Amen corner when the leaders come through, 18th tee in the afternoon, etc.)

Hope that helps!

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Basically this above.

I got free tickets for the whole week with a friend but we could only do Wednesday to Saturday.

Practice rounds cell phones and cameras are allowed and we took plenty of pictures during that practice round, any other time they are no allowed.

For days during regular play on the Thursday we walked grounds following play and for the Friday we bought little Masters chairs and plonked them down at the 11th green, 12th teebox, walked away to do other things, came back and they were as we left them.

Our last day we placed our chairs on 10th green and basically stopped and watched everyone come through, even got myself on TV :clap: Again we moved for food & drink and each time the seat was as we left it.

It was on on my bucket list, not sure I would pay, in fact I wouldn't pay $2000 for a day at The Master, for the full week I had, its very possible I would. How about you get yourself on the The Master ticket draw for 2020, a friend from the UK went in 2017 and applied for 2018 tickets, missed that but got 2019 after applying again for this year, a lot cheaper than the $2000 you may be paying now.

Anyway, no one can tell you what to do with your $$$, but if you have the cash and won't miss it and its a bucket list item fill your boots and do it.
 
If it is at the top of your bucket list and you have the money to spare, I say go for it. I have never been and would honestly pick attending any of the other 3 majors over the Masters (with The Open Championship being way above all of them), but everybody that I know that has been has raved about the experience.

What in the world? Is it because you are from Georgia that it doesn't seem special?
 
I have been twice (2014 and 2015) and am going back this year.

There are some sporting locations that are just special and ANGC is one of them.

It is up to you to decide what that experience is worth to you. I have been to several golf tournaments, 4 Rose Bowls, 2 CFB National Championship games, the NBA Finals, etc... and I think the most I have ever spent on tix is $650. I would full empty as a golfer had I never gotten to go, but I am not sure that I would pay that much for tix.
 
What in the world? Is it because you are from Georgia that it doesn't seem special?
It is special because it is a major and I will watch it and be fully engaged. It is just I have been watching the same tournament at the same course every year for 45 years and just prefer the variety the other majors offer.
 
Below is something I wrote up for somewhere else after I went to the Masters for the first time in 2016 with my son (who was 11 at the time and an avid golfer). Hopefully it provides some helpful comments for people planning to go or thinking about going. We were lucky enough to snag Berckman's Place tickets at face for the Sunday round. To skip to the heart of the original poster's question - when I got the opportunity in April 2018 to go back - I jumped at the chance even just for the Tuesday practice round. A comment on the cost - the Berckman's tickets were $1k each face - I hesitated at first but then pulled the trigger and jumped at the chance to go again at that cost. Now, would I spend $2k PER ticket for general admission for me and my son....that would give me pause and I don't have a good answer. It is a priceless experience in a way but it depends on what $4k means to you. I am not sure but I would guess that for $4k for two tickets there would be other opportunities to go in the future and so personally, I might wait and try to source better for next year or the year after before jumping in at that price.....

Here is my prior write-up:

Now that I am back in Chicago and reflecting on the whole experience, I wanted to once again thank everyone for their input, comments and suggestions. It was truly an incredible experience from start to finish. As hyped in my expectations as it was, it exceeded them all. And, in retrospect, I could not imagine having gone without my son. Start to finish for the 13 hours we were in the gates it was remarkable.

I thought I'd add some thoughts and reactions (and maybe some answers to my earlier questions) in the event it helps someone in the future:

--Lodging was a tough call as in Augusta and Aiken any hotels left were very overpriced and had reviews on Trip Advisor which made them sound pretty seedy and either going through renovation or in bad need of it (not sure there are too many good choices in any event even if I was booking way in advance). Found the Hampton Inn in Waynesboro (about 25 miles south) which turned out to be a great choice. We were literally the first guests to stay in our room as the hotel had opened two weeks prior. Used Hilton points to boot. Fast drive up to Augusta so unless you have a good choice nearby, I'd recommend considering this Hampton Inn.

--After we checked in on Saturday, we drove to Augusta for a late lunch and to watch the third round. Found a place on Broad Street called Whiskey Bar - good burger, great wings and good beer selection as well as plenty of TVs all over the place - good choice.

--Left the hotel around 6:45am and was parked by 7:20am. No traffic through Augusta coming in from the south and no wait to get into the parking area (cannot believe they don't charge something for parking).

--Because we had Berckman's Place badges we entered at gate 9 - though there are separate security lines for Berckman's, there were no lines at all at security in either area. We were probably in Berckman's shortly after 7:30am (greeted by Condi at the door).

--Immediately went into the shop at Berckman's to get our shopping out of the way. Not sure about the other days, but I would recommend shopping right away in the morning on Sunday because they were running out of quite a few things in quite a few typical sizes (and probably many things were already gone by Sunday to begin with) - both in Berckman's and the regular pro shop nearby. I could not believe the buying frenzy there and everywhere - not sure anyone but regular annual patrons don't end up buying at least something. Great that they having easy shipping services.

--After shopping we bought a couple of chairs and went out and placed them on the hill overlooking the 16th green, with a good view of the 15th green and 6th green as well. There were a few other really nice spots that we saw to plant chairs around the course (such as Amen Corner) but we ended up being thrilled with where we were - and not just because of the couple holes in one that we saw in front of us but some great birdies and eagle attempts at 15 and the tough green on 6. It was also incredibly convenient to Berckman's. I would highly recommend the hill above 16. We seemed to be surrounded by long time patrons and so it seemed to be a popular spot for regulars. Never seen the chair thing quite in the same way at any other tournament I've been too. Great to see rows and rows of chairs all over and terrific that once you put them down, you can come and go over the course of the day. When we were driving out, my son asked me why we didn't buy 4 chairs and put a second pair down somewhere else like in Amen Corner to alternate with....probably would have been a good idea.....

--As for timing for placing chairs, we probably placed our chairs around 9am give or take and there was still plenty of space around 16 - by the time we were walking around and got to 18 at 10am or so, there were no spaces left and a bit later around 11am or so at Amen Corner it was pretty much full. So, at least for the spots further in from the primary gate, it didn't seem to be an issue as late as 9am or perhaps even 9:30am.

--Walking the whole course in the morning before play started and things got crowded was some of the best advice in this thread. Mike's comment above that "Walking the course, even once, will bring a totally new dimension to watching it on TV that will enhance that experience forever" is 100% correct - it left an indelible mark for both of us. It really gave us an appreciation for the layout, the elevation changes and the remarkably difficult greens. It is such an incredibly special course for many reasons and having the chance to walk it at our leisure and without crowds and people in their chairs was terrific - could really go up to the rope on each green and walk around the greens and up into the various stands to take them in. Interesting to see which greens they were choosing to water as well before play started.

--Tried the pimento and the egg salad sandwiches - crazy that two sandwiches and two drinks were only $7.00. Though cannot say that we liked the sandwiches all that much so it was more to just try them. Cannot go without trying them.

--Went over to the practice range in time to see the last few groups warming up. Spent a lot of time watching Spieth closely (he was the last one on the range) and used my binoculars to get closeups....have to say that he seemed fidgety and uneasy even on the range - pushed a lot of shots right. Would definitely recommend spending some time watching at the practice range. Fun to see their warm up regimes.

--My son wanted to be in a few places at particular times and so we were at the 1st tee when Spieth teed off, we were at 18 at the end and at the putting green for the green jacket ceremony. I couldn't see a thing and didn't try given the massive crowds, but the beauty of being an 11yr old is that my son managed to get through the crowd and right up to behind the chairs at each of those spots and saw everything (wherever we were, adults were really nice about making room for a kid to get closer).

--Berckman's was a terrific experience in and of itself - Thomas' comment above that "Inside it's like a corporate hospitality tent meets Vegas build-out" is spot on. If we were there for more than just one round, I could see spending a lot more time around Berckman's but with only one day there, we had to spend as much time out on the course as possible. Gorgeous facility and grounds - as nice as any Four Seasons or Peninsula that I've been in and probably cost them as much - incredible that it is only used one week a year. I was surprised at how quiet it was until maybe around 10am so it seems that people don't show up particularly early on Sunday. Sat outside and had a very nice breakfast on a beautiful patio. Then we putted on the three replica putting greens which was an invaluable experience to fully appreciate how tough the greens are - they are supposed to be just about the same size, same contour and same speed as the real greens. Holly crap - gave me real appreciation for the difficulty of the greens at AN - unlike anything I have ever putted on before and orders of magnitude harder than any others I have experienced (I was even using the same Scotty putter that I have at home so no equipment excuse) - so crazy fast and almost no place on the green where the ball can truly come to rest - if you miss the hole by a few inches, you could end up 25ft away or even off the green. They have a particular putt on each green set up to the actual Sunday pin placement and on one 15ft putt (I think on the replica of 16) you basically had to pretend it was a 6in putt in order to have it die into the steep slope and hopefully stop within a few feet of the hole - and there were some putts they had set up where you had to really knock it up a slope, get it to slow almost to a stop and then slowly roll down a hill on the other side of the crest, all while managing a 3-4 foot break. Getting an up and down from off the green or putting close from 40-50 ft like so many of the players do is so much harder than I ever imagined from watching on TV. We ended up going back two more times to do more putting later in the day.

--The permanent facilities and buildings that they have just to support the tournament are also pretty incredible. The vast and permanent infrastructure surprised me. I wonder if any other golf tournament anywhere has anything similar. Most of the time when I've been to other tournaments all of the structures are temporary tents. I was extremely impressed with how well everything was run and the crowds handled. Also, I don't think I've been to a resort or hotel anywhere in the world where the staff was so nice, helpful and cheerful and not just now and again but everyone at all times - at every shop, every concession stand, etc. At Berckman's they were so staffed up that they must have had 20 people helping people around the 3 putting greens, 15+ people in the fairly small shop (2-3 just at the door greeting and saying hello), a few people behind each bar and even three guys at all times in the all marble bathrooms constantly cleaning everything.....

--The sheer perfect condition of the course, tees, fairways and greens was a marvel. I couldn't get over the perfection of the grass everywhere, even in the rough (which was far shorter than I had expected). Not sure how they do it. Looks great on TV but in person it blew my mind. I wonder whether anyone is allowed to play the course between the beginning of spring and the first practice rounds..... It was also interesting to see guys out on the greens taking various measurements right after the tournament - probably measuring firmness and making comparative notes from the morning so they can better manage green conditions in future years.

--Probably goes without saying but binoculars are a must. My son also wanted to bring his range finder (which I thought was a bad idea) and it turned out to be a fun thing to have as we walked the course in the morning. It was a lot of fun to be able to get yardage from various points along the hole both from the tee and to the green just to get a better sense on how shots laid out. Turned out that I was completely wrong and it was a good idea.

--I was torn about where to be at the end but since my son really wanted to be up at 18, that is what we did. As it turned out, it was anti-climatic at that point. I couldn't see a thing and so it probably would be better to have been back at Berckman's but for anyone without access there or in the clubhouse, might as well be around 18 because there are no screens to watch elsewhere (I was surprised by that actually unless I missed them - would have thought that around the big pro shop and practice area they'd have some screens set up for people who wanted to watch that action around the course at the end).

--Because of what we wanted to do and when, I think we ended up walking from Berckman's to the area around the 18th green and back 3 times overall (opposite ends of the course) as well as walking all over the course. Not an easy way to do it - what a work out - given that I'm not in the greatest shape, I'm amazed that I made it. Both of us managed but were gone by 7pm or so and the last walk back from 18 to gate 9 to head out was tough and we basically collapsed and fell asleep right when we got back to the hotel.

--I was really surprised that there were not many more kids in attendance (I mean generally since it was not a surprise that my son was one of only 4-5 kids that I saw in Berckman's). Crowd was huge so maybe I didn't notice but compared to the BMW at Conway in Chicago last year where kids were all over the place, kids seemed to be a rare sight. In fact, I don't think I saw a single kid anywhere near us on the hill at 16. Given that any patron with a regular badge can bring a kid for free, I'm surprised that there weren't many more kids.

Overall, as the MasterCard commercial goes, it was just "priceless".
 
Thanks for all your good advices. especially to DGord for that great description.

Now I just need to find the best place to buy the tickets, where I am 100% sure not to be scammed. I found tickets on Vividtickets but their reviews are awfull, so i skipped that. A bit more exspensive i found tickets on Primesport.com, but it would be great if you guys can recommend the best place to buy the ticket.

So much thanks in advance.

Daniel
 
Planning on going to the US Masters, need some advice if it's worth it

I have attended the tournament four times......and I have played the course once. It is spectacular. You can walk the entire course during the round. You are not confined to one spot. You can bring in phones and cameras on practice days. You cannot bring them during the tournament. There is a photographer who will take your picture in front of the clubhouse for a small fee. I would not pay $2,000. I think you could show up and buy passes for approx $600 -$1,000. There are plenty of hospitality companies that buy them up from locals and resell.
 
I have attended the tournament four times......and I have played the course once. It is spectacular. You can walk the entire course during the round. You are not confined to one spot. You can bring in phones and cameras on practice days. You cannot bring them during the tournament. There is a photographer who will take your picture in front of the clubhouse for a small fee. I would not pay $2,000. I think you could show up and buy passes for approx $600 -$1,000. There are plenty of hospitality companies that buy them up from locals and resell.

um, what??????? story time!


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Thanks for all your good advices. especially to DGord for that great description.

Now I just need to find the best place to buy the tickets, where I am 100% sure not to be scammed. I found tickets on Vividtickets but their reviews are awfull, so i skipped that. A bit more exspensive i found tickets on Primesport.com, but it would be great if you guys can recommend the best place to buy the ticket.

So much thanks in advance.

Daniel
Definitely do your research, it is my understanding that reselling tickets is not allowed, and they will cancel the tickets if it is discovered they have been resold.

I can't tell you if it's worth the money, but if any tournament is worth the money to me, it's this one. I've been to a practice round, and it is so much better run than other tournaments. It's such a special place, and a great time.
 
um, what??????? story time!


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Now to rub it in......I have played Augusta National once, Pine Valley twice, Cypress Point twice, Pebble Beach about 20 times.
 
Definitely do your research, it is my understanding that reselling tickets is not allowed, and they will cancel the tickets if it is discovered they have been resold.

I can't tell you if it's worth the money, but if any tournament is worth the money to me, it's this one. I've been to a practice round, and it is so much better run than other tournaments. It's such a special place, and a great time.

Your understanding is somewhat correct. They will cancel the tickets if resold. That being said, the club does not proactively try and stop the reselling. All the hospitality companies set up shop right across the street. I know......I purchased 20 tickets a year for four years.
 
As someone who has no real aspirations of ever playing the course, walking it is the best I can hope for...and there are more opportunities than ever to do that. I've got tickets to the Women's Amateur event taking place the Saturday before Masters Week kicks off, and that'll give me a chance to follow some ladies and walk the 18. My understanding is the experience will be much the same -- no phones or cameras -- so I'm very excited.

Another chance is to attend the Drive Chip & Putt, the following day. I'm not particularly interested in following any particular golfer. I'm there to see the course and spend a bunch at the gift shop, so either of those events are worthwhile alternatives to the price and annual disappointment of putting in for tickets every year...though I'll submit for the lottery at Fort Gordon to get into Friday's round if work cooperates. ANGC sells 100 passes a day for Soldiers are Fort Gordon to get in, the proceeds go to the MWR programs for Fort Gordon. I'll happily contribute to helping keep our RTJ Sr. course in top shape.
 
Thanks all. I have now bought my ticket for Sunday! An obscene lot of money, but I cant wait for this lifetime experience!!
 
I'm there on Tuesday practise day and Thursday tournament day. To go on Sunday was $2,000...………...not worth it.
 
Buddies of mine have hung out and bought passes off people leaving and spending a couple of hours in the afternoon since 3 re-entries are allowed. But spending the whole day would be better.
 
Hi Golfers

I am thinking about attending the US Masters 2019, but the extremely high ticket prices (around 2000 bucks), even though it is on the top of my sports bucket list, I am really in doubt if its "worth it"

So are their any in this forum who have attended the Masters and can help me decide if I should use such amount of money on a sports venue.

- I read that it is not allowed to bring camera and phone to the course and hence that I can't get any memories from the event to show to family and friends, or is it possible to have a photo taken by a professional photographer?

- Is it possible to walk around the course on Sunday and follow play, or do you have to stay on the same spot for the whole day, due to the big crowd of people.

Probably I will add further questions in this thread later.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to hear all your experiences.

Best regards

Daniel

I attended a practice round for the 2017 Masters and I have scratched it from my bucket list only to add it back on again when I got home due to the fact that it truly is in my opinion a must see to a true golfer the experience was so much more than I expected as far as spending 2k on a ticket and that was my only option to see the Masters on a Sunday final I would pay it. Others would not!!!!!! I think only a true golf fan will understand being at the Masters walking around is a must because TV does not give Augusta National it’s due. You really don’t see the elevation changes and the undulations unless you see it in person. Good Luck in your decision


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Hi again

Just some more questions:

- Approximately what time is the tournament over on Sunday all in all. So I mean at what time is it possible to be picked up by car outside. I will bring my phone, so I have to wait to have it extradited like everyone lese who have brough their phone to the tournament.

- Is it possible to bring my own chair(s) or do you have to buy it on Augusta National? Is it allowed to set two chairs different places on the course to reserve a good view?

- At what time do they open the gates on Sunday, I will be there in the second they open :)

Thanks in advance

Daniel
 
Planning on going to the US Masters, need some advice if it's worth it

Hi again

Just some more questions:

- Approximately what time is the tournament over on Sunday all in all. So I mean at what time is it possible to be picked up by car outside. I will bring my phone, so I have to wait to have it extradited like everyone lese who have brough their phone to the tournament.

- Is it possible to bring my own chair(s) or do you have to buy it on Augusta National? Is it allowed to set two chairs different places on the course to reserve a good view?

- At what time do they open the gates on Sunday, I will be there in the second they open :)

Thanks in advance

Daniel

Very strict phone policy there and not sure what time it will end on Sunday as I have never been on a Sunday VeryVery strict on cell phones so don’t come all the way to Georgia only to be thrown out for being on the phone and they have no problem removing you from the premises I saw 3 guys removed for walking in the grass coming into the entrance although they warned 2 or 3 times and ignored security. It’s a great tournament but there are rules and it’s their show have a good time you will love it


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