What the future holds for the Masters is not entirely obvious
The 100th anniversary of the first Masters Tournament is fast approaching, just nine years away. The modern juggernaut once labelled by Peter Thomson as “the greatest con job in golf” (but the great man also mused in print “is there a better show on earth?”) has captured the imaginations of golf fans around the world with increasing fervour as each decades passes.
However, one wonders what’s next for the Masters and the lords of the uber-secretive Augusta National Golf Club. It’s a twofold contemplation, looking both within the ever-expanding footprint of the Georgia club and globally.
Every year there seems to be something new at the first major championship of the season. In recent times it’s been expanded amenities for “patrons” and corporate sponsors, or the innovative Drive, Chip & Putt contest and Augusta National Women’s Amateur – both welcome additions to the calendar each northern spring.
I’ve heard from a few sources that the club has a long-held goal of housing all Masters competitors on-site, not just the amateurs staying in the Crows Nest. It’s an aspect missed by viewing on television or streaming from afar – you only get a sense of the scope of the place in person [see panel]. In the area around the Par-3 Course and between the stately clubhouse and Washington Rd is much more room than any TV camera will show. So the idea of accommodating fields of 90 to 100 players is not as far-fetched as it might seem. The cabins already dotting the property are quaint and unassuming, blending into the scenery in a manner only Augusta seems to achieve. You’d imagine more cabins and cottages is the desire rather than a multi-storey hotel protruding into the Georgia sky.
These could well be done. The 2016 addition of a grand new media centre (opened in time for the 2017 Masters) also proved the club isn’t shy about providing facilities for use just one week each year.
In recent times, however, I’ve begun to ponder whether Augusta National might become a key player in the reunification of men’s golf. American president Donald Trump was brought into the lingering stalemate between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s backer, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. We may well see the outcome of the heavyweight introduction before, during or shortly after this year’s Masters. But if not, might Augusta be next to stride in?
In a sense they already have. The qualification for the tournament is widely known, however it remains essentially the club’s decision on who to invite – and they’ve certainly stretched beyond their conventional realms in recent years to accommodate more LIV Golf players. Perhaps that’s a sign of tacit endorsement of the fledgling league? Or sympathy for its place in the ongoing malaise?
A bolder step might be to formally announce a framework for LIV golfers to qualify for the Masters, which would ruffle feathers on the board governing the Official World Golf Ranking (upon which Augusta National’s Will Jones has a place). Yet more potently it would serve as a magnificent ‘hurry up’ to the tardy tours to get a deal done.
The other area where Augusta has long been considered ripe for rogue leadership is in the volcanic equipment space. Discussion of a so-called “Masters ball” was first suggested years ago. Again, as the club makes the rules for its one week each year, a high-profile insistence on using a certain ball or a regulation on equipment would be an eye-opening experiment and a potent display of administrative power.
Under current chairman Fred Ridley, Augusta is continuing a trend of considered progress, each move carefully thought out and then implemented. The club’s next move might be its most important yet.
Top 5 things you don’t know about the Masters until you go there
5. How large the total property is – and it’s gradually getting bigger.
4. Yes, the golf course really is far hillier than it appears on television. OK, so you’ve heard this, but you don’t see it or feel it until you’re there.
3. Washington Rd, which fronts Augusta National, is as ugly a main road as you’ll find. There are almost no redeeming features along it.
2. Analogue life is alive and well for one week each April. You might know that mobile phones aren’t permitted on the property, but many fans don’t know there are pods of pay phones across the course.
1. The Masters makes a case for being the greatest sporting experience on the planet. That realisation only dawns on a fan once you’re there, as the club has fine-tuned everything to the inch. As our Evin Priest says: “The Masters experience is almost a metaphor for things worth waiting for in life: getting a ticket is either part of an expensive process or, if you’re lucky enough to win tickets through the ballot, a lottery. But once you’ve got your ticket, the on-site experience is incredibly affordable (cheap beers, food and an array of inexpensive merchandise options like ball markers and coasters). Once you get your ticket, Augusta National truly wants you to have a good time at the Masters. They create a lifelong relationship with the fans rather than sting them in a one-and-done transaction.”
Photo by aben walton
