There’s a tweet I think about a lot that states, “A sandwich should not be $12. A sandwich was only ever supposed to be 6 or 7 dollars.” Now, once you open that Pandora’s Box of charging $12 for a sandwich, you’ll never go back again, which is what happens for everything. Things inch up bit by bit, and the next thing you know, you’re paying double digits for a Cuban.
One of the relatively cheaper big-time sporting events, the Masters, started at $2.20 a badge in 1934 and has gradually progressed over the decades. In 2025, if you’re able to win the exalted lottery, tournament rounds are $140 at face value (not bad at all!), but it’s the secondary markets that’ll get you as weekly badges can jump up to $26,618.
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Of course, there’s inflation, and the average salary has gone up quite a bit over the last 60 years, but we still can’t believe that four lucky bastards finangled their way into Augusta National in 1965 for just $60. If you’re doing the math, that’s five sandwiches.
As you’re well aware, every trip would be much cheaper without worrying about accommodations and travel, which is how these four Cincinnati golfers kept costs to a minimum. Instead of flying and booking an Augusta hotel, Ernie Jacobs, Bob Lehker, Norm Thomas and Sherry Stumpf “towed a trailer-tent outfit to Augusta, set up ‘camp’ next to the Augusta National Golf Club course and had the time of their lives for $60 a man.”
On the way to Augusta, the men stopped at the famous Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va. Ernie Jacobs chips a golf ball toward an ice bucket, while Sherry Stumpf prepares to backstop and Norm Thomas watches. The fourth golfer, Bob Lehker, took this photograph.
The travelers stop at the front gate of the Augusta National Golf Club, site of the Masters, and talk to the guard. They couldn’t take their outfit into the grounds, but later found a camp site convenient to the course and stayed there during the Masters.
The story continues: “The tab included tournament tickets, gasoline, food and a golfing stop along the way at the fabulous Greenbrier Hotel and Country Club in White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., where they also camped out near the resort.”
Once you get into the grounds, you’re golden, with a Pimento Cheese sandwich going for $1.50, but a $60 Masters trip is a $60 Masters trip. Jack Nicklaus may hold the most Augusta National victories, and Nick Price and Greg Norman might have the lowest individual Masters round, but those achievements can be conquered. No one will ever go to the Masters for $60 ever again.
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This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
