Father/Son Senior trip to the Masters.

I attended 3 Sundays, Tiger 2002, Weir 2003 and Phil 2004

I just walked all day. If I happened to be in a spot a golfer was hitting I watched but I didn’t make it a priority.

I enjoyed just being there seeing the course in person more than I did seeing any golfer.

Walk the whole course, it’s an experience. Then find a good spot (or two) where you can watch the drama unfold on Saturday. My personal favorite is near 9/18. You can watch the approach shots for both, and can see how it works out.

This will be my 7th Masters (Thurs - Sun).

Let me ask this first - how old is your dad? Any issues walking around?

My thoughts may change depending on the answers to those questions, but this is what I would do with my dad:

Before you go, work on where you want to make your homebase (where you will leave your chairs). Our group sets up on the hill at 16 (great spot) as you can see 16 green, 15 approach/green, 17 tee, 5 green and 6 tee are just behind you, and it's a quick walk to the smaller gift shop, bathrooms, and concessions. Find a layout of ANGC and figure out where to park and what gate you will enter based on where you pick your base.

The weather in Augusta can be weird that time of year. Check the weather and pack accordingly.

You will not be able to bring your phone in, so you can either leave it in your car or check it before you enter. Bring as little as possible with you so getting through security will be easier. I don't bring a wallet; will just grab ID, CC, and some cash...makes it a lot easier and comfortable.

GRAB A SPECTATOR GUIDE AFTER YOU GO THROUGH SCREENING. Some much good information in there! Also, there will be little boxes as you walk to the course that have the pairing sheets for the day - also a useful piece of paper.

Get there early - like previously said, about an hour will work. Go to the gift shop first on Friday, but only get chairs. Get those then go straight to your base and place your chairs - if you have business cards, then put those in the card holder on the back of the chair. The good thing, is that nobody messes with your chairs. People sometimes sit in them as they move around (this is normal), but they will nicely get up if you come back while they're sitting in them.

Once the chairs are placed - go grab something to eat...I'm a fan of the chicken biscuits.

If merch is important to you, then go back to the gift shop and load up. Once done shopping - the easiest thing to do is go straight to the shipping line and ship all that shite back to you homes so you don't have to either check the bags, or lug them around all day.

If merch isn't all that important...then start walking the course. Go to the holes you want to see first, that way you can see them in two different ways - one without all the patrons, and another packed later in the day once everyone starts coming through. Amen corner is a must first thing in the AM.

Once that's all done, then start walking the course! The hills are worse than you think and they don't look at all like they do on TV, so take it slow (depending on how well your dad gets around). Stop at each hole, break out the Spectator Guide (it has little tidbits of each hole in it), take everything in. I would do this until about Noon on Friday - avoiding popular pairings that are on the course.

See if you can find the palm tree on 4!

Grab some lunch - I'm not a fan of pimento cheese, but I always have to get one on Thursday for lunch just because, but the chicken salad sandwich is great, as it the BBQ. Keep your cups if you want - a lot of folks do - you can store them in the chair sleeve.

Again, depending on how well your dad can get around, this might be a time, after lunch, to either park yourselves at you base spot, or find a grandstand to sit in for a while and watch some groups come through.

On Saturday, do all of the things you didn't see on Friday (keep an eye on the cut line, as you may not see someone you want to see on Saturday if you didn't see them on Friday). That might be a good day to follow specific groups

Things to consider:

If you walk past 1 tee and 9 green, then that will lead you to the Par 3 course. You can't walk it, but you can walk next to part of it and get a good view of almost everything.

There's also a spot, if you keep walking the path, where you can go and get a picture taken at Founders Circle that has the flower logo and clubhouse in the background. The line might look shitty at first, but it goes quick.

Dinners can be rough. Almost every place will have a lengthy wait, so embrace the suck.

There are a couple places that we go to each year:

T-Bonz: Mostly just for the experience. It's packed, but it's fun...food is okay.
Rae's Coastal Cafe: Much easier to get into as it's off the beaten path - more of a local's place.

Other than that, there's a bunch of other places that should be able to meet your expectations.

Saturday is generally wear your school colors day, and there's usually a good number of LSU folks there, so if you see one...it might be me! Yell "Rummy"!

Hope you and your dad have an amazing time - if I think of anything else, then I'll let you know.

Rummel
Thank you for the lengthy response. I appreciate your help.
The trip is for my son, he is 17 and a senior in high school. He plays golf for his HS team and his dream trip is the Masters.
We are both healthy and have no issue with walking or stamina.
Your post was highly insightful.
Thanks

Definitely buy chairs. Depending how early you get there Friday and how long the pro shop line is at the time, you might consider walking straight to the south pro shop. We did this because the line was insane. South entrance line was short and they had quite a bit of gear there.

Walked a ton of the course on the way to south entrance/pro shop, bought our chairs and put them right at the pine straw on 15.

This was an excellent view and we walked around until the leaders were coming through. Got to see Scottie’s eagle on 13 and Bryson’s 3 putt on 16 which was awesome.

No surprise, 13-14-15-16 (Amen) was my favorite stretch and area to view. Can see a lot of those 4 holes in very close proximity and the roar will drive the pressure.

We hit the North pro shop on the way out on Saturday and it was pretty darn picked at that point.

Buying a chair and putting it down is the best advice there is. Also buy a pair of the masters bushnell binocs. Best $60 I spent. I think the chairs are less than $50 and they’re great with a logo.

You can eat and drink all day for $50 too, which softens the blow of what you spend in the pro shop. Ship your stuff in the fedex shop. It’s cheap and 100% worth not carrying a huge bag around the rest of the weekend.

It was the best weekend of my life besides my wedding. Stayed and played golf all around Akin. Great town with lots of cool bars and restaurants.

It is worth every penny and you will have a magical experience with your son with no phones for the whole day. It’s fun calling your wife with a nice buzz from the prison phones they give you access to and let her know how much fun you’re having.

Thank you for the advice and all the tidbits.
Appreciate the entire responses.

quote:

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Do they pat you down to make sure you don’t have a phone? Seems like it would be easy to sneak a phone in

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Competence is not a goal at Augusta National Golf Club. It is a lived value.

If they say don’t bring a phone. Don’t even think about it.

My favorite thing about Augusta is NO PHONES.

I’ve been many times. It is so nice to not hear constant chatter, ring tones, text tones, etc. it is a joy for me to be unavailable during my time on the property.

But go ahead and try to sneak a phone in. I think they have lockers for you to place them in for the day. You will not get it past the gates.

quote:

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The trip is for my son, he is 17 and a senior in high school.

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Ah, got it...

Most everything still stands. Maybe check out Hooters Friday night.

The place is a zoo.

You will also see a bunch of celebrities, so if your son likes football, then there's generally a good number of current NFL players there - I've seen Josh Allen for the last 3 years.

There will also be a ton of hot girls/women for y'all to also discuss...if y'all do such things.

This topic gets posted every now and again, so I've just kept the same general response over the years, that I've changed some as I've gone more.

Golf:

If you are looking to golf on the way up or back, I played Reynolds Plantation in 2015. They have a couple options. I think one of the courses is only open to the public the week of the Masters. It was a lot of fun. Pricey, but worth it.

If you don't mind adding time to the trip, once you leave Augusta, you are just across the river from South Carolina. Lots of courses that way.



Where to stay:

I've stayed in Lithonia before. It gets you on the East side of Atlanta, because there isn't a ton between Atlanta and Augusta.

I've stayed in Reynolds Plantation twice. It's essentially an hour or so drive in the morning. It's an early start, but I'm an early person, so it isn't a big deal.

You can do Augusta, but it isn't cheap or nice. You can also stay in SC, but if you're driving from LA, it's probably better to stay in Atlanta or thereabouts. Just start the process of booking now.


Day of the Masters:

Do the free parking. It is closer than some of the pay parking.

Get there at least an hour before the gates open, they let you in early. If you show up on time, you'll be in a long line to get in. You want to be as close to the front of that line as possible.

Buy your stuff as soon as you walk in. It helps if you have in your head what you're after. I had a list of what shirts and sizes I needed for my friends and what I was after. If you go in there and are truly shopping, you could spend an hour just walking around aimlessly. The process of picking out shirts/hats is seamless, so you can do it quickly if you know generally what you want. You can check your bag right next to the gift shop. That way you don't have to carry it or walk back to the car.

Grab a coffee and some breakfast and head to the course. There is a concession stand near the pro shop somewhat near the first tee.

First thing to do is walk the golf course. You can't get an appreciation for the course on TV. Start at the clubhouse by one tee and imagine all the great who have teed off there. It's truly surreal. It will take you a few hours to walk the course because of the elevation changes.

Don't be scared to snack all day. The mini moon pies are delicious. I basically hit the concession stand every time I pass one. It is really cheap, so why not.

I've never dropped a chair, and never felt the need to put one out. There are plenty of places to watch without needing a chair. I love the grand stand on 16. If you get in the right spot, you can watch the par 3 16th, the second shot and on for the par 5 15th and you can see the tee shot on 17. Truly a non stop action spot, especially if the pin is in a good spot for 15 and 16.

Once you have walked the golf course, go towards the par 3 course and you can get your picture made on the other side of the club house. I have a picture there with my dad and one with my wife, and both are something I'll always treasure. It's free and it doesn't take that long.

For lunch, the bar b q sandwich is tops. Everyone loves the pimento cheese sandwich, but it isn't for me. But you have to at least try it.

Hang out by one tee and you'll get to see a lot of famous people and golfers doing interviews.

Another good spot to watch is 5 green on the left side where you can see down the hill and watch 6 and 16 is awesome.

Bottom left of 10 is good just to see the severity of the slope of the fairway. Top of 10 green makes you wonder how anyone keeps it on the green.

Obviously amen corner is worth spending some time.

With practice rounds, it's tougher to get a feel for where you need to be. During a tournament day, you know who is going to be where and when. Practice rounds, you are just walking around aimlessly at times waiting on people to come through. If you drop a chair at 18, you may not see anyone for a long time and it could be very sporadic. You can have a couple of guys go off in a row and then an hour before someone else goes off. It just depends on the day and the weather, etc. On practice round days, you have to be far more flexible.

I hesitate to tell someone who has never been to spend time at the driving range, but it's always a good time. I hang out there while everyone is finishing up shopping. You get to see how really great these guys are. If you went on a tournament day, they shut the gates an hour after the last putt, so you can hang out at the range, extend your day and watch some good golfers practice. I think the same goes for the practice rounds.

Another fun one is to wonder towards Amen Corner towards the end of the day. It empties out and you can have it almost all to yourself. One year, my dad and I were the only ones over there. Was the most peaceful experience of my life.



Day 2, you'll have more time because you won't have to shop. You can really investigate and experience the course. You can go on the other sides of holes so you can see it from different angles.



I hate to say it, but the golf is ancillary to the course, especially practice round days. Just enjoy the experience of being out there.