Augusta National Golf Club is home to Masters Tournament and Amen Corner, some of the most recognizable golf holes on the PGA Tour and one of the best-known golf courses in the United States and the world, and it's home to one of the best golf tournaments on the planet. The Augusta-area course has some of the most recognizable holes in the world, including the three-hole stretch in the second nine.

Not only is Augusta National Golf Club an incredible golf course, but it is also home to one of the most elite private golf clubs in the world and the 2026 Masters Tournament, which is a major championship and the most famous golf tournament in the world.

Naturally, hosting a major golf tournament leads fans to wonder where Augusta National Golf Club is located.

Where is Augusta National Golf Club located?

Augusta National Golf Club is located in a town called Augusta, Ga., and it's situated to the east of Georgia's capital city, Atlanta.

Augusta National Golf Club is a two-hour drive from Atlanta by car, taking Interstate 20 almost the entire way to the club, whose address is 2604 Washington Road.

Augusta National Golf Club is right along the Georgia-South Carolina border, meaning the closest big town is Aiken, S.C. Columbia, S.C., the capital of the state, is an hour from the club.

Which airports are near Augusta National Golf Club?

Since the biggest city in close proximity to Augusta National Golf Club is Atlanta, the ATL airport is frequently where golfers who are playing at the course will fly into before making the trek. It's an approximately two-hour drive from the airport to Augusta National Golf Club.

However, many players and patrons fly private planes into several executive-private airports in the region. Some patrons fly into Aiken or Columbia, S.C.

What other famous golf courses are near Augusta National Golf Club?

Augusta National Golf Club is an iconic golf course in the United States, but it has some incredible neighbors in the golf world. Augusta Country Club is the club's next-door neighbor.

Sage Valley Golf Club is in the Aiken area and is one of the best clubs in the country, along with Palmetto Golf Club and Old Barnwell.

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Augusta National Golf Club has some of the most distinctive bunkers in the world. They're known in part because of their placement and shaping, but they're most known for their white sand. The white sand bunkers look unlike anything most any golfer will ever experience playing the game.

However, the bunkers at Augusta National Golf Club didn't always have white sand in them. The white sand, labeled as a Spruce Pine Feldspar variety of sand, was introduced into the bunkers until the 1975 Masters. The sand is naturally soft, and it's difficult for a player to hit through the sand without putting a good thump on it with some force in the explosion shot.

The Masters contestants love the sand, though, because while soft on the top layer, it is very firm in the compacted lower layers. Balls rarely, if ever, plug in the bunkers at Augusta National Golf Club. However, if it rains significantly, the sand compacts and gets even firmer, making bunker shots particularly difficult.

The white sand in the bunkers at Augusta National comes from North Carolina, namely the Spruce Pine mining area of the northwestern portion of the state, near the Blue Ridge mountains. That region has been producing quartz and feldspar, which is a slightly less pure version of quartz, since the Colonial Era. Americans began trying to mine the region in the 1800s but had poor luck. The 1903 installation of winding railroad tracks in the region created a way out for the sand, and mining picked up dramatically. What is now known as the Spruce Pine Mining District is 250 square miles in size.

The crystal white sand is a byproduct of the mining process that extracts feldspar with the goal of separating aluminum from the quartz. Effectively, it's waste that comes out of mining for other metals and materials.

While it might be a waste product, the sand is so pure that it's similar in grade and makeup to the sand used to help fuel modern electronic devices with microchips. The sand is in high demand among electronics manufacturers. The most pure version of the sand is sold off for chips in phones, tablets and the like. The sand with slight imperfections locked in the quartz is what's used on beaches and at Augusta National Golf Club.

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The 2026 Masters Tournament format remains unchanged this year, with the major event played at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia.

The 2026 Masters Tournament field is 91 players.

The Masters Tournament field is made up of players who get invited based on the 27 invitation categories to earn a spot in the year's first major.

Masters Tournament format

The Masters Tournament format is a 72-hole event. The field is divided into threesomes for the first two rounds. For the first two rounds, the threesomes remain paired together.

In the first two rounds, the threesomes (and two twosomes) will have a tee time in the morning wave and the afternoon wave on the tee sheet. Each threesome will start on the first tee, with the field evenly split each day between morning and afternoon.

A cut is made after 36 holes to the top 50 players and ties. All players who make the cut are eligible to finish the event.

For the third and fourth rounds, the pairings and tee times are made based on each player's total score through two and three rounds, respectively. Players with the highest total score go first, then in descending order until the two players with the lowest total score in the final group.

The player with the lowest total score after 72 holes is the winner and will earn the 2026 Masters Tournament winner's share of the purse.

The winning player will earn 750 FedEx Cup points and will earn 100 Official World Golf Ranking points.

Masters Tournament playoff format

A playoff to settle any ties after 72 holes will be played under Masters rules. The Masters Tournament playoff format is a sudden-death format, with playoff holes being 18, then 10 played by any qualifying players. Masters Tournament playoff competitors compete hole-by-hole until a winner is determined by a player scoring the lowest among the remaining players.

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In the history of the Masters Tournament, contestants at Augusta National have done some incredible things and hit some shots that have become the stuff of legend.

There have also been some eye-popping single-hole scores which have caught fans by surprise that one of the best golfers on the planet is capable of producing a score that high for one hole.

In the 89 editions of the Masters, three players hold claim to the highest single-hole score. It's 13, and it has been done by three different golfers on three different holes.

• Sergio Garcia, 13, No. 15, 2018
• Tommy Nakajima, 13, No. 13, 1978
• Tom Weiskopf, 13, No. 12, 1980

Nakajima made his 13 as part of back-to-back 80s that also included winning a pair of crystal goblets for an eagle 3 on the eighth hole in the first round.

Weiskopf made his 13 en route to 85-79 in the first two rounds and missing the cut. He put five balls in the water before making the final 13 on the card.

Garcia, the defending champion in 2018, made the 13 to go from 2 over to 10 over for his round.

The highest score on every hole at Augusta National in the Masters Tournament

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The Masters Tournament is one of the four recognized men's major championships in golf. It's considered a sanctioned part of the schedule on every major men's tour, including the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf League, Asian Tour, Australasian PGA Tour, Japan Pro Golf Tour and Sunshine Tour.

However, despite all of these tours recognizing and sanctioning the Masters Tournament, none of them actually own, present and run the tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

The PGA Tour, PGA of America, USGA and every other sanctioning tour do not have a hand in running the Masters.

Who runs the Masters Tournament?

The Masters Tournament is owned, run and operated by the membership of Augusta National Golf Club. The club was founded in 1932 by renown champion golfer Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts on the site of a former nursery in Augusta, Ga. Two years later in 1934, the pair decided to create a golf tournament that would highlight the club after being denied the opportunity to host the US Open.

Instead, they came up with an invitational tournament to which they personally invited players. Jones, who won the single-season Grand Slam in 1930, would ostensibly become the tournament host and compete. Roberts had sought to call the tournament the Masters, but Jones, according to legend, thought the name too presumptuous and over the top. Instead, for the first five years of the event, it was called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. In 1939, Jones relented on his objection and allowed the name change to the Masters.

To this day, the Masters is run by Augusta National Golf Club membership. The chairman of the club is also the chairman of the tournament, and the current chairman is Fred Ridley, a former Masters player and a former USGA President. Ridley is the first former Masters contestant to become chairman of the club. He is the seventh chairman in tournament history.

Augusta National Golf Club determines everything about the event, including who is invited to play. The Masters is the only invitational tournament of the four men's majors, and they can invite any player to compete at their discretion for any reason. The players who are invited have to formally accept the invitation and register to play. There are no alternates, unlike the other major championships.

The club sets up their course as they'd like, and they maintain it throughout the tournament. They handle the media rights, news conferences and every facet of the tournament.

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The Masters Tournament is the most famous golf tournament in the world -- and it is, by far, the most watched golf tournament. However, the Masters Tournament wasn't always called that. The Masters originally had a different name.

What was the original name for the Masters?

The Masters Tournament was originally referred to as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. That wasn't because the Masters name hadn't been concocted yet.

Augusta National co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts had different views about what their invitational tournament should be called. Roberts wanted to call it the Masters Tournament from the very start, and that was because he wanted the name to reflect that the players competing in the event were masterful golfers and would be taking on the most brilliant new course in the world.

Jones, who founded Augusta National Golf Club after retiring from competitive golf following winning the Grand Slam in 1930, saw things differently. He thought the Masters name was presumptuous and wouldn't reflect well on the tournament or the club. He wanted the tournament to be called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament. Roberts relented initially.

From 1934-1938, the tournament was called the Augusta National Invitation Touranment -- note, not "Invitational." The tournament was well received, with Horton Smith winning two of the first three playings. Gene Sarazen put the tournament on the map in 1935 by winning in a 36-hole playoff over Craig Wood after making an albatross on the par-5 15th in the final round, known as the "shot heard around the world."

However, reporting media largely referred to the event as the Masters, as Roberts wanted.

In time for the 1939 event, Jones relented to Roberts and allowed the tournament to formally be called the Masters Tournament. Since then, the tournament has only continued to grow in stature and significance, particularly as the television era popularized the tournament with the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus defining its history. Still the only major played on the same course each year, the Masters Tournament, colloquially just called the Masters, is the most-watched golf tournament every year.

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In the history of the Masters Tournament, contestants at Augusta National have done some incredible things and hit some shots that have become the stuff of legend.

There have also been some eye-popping 18-hole scores which have caught fans by surprise that one of the best golfers on the planet is capable of producing a score that high for one hole.

In the 89 prior editions of the Masters, the highest official single-round score is 95, which belongs to Charles Kunkle Jr. in the final round of the 1956 Masters.

The worst round in Masters history

Kunkle opened the tournament with 78 on a difficult scoring day for a lot of the field. Ken Venturi, an amateur, led with a remarkable 66.

Kunkle, an amateur, got worse in the second round, shooting 82, but he still wasn't in last place in the 84-player field.

Without a cut to give him the weekend off, Kunkle shot 85 in the third round. Then it all fell apart on Sunday. He opened with 49 on the first nine holes and came back with 46 to shoot 95, which left him in last place among the 77 players to finish the tournament by four shots.

In that same Masters, Fred McLeod opened with 90, then shot 88 in the second round, before withdrawing. There's a reasonable chance McLeod would have finished last in the competition had he completed all four rounds. The year prior, McLeod shot 91 in the opening round before withdrawing.

Doug Ford, who has the third-most Masters appearances at 49, shot 94 in 2000. Tommy Aaron has the third-highest 18-hole score with 92 in 2003, along with Horton Smith, who shot the same score in the first round in 1962 before missing the cut after a second-round 88.

Charles "Chick" Evans shot 91 in the first round in 1960, backing up an opening 90 in 1959. Two-time winner Ben Crenshaw also shot that score in 2015's first round, in his final Masters appearance.

Evans and McLeod were playing in the Masters long past their best years.

In 1954, Frank Souchak opened with 90 before withdrawing.

All told, there are 11 official scores of 90 or better in Masters history, as Nick Dunlap opened with 18-over 90 in the first round in 2025.

In 2005, Billy Casper shot 34-over 106, though he did not turn in the scorecard to make the round official in his final Masters appearance.

The 1956 Masters was the last year the Masters Tournament was played without a 36-hole cut. Starting in 1957, there was a cut to the top 40 players and ties. Starting in 1961, the cut went to the top 44 players and ties, as well as any player within 10 shots of the lead. Nowadays, the 36-hole cut is to the top 50 players and ties.

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If you're a golf fan watching the Masters, you've probably noticed on the first tee box at Augusta National that there's a sign which shows the players about to tee off in each group. And next to those names is a number. What does that number mean?

The numbers next to player names on the first tee at Augusta National are their caddie numbers. The caddie numbers are assigned to players based on the order in which they officially registered for the tournament -- other than the defending champion, whose caddie gets No. 1 by default.

Augusta National Golf Club says the caddie numbers are important to helping patrons watch the action on the course. A patron can easily identify a player with the caddie number because the club prints the caddie bib numbers on the pairings sheet. So, if a patron can see no discernible details about a player other than their caddie number, they can look at the tee times and pairings and figure out who they're watching.

It's a smart feature, though these days most golf tournaments now simply print a label with the player's name on them for the caddies to wear.

However, in Augusta National tradition, the Masters has their caddies -- professional or local -- look as the club caddies look when working for members. That means they're not printing names on the Masters caddie jumpsuits anytime soon.

The only time those numbers don't reference the caddie numbers are with the honorary starters, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player, hitting ceremonial tee shots to start the Masters Tournament. The numbers next to their names are actually their ages when they hit the tee shots off the first tee. In 2026, that means Tom Watson is 76, Jack Nicklaus is 86, and Gary Player is 90 years old!

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For golf fans and casual sports fans tuning into the Masters Tournament, the massive leaderboards around Augusta National Golf Club are impossible to miss. That's by design. They're located at strategic viewing points on the course to let patrons and players know exactly where all the action stands.

However, if you're not an avid golf fan or someone who follows golf closely, you may not understand what all the red and black numbers mean next to each player's name on the Masters leaderboard. Let us explain it for you.

What do the red and black numbers mean next to a player's name on the Masters leaderboard?

At Augusta National, the Masters (and Augusta National Women's Amateur) leaderboard utilizes what's called the over-under method of displaying scoring. That means they a player's starting score relative to par to the left of their name. Then, they show how a player progresses through their round by showing their cumulative tournament score relative to par on each successive hole.

For example, if Player A started their round at 2-under total, that would be the first number to the left of their name. If they made a birdie on the first hole, then the number next to their name under the 1 column would be a red 3. (Red numbers are used because it's a way to distinguish players that are under par compared to those that are over par, for which black numbers are used.) A player's cumulative score to par is placed subsequently after each hole under the column for that hole, giving a picture of gained and lost shots against par throughout the day.

CBS Sports producer Frank Chirkinian came up with the idea of showing golfers' scores on TV against par so it was easier for fans to understand scoring and compare players that were through different portions of their rounds. The Masters scoreboard -- which is used at other events and major championships, like the US Open and PGA Championship -- set the standard for helping golf fans understand where a field stands.

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At the Masters, every caddie has a number, and they wear it on their jumpsuits, which is another unique feature at the first major championship of the year.

Augusta National Golf Club thinks the number so important that they print the caddie number of each player on the tee times and pairings sheet each day. The club does that so patrons can easily identify a player they're following if all they can make out of the player-caddie combo is the caddie number on the classic Masters caddie jumpsuit.

However, there's a system which determines how a Masters caddie gets a certain number for their jumpsuit. It's a simple system, but it works.

The caddie for the defending Masters champion gets bib No. 1. That means, in 2026, Rory McIlroy's caddie, Harry Diamond, will be wearing No. 1 on his jumpsuit.

After the defending champion, the caddie numbers are handed out in the order by which players officially register to compete in the tournament. Since the Masters is an invitational tournament, there are no alternates and there is a defined number of players competing in the event. In 2026, that number is 91 players in total.

So, when a player arrives at Augusta National Golf Club for the first time during Masters Week, they register to indicate they are playing -- and they don't have to register, technically, until just before their Thursday tee time -- and are assigned a caddie number based on the order in which they register. This year, the last player to register was Jordan Spieth.

In 2026, there are 91 players in the field. However, there are three caddie numbers that have been worn by the caddies of three different winners: 6, 52 and 89. This year, the players whose caddies have those numbers are Max Greyserman, Vijay Singh and Matt McCarty.

The caddie numbers are another subtle tradition at the Masters that most fans won't notice, but if you pay attention, it gives you some additional insight into how players prepare for the tournament.

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Before a player starts a Masters round at Augusta National Golf Club, patrons and fans watching from afar hear a voice say, "Fore please, [player name here] now driving."

It's a simple six- (or seven-) word introduction. There are no superlatives, even for Masters champions. Just a quick heads up that one of the invitees is about to play some golf.

So why does the Masters first-tee announcer, Toby Wilt, say that phrase? Like so many things at the Masters and Augusta National, it's an introduction driven by tradition.

In 1948, Augusta National member Phil Harison became the lead first-tee starter, a position he would hold until he died in 2008. With his Southern drawl, Harison would say that phrase for each player. He didn't have a microphone. He didn't gesture to the patrons. He just wanted everyone around to know who was playing, and the respectful onlookers were quiet enough to hear him.

The word 'fore' in golf is meant as a word or warning to those standing nearby or ahead of where a player is in intending to hit, so it's easy to command attention. Once the applause streams down the first fairway from the tee box, every patron should be aware players are about to hit. It's simple, and it works.

So, when Toby Wilt took over the first-tee starter at the Masters Tournament, he continued the Harison tradition and delivery style. The introduction is so associated with the Masters that there's little chance future starters will change it.

The players love it. It gives them goosebumps and makes it crystal clear they're about to experience a golf course and a tournament truly unique in championship golf.

The fans love it. It's simple and is distinguished in golf.

The club clearly loves it, or they would change it. It works for everyone, and it's another tradition at the Masters that lives on today.

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Attending the Masters Tournament as a patron is a privilege, and it's one Augusta National Golf Club takes seriously. Patrons may be the club's guests and treated with the utmost courtesy and respect, but, in return, Augusta National expects attendees to behave and play by their rules.

It's a reasonable trade, but that means maybe not doing some things that you'd otherwise be inclined to do. If you're caught doing things Augusta National doesn't want their patrons to do, you could risk ejection and permanent banning from ever attending the Masters again.

8 things you shouldn't do at the Masters (or you might never be allowed to return)

1. Running on the grounds -- There's no running at Augusta National, for any reason. So, learn how to speed walk if you want to get to your destination quickly.
2. Shouting "Dilly! Dilly!" or "Mashed potatoes!" or other stuff like that -- You shouldn't be the story at the Masters Tournament, so maybe don't shout stuff that'll get you noticed more than the contestants or golf course. Otherwise, you're outta there.
3. Bringing your mobile phone -- There is a strict ban on mobile phones on the grounds at Augusta National. On practice days, bring your digital camera (if you still have one, or a disposable one) to takes pictures for personal use. If you bring your phone and you're caught, buh-bye.
4. Don't ask for autographs outside the clubhouse area -- If you ask for golfers for an autograph on the golf course, that's a no-no.
5. Use someone else's ticket or weekly badge -- Masters tickets and badges aren't meant to be sold on the secondary market for profit. Anyone caught using a ticket or badge purchased from someone other than Augusta National can be kicked out for life.
6. Don't wear golf shoes or take your shoes off -- Don't carry yourself like a slob or a wannabe Masters contestant.
7. Don't litter -- Augusta National works very hard to keep their club spotless for their patrons.
8. Don't try to take home turf or bunker sand -- If you're caught trying to take those things from the property, you're never coming back.

Masters patrons prohibited items

• Electronic devices (Cell Phones, Laptops, Tablets, Beepers, and other electronics), including devices capable of transmitting photo/video*
• Radios, TVs, Noise or music producing devices
• Weapons of any kind (regardless of permit)
• Flags, Banners, or Signs
• Cameras**
• Folding armchairs or Rigid type chairs
• Strollers
• Food, Beverage, or Coolers
• Golf Shoes with metal spikes
• Ladders, Periscopes or Selfie sticks
• Backpacks, Bags, and Purses larger than 10”x10”x12” (in its natural state)

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Thousands upon thousands of patrons attend the Masters every year at Augusta National Golf Club. For many of these golf fans, this is their one and only chance to attend one of the most famous golf courses and most famous golf tournaments in the world. That means they want to get the most out of their day or two or week at Augusta National, getting there when the gates open and staying until the gates close for each day.

What time do the gates open for patrons at Augusta National?

Augusta National Golf Club opens the gates to Masters patrons at a slightly different time each day. During the course of the week, patrons can get into Augusta National anywhere from 7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. each day.

During pre-tournament practice round days and tournament days, Augusta National Golf Club opens at 8 a.m. The only exception is Thursday, when patrons can get in at 7:15 a.m., just prior to the honorary starters kicking off the tournament.

Those opening times can change based on tournament delays that may cause a round to spill over from one day to the next or forecasted weather conditions that may cause play to be moved up in an attempt to get play done for the day before weather moves in or other delays happen.

Also, if poor weather is expected to lead into the opening of the gates, Augusta National will ask patrons not to approach the gates or enter parking lots until a specific time.

What time do the gates close for patrons at Augusta National?

Augusta National Golf Club closes their gates to Masters patrons at exactly 30 minutes after play ends for each day. This gives patrons enough time to gather their belongings -- namely, the chairs they might bring and plop down to keep as a viewing spot throughout the day -- and then get off the property.

Meanwhile, grounds crews get to work filling in every divot on the property and cleaning up the grounds to that everything looks practically perfect for the next day.

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The Masters is one of the best fan experiences in sports, and it's perhaps the best in golf. There aren't cell phones to distract people. There are rules to prevent goofballs from yelling obnoxious things. The expectation of decorum is a nice twist.

One of the other great things about the Masters Tournament is Augusta National patrons can use chairs to save seats around the 18th green and other spots on the course.

At Augusta National Golf Club, there are seating areas around certain portions of the course designated specifically for patrons with chairs. Almost universally, these chairs are the ones in the Augusta National and Masters merchandise shops, have a Masters logo on the bag, a translucent slot to put your name and no arms -- never any arms. The patrons very politely arrange their chairs in rows, especially when the gates open an hour before play starts, leaving them there until they want to come back and sit in those seats. The areas are roped off, so patrons without complying chairs can't just stand there and take up space. With the chair sections typically higher up on hillsides, they amount to more comfortable grandstands with great views of multiple holes.

The secret to getting in these chair-only sections is to get to Augusta National Golf Club when the gates open. From there, walk (do not run, whatever you do) to the specific seating area(s) you want to plant your chair(s), and then put them down where you can in an orderly fashion. Then walk away and go enjoy your day until you're ready to come back. No one will touch your chairs or, frankly, anything you store with them. There are security guards to make sure everything is on the up and up, so there's no reason to fear. Grab some food, walk around the course, come back and enjoy.

Bringing chairs to the Masters is absolutely the right way to secure a great spot to watch the tournament, particularly during the weekend rounds. Come early, save a spot, then come back to catch whatever number of final groups coming through to wrap up their rounds. Then, on Championship Sunday and with the green jacket on the line, those chairs can offer a view of history as a new Masters champion is crowned. It didn't cost anything extra (except the money for the chair) and the benefits of bringing the chair are remarkable.

If you're going to the Masters, and you intend to plunk down on one hole for a good portion of the day, make sure to get a chair.

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If you attend the Masters as a patron, one of the things you have to do during the practice rounds is head to the par-3 16th and watch Masters contestants and their caddies try to skip golf balls across the pond guarding the green to get them on the green. It's become a Masters tradition, and it's really a treat to see these world-class players be able to innovate a shot like that.

However, the Augusta National members weren't thrilled when the first balls were skipped across the pond at No. 16 in practice rounds.

Marc Calcavecchia and Ken Green were the first two players to start skipping balls across the pond at No. 16. They started doing it in 1987, and, as Calc told it on Twitter, then-Augusta National chairman Hord Hardin wasn't happy.

However, the patrons and players ultimately won out it seems, as not only is Augusta National OK with players skipping balls onto 16 green in the practice rounds, but they Periscope when players do it!

As far as we know, only two players have ever managed to skip the ball across the pond and then hole out for a hole-in-one.

Vijay Singh is the first guy who made that hole-in-one in a practice round ahead of the 2009 Masters.

In the lead-in to the November 2020 Masters, Jon Rahm became the second player to successfully make an ace after skipping his ball across the pond in the front of the 16th hole.

Obviously there have been better, more important shots in golf history, but you can't say you're not extremely impressed.

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At the 2025 Masters, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Gary Player will serve as honorary starters, beginning the tournament with ceremonial first tee shots on the first tee at Augusta National Golf Club.

In 2017, Nicklaus and Player hit their ceremonial tee shots for the first time without the presence of Arnold Palmer on the first tee. Palmer, who won four Masters titles (1958, 1960, 1962, 1964), began as an honorary starter in 2007. He was on the first tee in 2016, but he did not hit a ceremonial first tee shot.

The history of the Masters honorary starters and the ceremonial first tee shot starts years before the Big Three of Palmer, Nicklaus and Player got together on the first tee at Augusta National.

History of the Masters honorary starters

The tradition of the Masters honorary starter began formally in 1963 when Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod did the honors. Hutchison won the 1920 PGA Championship and the 1921 British Open, becoming the first American to win the Claret Jug. McLeod, a Scot, won the 1908 U.S. Open.

So why them? Both players had won the Senior PGA Championship, which began at Augusta National, with Hutchison taking the inaugural edition in 1937 and McLeod winning it, shortened from 54 to 36 holes, in its second year in 1938. The pair started the tradition informally in 1954, and both players not only hit the ceremonial tee shots, but they played the first nine or all 18 holes, then withdrew from the tournament. That continued until 1962.

Hutchison continued in the role until 1973, while McLeod went on until 1976.

From 1977-1980, the Masters didn't have honorary starters. The tradition was revived in 1981 with Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen taking over the duties. Sarazen made an albatross in the final round -- "the shot heard round the world" -- en route to winning in 1935. Nelson won in 1937 and '42. For years, Nelson played with the 54-hole leader for the final round. They didn't play any additional holes beyond the first tee shot.

In 1983, Nelson didn't hit a ceremonial tee shot, tending to his ill wife Louise. Ken Venturi, twice a runner-up at the Masters, filled in that year with Sarazen. Then in 1984, Sam Snead joined the group. This group continued through 1999, when Sarazen was an honorary starter for the final time before dying four months later.

Nelson stopped as an honorary starter in 2001, five years before dying in 2006. Snead stopped in 2002, dying the following month at the age of 89.

From 2003-2006, there were no honorary starters at the Masters. The tradition was revived in 2007 with Arnold Palmer being the only player to hit the ceremonial tee shot. Then, in 2010, Jack Nicklaus joined Palmer, with the pair kicking off the Masters. In 2012, Gary Player completed the Big Three as the trio of Masters honorary starters.

In 2021, Lee Elder joined Nicklaus and Player on the first tee for the ceremony, becoming an honorary starter. Elder was the first African-American man to compete in the Masters when he competed in the event in 1975.

In 2022, two-time Masters winner Tom Watson was named an honorary starter, joining Nicklaus and Player on the first tee at Augusta National.

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If you've watched the Masters Tournament in recent memory, you've no doubt heard about the Sub Air system at Augusta National Golf Club. It's referred to somewhat casually, but the Sub Air system is important in making sure the greens at the home of the Masters can remain as firm and fast as the club would like, almost regardless of the weather conditions.

The Sub Air system is, effectively, an enormous vacuum directly under or near the ground underneath green complexes. The Sub Air system connects to the existing drainage piping system underneath a USGA spec green, and it can suck moisture out of the ground so that water doesn't linger on the greens to slow them down and soften them. When golfers walk on soft and spongy greens, they can also damage them with weight, twisting and the normal wear-and-tear that comes with playing golf.

There are sensors installed in the green complexes to measure moisture and other factors, which superintendents can use to determine when they need to turn on the Sub Air system and suck out water. In a matter of minutes, the Sub Air system can remove moisture and have a green ready to go.

The Sub Air system also does more than just suck out water and air. It also allows superintendents to blow cool air back into the greens to help keep them cool when it's particularly hot outside.

The Sub Air system is a critical tool the team at Augusta National -- and other properties around the world -- can use to make sure their greens are in perfect condition, no matter the weather.

With rain a natural and expected part of the Masters Tournament weather forecast, having the Sub Air system means Augusta National can almost guarantee the first men's major of the year will play as they and their patrons expect.

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You hear it time and again when you're watching the Masters Tournament, hearing commentators and analysts share that the greens at Augusta National Golf Club are some of the fastest, if not the fastest, greens the best players in the world will see all year.

However, you never hear exactly how fast the greens are for the 2026 Masters at Augusta National.

That's for good reason.

Augusta National publishes their general setup philosophy, including their mowing heights for greens, collars/fringes, teeing grounds, fairways and the second cut. What they don't publish is how fast the greens are on the Stimpmeter.

Augusta National doesn't want their greens measured using a Stimpmeter. They're different from hole to hole, and some putting surfaces are intentionally slower or faster than others. That's because each green at Augusta National is unique. It has its own contours, size, shaping. And Augusta National knows each green needs to be treated unto itself and distinctly from the others on the course because some green speeds need to be slowed to make sure conditions don't border on unplayable.

For the Masters grounds crew, there are 18 separate greens teams for each hole, dedicated to making sure their assigned surface rolls to the ideal specifications. Some greens are said to run in the range of 12 feet on the Stimpmeter, with others closer to 15 feet, according to a leading agronomist familiar with Augusta National's course maintenance.

And Augusta National can change individual green speeds quickly by cooling them or withdrawing moisture from them using their Sub-Air system on the course. The vacuuming system can remove water in a matter of minutes, changing individual green conditions as needed.

That's part of the challenge of the Masters, then. Players have to learn how each green plays unto itself and adjust accordingly throughout the round, making sure to consider intended pace when putting on the most pure surfaces in the game.

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Augusta National is always in immaculate shape -- its best possible shape -- for the Masters Tournament each year. Sometimes the flowering plants don't want to cooperate, but the grass? The grass is amazing. Patrons -- the ones that have taken their shoes off against the rules just to feel it on their bare feet -- say the turf feels like the best carpet.

The grounds crew at Augusta National Golf Club goes to great lengths to keep the home of the Masters looking pristine, and they have a specific way of presenting the golf course for contestants and patrons alike. They run quick greens, able to draw out moisture with the club's SubAir system. They keep the edges of bunkers looking perfect. They fill in divots every night so the teeing grounds and fairways look pristine.

For the average fan watching on TV, it's frankly hard to distinguish different grass lengths from tee to green.

Augusta National fairways are cut at three-eighths of an inch (0.375"), while the tee boxes are cut at five-sixteenths of an inch (one-sixteenth of an inch shorter). The second cut -- which is as close to rough as the club has -- is an inch longer than the fairway grass.

The putting surfaces have grass cut to an eighth of an inch! The collars (otherwise called fringe) are at one-quarter of an inch. The green surrounds are five-sixteenths of an inch, like the tee boxes.

Of course, conditions could require slight tweaks to that planned length, and Augusta National can decide to deviate slightly based on conditions. But we do know Augusta National mows the fairway grass in toward the tee boxes to prevent astonishing rollout on drives and force players to hit slightly longer approach shots into the greens.

The whole thing is an incredible presentation, one made so precise after so many previous Masters to get the conditions exactly how the club would like them to showcase Augusta National to the world.

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The 2026 Masters Thursday pin sheet has been released for the first round, when we'll start the process to determine a new Masters champion. The Thursday hole locations at Augusta National Golf Club aren't as well known as the traditional Sunday hole locations, and they can sometimes vary throughout the years.

Let's look at the hole locations (pin placements) as selected by the Masters Tournament Committee.

2026 Masters Thursday first round pin placements

Some things to note:

• The hole location for the 1st hole is manageable in the middle of the green, though a miss long of the flag can cause a lot of trouble.
• The pin on the 3rd opens up a lot of scores, as players can get too aggressive with their approach shots and spin off the putting surface.
• The 11th hole features a hole location in the back left of the green, perhaps the only day this week that spot is possible.
• The 12th hole location is directly over the bunker guarding the green, forcing players to either choose aggession or safety.
• The hole location on the 15th requires a player to play a draw into the left third of the green in hopes of riding the slope of the green toward the flag.
• The hole location on No. 18 is rarely seen, close to the left edge of the green in the back shelf, which could invite higher scores is players are too aggressive with their approach.

2026 Masters Thursday first round weather forecast

The Thursday weather forecast at the Masters is excellent, with some clouds but a lot of sun and a low chance of rain. Temperatures will be in the low 70s throughout much of the day. Wind will play a minor factor throughout the day, though steady winds will be light.

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