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1st time visitor to the Masters Tournament


scottinkc
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My friend and I are attending the Practice Round and Par 3 Contest this April. I am BLESS to win the Lottery to attend the Practice round. The other news I will be having my first born a month before I will be heading out. Wife is cool and excited about me going and don't mind me heading to Augusta cause she know this is a once in a life time dream come true. I would like all of the advices like parking(how early I need to be there), etc.........

http://thesandtrap.com/t/71928/the-masters

But then again, what the hell do I know?

Rich - in name only

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Thanks for the info guys!  I was thinking about trying to get practice round tickets when we get out there because it would be a blast to watch some of these things!


Make sure you have comfortable shoes, the Tv coverage does not do the place justice of how hilly it is!

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Make sure you have comfortable shoes, the Tv coverage does not do the place justice of how hilly it is!

Very good point. It certainly is much more hilly than it appears on TV. And more beautiful, for that matter.

Tyler Martin

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  • 4 weeks later...

You'll enjoy yourself tremendously and the advice you have received here is excellent. You will, indeed, be impressed by how hilly it is, and also how long. The chutes that many of the tee shots have to fly through (between the pines) are impressive. It is definitely a "big boy" golf course.

I would suggest a few stops for you: 1) the practice area. it's huge and if you're there early you'll see everyone out there, including the hangers on...the harmons, etc. 2) get your photo taken in front of the clubhouse, and 3) get a good look at the members having lunch outside their private area, don't be surprised to see Arnie having a sandwich with Jack or something similar.

Despite all of the animosity that so many in our society direct toward the ultra-wealthy, you'll be treated exceptionally well at Augusta National. You'll see member in their jackets amongst the regular folk and, not forgetting that these are incredibly high powered and rich people, they are friendly and helpful...willing to give directions, advice etc. The member who directs you to the 8th tee today may be having lunch with the President tomorrow..

I'll just quickly mention...the gift shop is reasonably priced...........the food is downright cheap ............ there is no running, you're expected to behave like a grown up at all times....you can leave your folding chair to go the john or grab a sandwich, and no one will bother it..........just an incredibly pleasant and memorable experience.

To me, it was like going to church.

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Well, you gotta try the pimento cheese sandwich.  That's just tradition.  :)

Souveniers and stuff you can buy at the shops on the course are not overly expensive.

When I went last, people asked me to bring them back things and before it was all said and done I had spent almost $500.

To get a feel, you really need to walk the entire course before you decide to find a place to just sit and watch.  It is well worth it to get to see the entire golf course, grounds, area around the clubhouse, etc.  It truly is a beautiful place.

When you stand up behind #10 tee box, up close to the clubhouse, take note of how much downhill it really is for 10 and 11.

Most of all, have a great time and enjoy the Southern hospitality.

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  • 2 weeks later...
The two tickets I won in the lottery for Friday (Round 2) just arrived in the mail so it got me thinking about wanting to plan my day at the Masters as this will be my first (but hopefully not last) time attending. My initial thought is to spend the morning walking the course and following some pairings to get to see the entire course, and then spend the afternoon sitting at a hole to take in the action. If anyone has any suggestions and advice that would be greatly appreciated as I want to get the most of the day as possible. Specifically I am looking at the below questions but ANY advice would be appreciated. -Fred Couples is my favorite golfer so definitely want to follow him around. Is it even possible to follow one golfer from start to the finish of a round? Are there holes that are going to be hard to walk along and see? -Are there any suggested route maps to following one pairing on the course from holes 1-18? -First thing after arrival in the morning I am planning on setting out a chair at a hole to sit down and relax in the afternoon. Where should I place it at to see the most action? -I have a long list of people I need to buy souvenirs for, when should I hit the merchandise area? -We are staying West of Augusta on I-20 (Red Roof Inn). What time do we want to leave the hotel to make sure we are some of the first to arrive and are not stuck in traffic? Thanks in advance!
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The two tickets I won in the lottery for Friday (Round 2) just arrived in the mail so it got me thinking about wanting to plan my day at the Masters as this will be my first (but hopefully not last) time attending. My initial thought is to spend the morning walking the course and following some pairings to get to see the entire course, and then spend the afternoon sitting at a hole to take in the action. If anyone has any suggestions and advice that would be greatly appreciated as I want to get the most of the day as possible. Specifically I am looking at the below questions but ANY advice would be appreciated.

-Fred Couples is my favorite golfer so definitely want to follow him around. Is it even possible to follow one golfer from start to the finish of a round? Are there holes that are going to be hard to walk along and see?

-Are there any suggested route maps to following one pairing on the course from holes 1-18?

-First thing after arrival in the morning I am planning on setting out a chair at a hole to sit down and relax in the afternoon. Where should I place it at to see the most action?

-I have a long list of people I need to buy souvenirs for, when should I hit the merchandise area?

-We are staying West of Augusta on I-20 (Red Roof Inn). What time do we want to leave the hotel to make sure we are some of the first to arrive and are not stuck in traffic?

Thanks in advance!


Since you are anxious for advice (I hope you read all the other posts in this thread first!) here's what I advise, based on going to Wednesday's practice round last year, and seeing quite a few pro tournaments:

It's possible to follow anyone for 18 holes. Doesn't mean you'll get to see all the shots, and means you will have to stand behind people who have already set up on a particular tee or green.  I personally wouldn't follow any one golfer for more than 9 holes, if that.  The cream of the golfing crop is at Augusta; see as many great players as you can. And the course is hilly. You will get worn out going up and down all the hills if you try to follow just one group.

The routing is self-explanatory. You won't get close to the 12th green or the 13th tee.

See other comments on the holes to watch. Do you only want to see one shot from each golfer? Set up on a tee.  Want to watch putting? Set up on a green.

It's a LONG walk from the main merchandise building to the parking lot. Buy all your stuff at the end of the day. Why would you want to waste viewing time in a store, then either haul it back to the car or carry it around all day?

6:00am.

Note: My ideas about watching a live tour event may be different than others. I personally like to spend at least an hour at the driving range watching guys warm up. There are great seats right behind the tee area. I hate staying in one place for more than a couple of groups; watching putting is BORING. I might hang around the landing area of the 13th, just to see the drives and the 2nd shots; then slide over to the landing area of 14 since it is adjacent. Maybe a little time around the 16 tee or the 18 tee.  The back nine is where it's at. Plus it's closer to the parking area at the end of the day, assuming you park on the west side in the free lot.

Note that this advice is worth exactly the amount you paid for it.

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Note: My ideas about watching a live tour event may be different than others. I personally like to spend at least an hour at the driving range watching guys warm up. There are great seats right behind the tee area. I hate staying in one place for more than a couple of groups; watching putting is BORING. I might hang around the landing area of the 13th, just to see the drives and the 2nd shots; then slide over to the landing area of 14 since it is adjacent. Maybe a little time around the 16 tee or the 18 tee.  The back nine is where it's at. Plus it's closer to the parking area at the end of the day, assuming you park on the west side in the free lot.

It's a good plan. One tweak… At the Masters, you can set up your seat by the putting green (say, on 18 perhaps) and then leave it there all day, and return to it early in the afternoon to watch groups finish.

So that's what I'd do:

1) Immediately walk fast (no running) to the 18th green (or 16, or wherever you want to end your day sitting) and put down your blanket or chair.

2) Visit the practice range.

3) Watch people putt to warm up.

4) Follow a group you like for nine holes, or walk the front nine or back nine backwards (that way you get to see lots of groups playing different holes).

5) When you're tired, go to the seat you saved, and camp out.

6) Visit the gift shop.

7) Head home.

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What a great surprise. When do you tell him?

Did you find it difficult to get tickets?


Good to have you on the site. Piece of advice: Be sure to check the dates of the post you are responding to - The Original Poster (OP) was back in 2009. Hopefully, he and his dad had a great time at the Masters. But welcome to the Sandtrap.

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  • 1 month later...

Thank you in advance for any help and/or advice......My son (23) surprised the heck out of me this past weekend with badges to the Master's for Thursday's first round.  This has been #1 on my bucket list and to be able to go with my son is a dream come true and truly a blessing.  We have NEVER been before so we are heading in blind!  Plan on leaving Atlanta early (very early) Thursday morning heading over.  Lots of questions and thanks again for all your help!

1.  What time should we leave to avoid the heaviest of traffic realizing of course there will be a lot of it.  I assume I-20 all the way.

2.  Picking up badges at Stub Hub tent .6 miles from main gate so any idea on parking.

3.  Plan on walking a lot and seeing as much as we can, any suggestions on where to start and what route to take.

4.  Best place and time to get merchandise.

I'm sure I have left some stuff out but these were our main concerns.  Thanks again and excitement can't begin to explain my emotions!  Looking so forward to this trip!

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  • 1 year later...

Greetings Golf Fans!  I am going to be a first time visitor to The Masters this year.  Four of us are attending Wednesday's practice round and par 3 contest.

First, let me say thank you to all that have posted.  Since I've never been, even the older posts are very helpful.  Here is the situation and I was hoping I could get a bit of advise from some veterans of the tournament:

We are driving a 30 foot RV and plan on arriving Tuesday evening late.  Since we are this late in the game and planning, we are wondering if there are places around town that will allow us to park overnight?

Can we park an RV close to the course?  If not, is public transportation easily accessible (i.e taxis, bus, shuttles, etc)?

At this point, all RV parks are booked and we are just looking for any reasonable option.  If anyone has suggestions on how to navigate to and from the course in a 30 foot RV, I would certainly appreciate it greatly.  Thank you in advance.

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3 hours ago, BEM said:

Greetings Golf Fans!  I am going to be a first time visitor to The Masters this year.  Four of us are attending Wednesday's practice round and par 3 contest.

First, let me say thank you to all that have posted.  Since I've never been, even the older posts are very helpful.  Here is the situation and I was hoping I could get a bit of advise from some veterans of the tournament:

We are driving a 30 foot RV and plan on arriving Tuesday evening late.  Since we are this late in the game and planning, we are wondering if there are places around town that will allow us to park overnight?

Can we park an RV close to the course?  If not, is public transportation easily accessible (i.e taxis, bus, shuttles, etc)?

At this point, all RV parks are booked and we are just looking for any reasonable option.  If anyone has suggestions on how to navigate to and from the course in a 30 foot RV, I would certainly appreciate it greatly.  Thank you in advance.

Mistletoe State Park seemed to have plenty of unreserved spots.

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