History and character
Augusta National was founded by amateur legend Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts and opened in 1933, built on the grounds of a former plant nursery, which is why every hole is named for a flowering shrub or tree. Designed by Jones with Alister MacKenzie, it has hosted the Masters Tournament every April since 1934, making it the most televised and revered patch of golf ground in America. The course is famous for its sweeping elevation changes, lightning-fast greens, blooming azaleas, and the genteel traditions of the tournament, from the green jacket to Amen Corner. It remains one of the most private clubs in the world, with a small, invitation-only membership and an aura built on secrecy and ritual.
The round and signature holes
Augusta's drama lives at Amen Corner, the stretch of the 11th, 12th, and 13th where Masters fortunes turn. The par-three 12th over Rae's Creek is golf's most famous short hole, a swirling-wind terror that has wrecked countless contenders, while the reachable par-five 13th and 15th invite eagles and disasters in equal measure. The greens are the course's true defense — vast, sloping, and glassy, they make even short approaches a test of imagination. The closing holes, including the uphill par-four 18th, set the stage for some of the sport's most indelible moments. It is a course defined as much by strategy and nerve as by raw difficulty.
When to go and how to get on
To be honest about access: Augusta National offers no public play whatsoever, and membership is by private invitation only. The single realistic way most golf fans set foot on the grounds is by securing tickets to the Masters in April, distributed by a heavily oversubscribed lottery. Treat this page as a guide and a pilgrimage to plan around rather than a tee time to book. The good news is the Augusta region and the wider Southeast hold genuinely playable golf, and a spring trip timed near the tournament lets you soak up the atmosphere of the city while playing courses open to everyone.
Who it's for and pairings
For the traveling golfer, the achievable goal is a Georgia or Southeast trip that captures the spirit of Augusta without expecting to play it. Base near the city, chase Masters tickets if the timing aligns, and fill your rounds at the many quality public courses across the region. Architecture-minded travelers will appreciate the MacKenzie thread that connects Augusta to Cypress Point on the Monterey Peninsula. Pair the page on a wider American pilgrimage with Pinehurst in the Carolinas and the Lowcountry resorts at Sea Island and Kiawah Island, where the heritage and hospitality of Southern golf are open to all.