| Just how big can the Masters become? The greatest sporting event in the world grows a little every year, at least from a fan's perspective. More parking, more buildings, more experiences. We created a series of maps that illustrates exactly how the property footprint of the club has expanded since its founding.
Equally remarkable is how Augusta, Ga. has essentially remained the same sleepy Southern municipality through it all. Such equanimous balance does not happen by accident. Every step of Augusta National Golf Club's mission of continuous improvement is measured beyond reproach, and we're keenly watching its next moves as the de facto leader in a riled game. Over the past year, Senior Writer Joel Beall engaged an array of Augusta National members in conversations about the club's sense of duty to contend with LIV, the distance the golf ball flies, potential plans to add a second golf course as well as on-site accommodations for tournament players, and more future-forward topics. But before you can understand where this major is going, you need to understand the diametric reins of the club's most recent chairmen.
The whispers of on-site accommodations for players and perhaps even media, maybe a decade or two from now, would no doubt dampen a certain mini local economy. "That some Augusta residents pay off their mortgages with money they get for renting their homes during Masters week…all of this is true," says Staff Writer Christopher Powers, who visited Augusta's top realtors and wise homeowners ahead of this year's Masters. Some players rent the same houses each year for themselves and their entourage; others change it up just to rid bad memories, as Rory McIlroy recently has. It's a game within a game that will give you an extra appreciation of what happens outside the ropes next week.
Enjoy these and other stories from our 2023 Masters Preview, |
