Every year the beginning of April, thousands of lucky patrons flock to the Augusta National Golf Club (mostly for The Masters Tournament) for a chance to see the famous golf course, taste the incredible pimento cheese sandwiches, and see their favorite players dominate one of the world’s most exclusive golf courses. This year, my family won the literal ticket lottery and got to attend the Drive Chip and Putt National Finals. Read on to find out how we got the tickets, what we ate, what the event was like overall, and more!

How To Get Tickets

Tickets for the Drive Chip & Putt National Finals (as well as all of The Masters events) are sold in advance, after receipt of an online application. Applications are accepted from June 1 through June 20 the year prior (dates may vary-check the website). All applicants are notified in late July when the selection is complete. Winning applicants are notified with instructions to complete their purchase of the tickets ($25 each plus shipping and handling).

• A maximum of 4 tickets per applicant will be considered.

• Only one application per household will be accepted.

• You can only apply from your permanent residential address.

• All applicants must be 21 years of age or older.

Once we got our email notification letting us know we had been selected, we made our payment, and got an additional email notifying us that our tickets would arrive in the mail a few weeks before the tournament. They arrived two weeks beforehand.

In our packet with our tickets, we got a brochure about the tournament, along with a flyer with some key reminders. Here are some photos of the flyer:

And here are some photos of the brochure:

What To Wear & Bring/Not Wear & Not Bring

Guys there are some really specific rules on what you can and cannot bring through the gates so make sure you really pay attention here. Keep in mind you will also walk through a metal detector (Matt’s belt went off every time) and if you have a bag, it will be searched.

What you can/should bring/wear:

• Sunglasses/hat.

• Sunscreen.

• Layers-it started off 40 degrees and got up to 73 while we were there!

• Sharpie for autographs-you never know! We saw a ton of professional golfers getting some practice in towards the end of the day and they were signing autographs! Know that there is a No autograph policy enforced on the course-it is only allowed in areas adjacent to the tournament practice area.

• Your credit/debit card-cash is not accepted.

• A camera (still photography for personal use only)-this is one of the only days cameras are allowed! I brought an extra charged battery as well just in case.

• Backpacks, bags, or purses no larger than 10”x10”x20 (in its natural state).

• Binoculars.

• Appropriate clothing/shoes. If you need some Masters outfit inspiration, I suggest a quick Google search. It is a whole thing and you do not want to be under dressed!!

• Once through the gates, your badges MUST be visible at ALL TIMES. Some people brought lanyards with plastic badge protectors (and the Golf Shop sold them) but we just looped ours around our jacket zippers.

• Your list of what to buy at the gift shop. This is your one and only chance to do some shopping and if your friends and family know you are going, best believe they are going to send you a wish list. Be ready because it is super crowded and overwhelming in there! Go in with a game plan!

What you CANNOT bring:

• Only one chair can be brought in per person. Chairs should not be left unattended for any extended period of time. Chairs with pointed ends, folding armchairs or rigid type chairs are prohibited.

• Electronic Devices (cell phones, laptops, tablets, beepers, and other electronics, capable of transmitting photo/video/voice/data) are strictly prohibited. Violation of these policies will subject the ticket holder to removal from the grounds and the ticket purchaser to the permanent loss of tickets.

• Radio, TV’s, noise, and music producing devices are prohibited.

• Knives and weapons of any kind are prohibited.

• Strollers.

• Flags, banners, and signs.

• Food, beverage, and coolers.

• Golf shoes with metal spikes.

• Ladders, periscopes, and selfie sticks.

Rules

Here are some more rules that you will see posted and that were included in our literature with our tickets:

• Running is prohibited.

• You cannot reserve seats in the observation stands.

• Cheering and positive patron responses to great shots are encouraged, but unsolicited or consistent calls from the gallery are prohibited.

• Protests of all types are forbidden.

• Tickets are valid for 2 gate entries per day. We made one trip to the car to drop off some merchandise we purchased so we would not have to carry it around all day but since we scanned our tickets once upon original entry, and a second time to get back in after dropping our items off at the car, those were the only two times our tickets could be scanned.

The Grounds

Parking

Signs will be posted, and deputies and attendants will be positioned accordingly to provide patrons proper direction. You could see signs on the interstate directing people to the tournament. Once you got onto Washington Road, you continued to see signs. Once you got onto Berckmans Road, there were attendants everywhere guiding patrons into individual parking spots. You can tune to WGAC at 95.1 or 580 AM for traffic and parking updates. Parking is free and is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, and it fills up fast, so make sure you plan your day accordingly.

The Gate

Patrons were allowed to start lining up outside the gates at 6:00am. We arrived at around 6:30am and it was like getting to “rope drop” at Disney World. We were about 200 people deep as we got in line in the 40-degree darkness and waited for the sun to come up and for the gates to open.

The gates open up at 7:00am and they begin allowing patrons through security. You will walk through a metal detector and have your bags checked if you have one. You will then present your badge/ticket to have it scanned and be handed your Spectator Guide.

Below are some photos from around the gate.

There is a Check stand/Lost & Found outside the gates just before you go in where you could check in your cell phone if you forgot to leave it in your car. There is also a Will Call/Credentials building across from the Check stand (although there is no will call available to the public).

Just inside and to the left are some restrooms (one of only two accessible during the tournament). There are attendants inside that help you find empty stalls. In the ladies’ rooms there are free sanitary products available in every stall. They were immaculately clean! Once you get your needs out of the way, I highly suggest going straight to the Golf Shop as there are extremely coveted items that sell out within the first half an hour and the lines to get in will soon be hours long.

Golf Shop

The line to get into the Golf Shop can get up to three hours long, so you will want to try to get there first thing. However, it will be super crowded and hard to move around once inside if you go first thing. While we were in there, we found it extremely overwhelming. The staff finally stopped letting people in and controlled the line, but it was hard just to move around from section to section. It felt like Target on Black Friday, and you could not avoid bumping into people all around you. We went back later in the afternoon when the line was gone again (at around 1:00pm) to take another look around.

There are SO many things to choose from in the shop! From hats to shirts, to pajamas, to cups, to umbrellas, to dog collars, to purses, to stuffed animals, to the wildly coveted collectable Nome. Some of the items have a per person purchase limit on them.

There are shopping bags up front that you can use to carry your items, and there are TONS of associates available to help you. There are also fitting rooms available if there is something you want to try on.

• No open food or drinks allowed inside.

• Only debit/credit cards accepted.

• If you have already shopped and are going back in, you will be assisted in wrapping your already purchased items in a security bag that ties closed upon reentry.

• No photos allowed inside the Golf Shop.

Below are some photos of our treasures from the shop.

Concessions

One of the best things about visiting the Augusta National, besides the beauty of the course itself, is the food. It is delicious, convenient, and super cheap! After we went to the Golf Shop, Matt went out to the car to drop off our precious treasures, and we decided to meet him at the Concession Stand for some breakfast (we went back again later for some cookies, and a third time for lunch).

The Pimento Cheese Sandwich is the most famous item, but I personally prefer the Egg Salad Sandwich and Matt prefers the BBQ Sandwich. The cups your drinks come in are plastic and make great souvenirs or gifts so make sure to stock up! They also have tons of great take away treats like cookies, chips, moon pies, caramel corn, and more that you can bring home to your loved ones or coworkers as gifts.

They had these great $5 cozies at the checkout counter that I bought to use right then (because it was still cold out and I knew I would be carrying around a cold drink). They also have a condiment and napkin station right outside on the way to the tables.

You can even order your own “Taste of the Masters” every year through their website if you don’t get tickets (link below) and have it delivered to your home.

Here are some photos of the Concession Stand as well as some of the delectable delicacies we got to enjoy.

The Course

During the Drive Chip & Putt, patrons have extremely limited access to the Augusta National Course. As you can see from the map above, the only holes you are able to see are 1, 9, and 18. Two of the competitive events happen in the regular tournament practice area. Below are some photos that Ash and I took of the course, the landscaping, and the buildings that we could see.

Services/Patron Conveniences

• Check stands (just outside the North Gate and just outside the Golf Shop).

• Just beside the Golf Shop there is a building where patrons can go to ship and check their merchandise.

• Parking (covered at the beginning of this post).

• Rideshare & Taxi Lot.

• Security.

• Lost and found (just outside the North Gate).

• Pairing sheets with course map and tee times (photo below).

• Patron photos (they offer one photo on certain days in front of the club house. They do not offer this during the Drive Chip and Putt National Finals, but I have an example of the photo below).

• Information centers.

• Spectator guides.

• Water fountains (2).

• First Aid.

• Viewing for the physically impaired.

• Telephones (there are two outside the North Gate, and a large amount of them across from the Concession Stand-Ash is in a photo below using one).

• High top tables outside the Concession Stand as well as tables and chairs across from the Concession Stand (photo below).

The Golfers

In the late afternoon (at around 12:30pm), as the competition was wrapping up, we got to experience professional golfers tee off from the first hole. We saw Mark O’Meara (previous Masters champion), Craig Stadler (The Walrus-previous Masters champion), Vi Jay Singh (previous Masters champion), Mike Weir (previous Masters champion), Lee Hodges, Gary Player (three-time previous Masters champion), Neal Shipley (amateur), Tom Watson (two -time previous Masters champion), Larry Mize (previous Masters champion and Augusta local), Jasper Stubbs (amateur), and Peter Malnati. These were just ones that Matt recognized! Kids were standing by the ropes calling out to them asking for autographs and almost all of them came over and obliged. It was super cool to see. Photos below.

The Competition

The National Finals began at around 7:45am and the order of play was as follows:

• Boys 14-15 7:45am

• Girls 7-9 8:15am

• Boys 12-13 8:45am

• Girls 10-11 9:15am

• Boys 10-11 9:45am

• Girls 12-13 10:15am

• Boys 7-9 10:45am

• Girls 14-15 11:15am

The tournament wrapped up around 1:00pm and the Gates closed at around 2:00pm.

Players accumulate points in each skill. The player in each division with the best performance at each skill will receive 10 points. The player with the second-best performance will receive nine points, and so on, all the way down to one point. The participant with the highest number of combined points from all skills will be declared the overall champion of his or her division.

We utilized our Spectator Guide to get to know the players as they came up for their event. The announcer would share their name and where they were from and I would find them in the guide and share with my group the rest of their profile. It was a fun way to feel more connected with the athletes and to cheer on our favorites.

Drive

Each player gets two drives to record his or her longest drive that remains in bounds. The player in each age group/division with the longest drive will receive 10 points and be the winner of the Drive Competition.

This is my favorite competition to watch for several reasons.

• There are seats.

• I think it is the funniest for the crowd because you can try and guess how far the drive went based on where it landed (there are markers). We like to call out our guess and see who came the closest.

• It is SUPER impressive to watch how far these kids can actually drive these balls.

This is a favorite for a lot of people, and the only one with seats, so it can be challenging to actually get a seat. The trick is to wait at the aisle exit as one group is ending and the next one is starting, that is when people tend to leave. As they vacate their seats, you can move in and grab some for yourself! It may take a few rounds to get seats all together if you are in a big group, but it is totally worth it. We sat for at least 4 rounds. We ate our cookies, drank our sweet tea, and soaked up the luscious Georgia sun while marveling over the impressive skills of these talented youths.

Chip

Each player will chip twice, and the cumulative distance from the hole will be recorded. The player in each age group/division with the closest cumulative distance from the hole will receive 10 points and be the winner of the Chip Competition. Full transparency, we did not watch this portion. We spent time in every other place. I did take a few photos of the area (see below).

Putt

Each player will attempt a putt from approximately 15’ and 30’and will record his or her overall distance from the hole. The player in each age group/division with the closest cumulative distance after the two putts will receive 10 points and be the winner of the Putt Competition.

We spent some time in the practice area watching the athletes warm up, and then moved over to the actual competition area. It was really interesting to see where the announcer, and the two laser operators (measuring the distance of the putt). Matt and Ash also enjoyed trying to guess the distance of each putt. See photos below.

Key Takeaways/Pro Tips:

• Have designated meeting places/times for your group. We met my parents there and because we were not allowed to have phones, we just said to “meet at the gift shop” and did not designate a time and searched for them for almost an hour. Be specific in where you are meeting your party.

• There are attendants/volunteers everywhere available to help you or to answer questions. They are in green (or in the Golf Shop they are in pink).

• Get all the take home snacks and plastic cups to take home to friends and family as souvenirs. They are way cheaper than anything you can buy in the Golf Shop and whoever you give them to will be absolutely delighted.

• SUNSCREEN. We saw lots of red faces. Don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses or hat friends.

• Don’t try to go in with your cell phone or a bag that is too big. You will just waste time by having to take it back to your car or check it at the Check Stand and wait in line to retrieve it at the end of the day.

• The “Big Oak Tree” is the place to be. It is between the clubhouse and the First Tee and is near the locker room. Players walk under it when they leave the practice area, head to the clubhouse or locker room and make their way to the 1st tee box or nearby putting green. It is also a hot spot for interviews. For the Drive Chip & Putt National Finals, it is where the awards are handed out. Be sure to hang out here towards the end of the tournament and you will definitely see pro golfers hit the course like we did.

Have you ever been to the Drive Chip & Putt National Finals? Have you ever been to The Masters? Tell us all about it in the comments.