The US Masters: the mystical golf club, the tournament, the legends

Bobby Jones' partner Clifford Roberts took over as director and later president in 1934 and ruled the Augusta National Golf Club until 1976. The arrogant New York stockbroker laid the foundations for an arch-conservative and rigid attitude that has made the elite circle a closed and rather secretive society to this day. Who is allowed to join the guild, which is limited to around 300 members, is decided internally. New members are appointed. It is not possible to apply. On the contrary. Such audacity is the surest way not to get an invitation. Bill Gates, the Microsoft patron, once said that he would like to be there. He was promptly ignored for years. in 2002, the longed-for mail finally arrived. Rumor has it that Linde AG boss and former car manager Wolfgang Reitzle is the only German member.

However, the invitation is not really accurate. The chosen members receive a form without comment containing their bank details and the amount to be transferred. Membership is said to cost between 10,000 and 30,000 dollars, the annual membership fee a maximum of 3,000 dollars. Rather inexpensive for such a posh club. But the Masters brings in so much money that a handful of dollars doesn't matter. Not even a few million. And certainly not public opinion.

Here you can find the leaderboard of the US Masters 2026.

Female members at Augusta National after more than 80 years

When feminist Martha Burk staged an uprising against the then male bastion in 2002, the Masters sponsors were in dire straits. The Augusta grandees did not: they simply went ahead with their TV ratings hit for the next two years without advertising. After that, the ruckus died down. in 2012, the first female members were actually accepted. After more than 80 years. A sensation. The two ladies certainly fit in well with the elitist and feudal attitude: Condoleezza Rice was George W. Bush's National Security Advisor and US Secretary of State; financial broker Darla Moore comes from old Southern money, lives on a former plantation in South Carolina and is also close to the Republicans. This makes them fairly unsuspicious of liberal ideas.

Ethnically questionable rules at the US Masters

It was also Clifford Roberts who wrote to his fellow members: "As long as I've been alive, our members have been white and our caddies black." Southern states, that is. The man passed away in 1977 (he committed suicide), but it was not until 1990 that the first African-American member was admitted. Since 1983, Masters participants have at least been allowed to bring their own caddies and no longer have to rely on club staff. What is unfortunate for Augusta's master of ceremonies is that the players do not adhere to Mr. Roberts' pigmentation recommendation. But it is also unthinkable that caddies might not be identifiable as a special species. So the club gives them extremely smart white overalls to wear. In these, they look like crime scene cleaners while they do their job on the bag - regardless of the temperature.

A crow's nest towers over everything

Oh yes, the clubhouse: Bobby Jones actually wanted to tear down the original building and build a bespoke golfers' home. But this failed due to lack of money. Today, nobody can imagine Augusta without its unique clubhouse. And "Crow's Nest", the little tower on the roof, towers above it all. At around 110 square meters, it offers space for five people and has been offered as affordable accommodation for up-and-coming amateurs since 1969. a bunk costs 14 dollars a night, the Masters experience is priceless.

Media dictatorship in reverse

A word about the alleged power of the media. In Augusta, even that ends at "2604 Washington Road". Where the magnificent gate to the famous Magnolia Lane opens. The club works exclusively with the TV station CBS. It has been doing so since 1958 and only signs one-year contracts so that the terms and conditions can always be determined anew. The broadcaster is granted four minutes of advertising per hour of transmission. In return, it is not allowed to set up cameras in some holes. The last corner of Augusta National should not be made public. But in Butler's Cabin, CBS has the first interview with the newly crowned Masters winner and exclusively broadcasts the small "coronation" ceremony.

Heroic opening

The oldest living Masters winners always open the tournament on Thursdays as honorary starters. For a long time this was done by: Arnold Palmer, "The King" (four wins); Gary Players, "The Black Knight" (three wins) and Jack Nicklaus, "The Golden Bear" (six wins). But even players with much later start times turned up early in the morning as spectators on the first tee. Palmer, Nicklaus and Players were the grand masters of golf. After Palmer's death in September 2016, Tom Watson took his place as honorary starter.

(Text: Michael Basche)