Augusta National Golf Club
A private golf club in Augusta, Georgia, best known as the permanent home of the Masters Tournament.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Augusta National Golf Club is a private golf club and golf-course institution in Augusta, Georgia. It was established by amateur champion Bobby Jones and financier Clifford Roberts on the grounds of Fruitland, a former plant nursery and antebellum estate. Jones wanted a winter golf venue in his native Georgia, while Roberts helped organize the financing, membership, administration, and later tournament business that enabled the club to survive its difficult early years. The course was designed principally by Alister MacKenzie in collaboration with Jones, with assistance from Marion Hollins, and opened for play in the early 1930s. The club’s identity is inseparable from the Masters Tournament. First staged in 1934 as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament, the event became the Masters and developed into one of professional golf’s four men’s major championships. Unlike the other majors, it is held every year at the same course. The tournament’s distinctive setting, tightly controlled admission, internationally televised competition, ceremonial traditions, and association with golf’s most celebrated players have made Augusta National one of the most recognizable institutions in sport. Augusta National is not a conventional consumer brand. Its principal offerings are the club itself, its golf course and member facilities, the Masters Tournament, and a tightly managed range of tournament-related retail, hospitality, broadcast, digital, and licensing activities. The club is known for the course’s highly maintained turf, azaleas, pines, dogwoods, water hazards, and hole names associated with plants. Magnolia Lane, Amen Corner, the green jacket, the Champions Dinner, and the Par 3 Contest are among the symbols most closely associated with its public identity. The organization has historically operated with exceptional privacy. It does not generally publish a membership list, detailed financial statements, holdings, income, or ticket-sales figures. It is a winter club and traditionally closes during the summer period, allowing extensive maintenance and course work. Its influence extends beyond the tournament through youth and amateur initiatives. It helped establish Drive, Chip & Putt with the USGA and PGA of America, and in 2019 it began co-hosting the Augusta National Women’s Amateur with Champions Retreat Golf Club. The club has also faced sustained criticism over its membership practices, racial history, and exclusion of women. It admitted its first Black member, Ron Townsend, in 1990 and admitted women as members in 2012, including Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore. The 2002–2003 dispute with women’s-rights advocate Martha Burk brought the issue into national attention and contributed to a decision to broadcast the 2003 and 2004 Masters without commercial sponsorship. Augusta National remains a powerful but highly controlled sports institution whose public presence is concentrated around golf competition, tradition, exclusivity, and tournament stewardship.
History
Augusta National was created during the early 1930s on a 365-acre former nursery site in Augusta. Bobby Jones, already one of the most prominent golfers of his era, sought a winter course capable of supporting a distinguished private club. Clifford Roberts provided much of the organizational and financial leadership. Alister MacKenzie designed the course with Jones’s close involvement, and construction began in February 1932. The course was completed rapidly and opened for play in 1932, followed by an official opening period in January 1933. The club struggled immediately. The Great Depression, Augusta’s distance from major population centers, and the limited pool of prospective winter members produced weak enrollment and heavy debt. Plans for a larger residential development, tennis and squash facilities, and other amenities were scaled back or abandoned. The club’s principal founders sent large numbers of invitations, but membership remained small. In 1935, the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company forced foreclosure and the organization was reincorporated as Augusta National, Inc., preserving the club as a going concern. To attract leading players and spectators, Clifford Roberts persuaded Jones to return to competitive golf and organized the first Augusta National Invitation Tournament in 1934. It later became known as the Masters Tournament. The event gradually created the economic and cultural foundation for the club. By the end of the 1930s, membership had expanded and the tournament was operating profitably. The club’s tournament identity became stronger than its original concept as a winter residential golf community. World War II interrupted normal operations. Augusta National closed in 1942, and portions of the property were used for cattle and turkey production to support the war effort. The grounds suffered damage, while German prisoners of war from nearby Camp Gordon assisted with restoration work. After the war, new capital and membership growth funded additional facilities. Magnolia Lane was paved in 1947, and the club added residential suites, a pro shop, dining facilities, and other improvements. Dwight D. Eisenhower became a member after being invited in 1948 and visited frequently during and after his presidency. A perimeter fence and the Eisenhower Cabin were associated with this period. The George Cobb-designed Par 3 Course opened in 1958, and its annual Par 3 Contest began in 1960. The main course continued to evolve through tree management, bunker work, drainage projects, lengthening, and the rebuilding of holes. Tropical Storm Marco damaged Amen Corner and nearby infrastructure in 1990; the affected areas were restored in time for the 1991 Masters. The club’s privacy and membership policies generated increasing criticism from the 1990s onward. Augusta National admitted Ron Townsend, its first Black member, in 1990. In 2002, Martha Burk challenged its exclusion of women, producing a highly public dispute with chairman Hootie Johnson. The controversy involved demonstrations, corporate pressure, and the decision to present the 2003 and 2004 Masters without commercials. Augusta National admitted its first women members in 2012. In the twenty-first century, Augusta National expanded its media facilities and tournament retail operations while developing initiatives for youth and women’s golf. Drive, Chip & Putt reached its first national final at the club in 2014. The Augusta National Women’s Amateur launched in 2019. The club has also supported the renovation of Augusta Municipal Golf Course, known locally as The Patch, with course-design work associated with Tom Fazio, Beau Welling, and a nine-hole layout designed by Tiger Woods. Fred Ridley has served as chairman since October 2017.
- 2019
Augusta National Women’s Amateur
[1]The club began co-hosting the Augusta National Women’s Amateur with Champions Retreat Golf Club.
- 2017
New press building
[1]A two-story press building opened for the Masters and included the Bartlett Lounge.
- 2014
Drive, Chip & Putt national final
[1]The club co-established and hosted the first national final of the youth golf skills program.
- 2012
First women members
[1]Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore joined as the club’s first women members.
- 1990
First Black member
[1]Ron Townsend became Augusta National’s first Black member.
- 1958
Par 3 Course opens
[1]A separate short course designed by George Cobb and Clifford Roberts opened.
- 1942
Wartime closure
[1]The club closed during World War II and used parts of its grounds for agricultural production.
- 1935
Reincorporation
[1]Following creditor action, the club was reorganized as Augusta National, Inc.
- 1934
First Masters tournament
[1]The inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament was held to attract players, spectators, and financial support.
- 1933
Official opening
[1]The course and club entered their official opening period, although membership and finances remained weak.
Products and positioning
An exceptionally prestigious, private, tradition-oriented golf institution positioned as the permanent home of one of the world’s leading golf championships.
Golf tournament · 1934
Masters Tournament
The club’s signature annual professional golf tournament and one of the men’s major championships. It is played at Augusta National every year and combines elite competition with distinctive traditions, including the green jacket, Champions Dinner, ceremonial opening, and tightly managed spectator experience.
Golf course · 1932
Augusta National Golf Course
The championship course designed by Alister MacKenzie with Bobby Jones. Its plant-themed hole names, dramatic elevation changes, strategic hazards, flowering vegetation, and highly maintained presentation form the core of the Augusta National identity.
Amateur golf tournament · 2019
Augusta National Women’s Amateur
An international 54-hole amateur tournament for leading women golfers, established with Champions Retreat Golf Club and introduced in 2019.
Youth golf program · 2014
Drive, Chip & Putt
A youth skills competition established with the USGA and PGA of America. Its national finals are associated with Masters week and provide a pathway for young golfers to appear at Augusta National.
Golf exhibition · 1960
Par 3 Contest
An annual short-course event held before the Masters. It takes place on the Par 3 Course, which opened in 1958, and is a major part of the tournament week’s public traditions.
Controversies
2002
Martha Burk membership dispute
Martha Burk and the National Council of Women’s Organizations challenged Augusta National’s refusal at that time to admit women. The dispute drew national media attention, protests, and pressure on Masters sponsors.
1990
Racial exclusion criticism
The club faced long-running criticism over its racial history and membership practices before admitting Ron Townsend as its first Black member.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Augusta National Women’s Amateur
International
The club launched a leading amateur women’s tournament with Champions Retreat Golf Club, expanding its involvement in women’s golf.
Outcome. Became an annual women’s amateur event associated with Augusta National.
- 2014Drive, Chip & Putt
United States
Augusta National partnered with the USGA and PGA of America to create a national youth golf skills competition culminating at the club.
Outcome. Established an annual youth-golf platform linked to Masters week.
Brand decisions
2017
Expand tournament media facilitiesStrategyBackground
The club’s long-running Masters media operation required updated space and services.
Action taken
Augusta National opened a new two-story press building and repurposed the former press-center site.
Aftermath
The tournament gained expanded media and hospitality capacity.
2012
Admit women membersStrategyBackground
The club had faced sustained public criticism over its all-male membership policy, especially during the Martha Burk dispute.
Action taken
Augusta National admitted Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as its first women members.
Aftermath
The formal membership policy changed while the club retained its private and selective structure.
1934
Create the Masters TournamentProduct launchBackground
The young club had limited membership and financial difficulties during the Depression.
Action taken
Clifford Roberts organized a major tournament and persuaded Bobby Jones to participate.
Aftermath
The event became the club’s defining institution and one of professional golf’s four men’s majors.
Recent events
Augusta National announces $2 million coronavirus relief donation[3]
Reported:
Augusta National Golf Club said it was donating $2 million to assist the Augusta area during the coronavirus pandemic. The funds were designated for coronavirus testing at Augusta University and the CSRA COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
Sources3 sources
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