Decorum

It’s time for The Masters golf tournament. “A tradition like no other,” goes the byline. It is often a great tournament to watch, since Augusta National is a beautiful course, all decked out with blooming azaleas and Amen Corner, and the players themselves rise to the occasion and play some great golf. For the casual observer, it might all seem like so much hokum, unduly refined, steeped in more tradition and reverence than any golf tournament deserves.

A few things surprise me about the event– a four-day pass, if one is lucky enough to secure one via a lottery, is only $140. But the secondary market, i.e. resale value for such a coveted ticket, is through the roof, the highest margin of any sport– thousands of dollars. Concessions are remarkably inexpensive– sandwiches at $1.50, some at $3, a beer for $5. Souvenirs are sold only on site, no e-commerce. So if one is lucky enough to get in, the costs for certain items aren’t at all steep. All that being said, the clientele for this tournament includes a high percentage of high income movers and shakers who fly in on private jets and pay $10,000 a day for access to their own facilities that include food, beverages, a separate souvenir shop, and other perks.

The people who attend are never referred to as “fans,” but rather “patrons.” They are the guests of Augusta National and are treated as such. It is said that once you find a spot to sit, you can leave your chair for hours, come back, and it will be empty, waiting for you.

It takes an army of volunteers and staff to pull this off every year– from groundskeepers to security to vendors. The course itself conceals a network of underground electrical and mechanical technology, and the famed bloom of azaleas behind the 12th green is intentionally managed to be at its height during tournament week.

Despite its checkered history with regard to admission of non-white and female members, Augusta National puts on its best face for The Masters– a unique event, with its own traditions that people appear to appreciate and honor, year after year.