Let public play at Augusta National - if only for one weekend a month

As I'm watching the Masters, seeing Tiger Woods (who I believe will take home ANOTHER green jacket), I noticed how well-kept the course is. From what friends have told me, Augusta National is only used one time and that's for the golf tournament. Kind of sad. It's like the Cubs playing one game at Wrigley. I think that this course should not go to pot once the winner gets the green. So here's my proposal.

Open the place up to the public (and women!) one weekend a month, charge $35-50 green fees and let the public have a crack at the place. That's right. I said open the place up, Billy Payne! Why not? Golf balls don't give a rat's behind about race, gender, sexual preference, political affliation or religion. A golf ball's only concern is  whether or not you can put a ball in play and keep it there. It would be a dream come true for those that only get to see the course on television.

By opening up the course, you bring in added revenue to not only Augusta National, you also put money in the pockets of those people that work in the restaurants and hotels. Caddies could also get a nice chunk of change, not to mention the manufactuers of golf equipment. I don't know about you but my sticks are just itching to have a go at "Amen Corner."

"To sleep, perchance to dream," Shakespeare once wrote. Augusta National can make this dream come true. I'll bet a sand wedge on it.

KelsdadAll-Star

601 days ago

Score 12

First of all, your buddies are incorrect. There is play daily at Augusta except for the two weeks preceeding the Masters, the week of, and the week following. It is a private club with a lengthy list of members and a regular daily schedule of play. It is not a public course like Pebble Beach, so your greens fees come with your membership, which, if you can afford it, allows unlimited play. Just call and say you're coming and play.

Turning one of the more prestigious courses in the world into a $35 muni is the dumbest idea ever, and, for the record, there is a cheap cow pasture public course across the street.

You want to pay $20-$30 for a round of golf at Augusta, then go play the public course, and leave Augusta National for the people who own it and maintain it and who can do with it as they please.

What are you going to propose next, rounding up the homeless and making them brain surgeons without medical school?

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LASportsblogAAA-er

600 days ago

Score 3

Ah... when I'm not available I can always count on Kelsdad to tell it like it is

K D	This guy is a fan of Kelsdad. (even if he's a Yankees Fan)

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EnyboDiv-I Stud

600 days ago

Score 4

Plus, doesn't it cost a couple hundred bucks to play Pebble Beach? Even if Augusta was to go public, which you can sure bet it won't. It still wouldn't be affordable for the average Joe. Maybe the better word choice would be cost-effective rather than affordable.

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Anonymous Fanatic #1

598 days ago

Score 1

Augusta National is open for members and their guests from October until near the end of May. June-September is for maintenance and whatever changes to the course the Chairman wants to make...plus, given he nasty humidity and heat here in Augusta during these months, coupled with the fact that the members belong to other clubs the world over, the club closes for play.

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Anonymous Fanatic #2

597 days ago

Score -5

YOU ARE A RUDE AND IGNORANTE ASS HOLE IF MY SPELLING IS NOT UP TO YOUR LIKEING THEN F..K O.. AND EAT SH.. SO TO SPEAK BECAUSE YOUR JUST THE TYPE OF PERSON THAT PROBABLY BURNS CROSSES ON PEOPLES LAWNS MAYBE YOU DO MAYBE YOU DON'T BUT FRANKLY I RALLY DON'T GIVE A DAME. I DROVE TRUCK MOST OF MY LIFE AND I ALWAYS LIKED THE PEOPLE OF GA. I ALWAYS THOUGHT THEY WHERE KIND AND LAID BACK AND CONSIDERATE BUT YOU HAVE SHON ME THEY ARE NOTHING BUT WHAT PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE ATLEAST FROM CANADA JUST A BUNCH OF RED NECK HILLBILLIES.

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Anonymous Fanatic #3

236 days ago

Score 0

go fuck yourself you pretentious snob!

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Taytay 24All-American

600 days ago

Score 9

A golf ball might not care about race, gender, etc, but a course like Augusta National sure cares about hacks tearing it up.

Kelsdad's, right: Augusta is a private course with paying members that use it year round. And there's nothing wrong with that. Would I like to play there? Absolutely! I'd also like to shoot some hoops with some friends at MSG, play some football at Texas Stadium and stay a night at the White House. But some things just aren't going to happen.

And you might want to rethink that Shakespeare reference, since he's talking about suicide.

(BTW, if anyone can make one of my dreams happen, drop me a message on my board!)

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FrugolfVarsity Captain

600 days ago

Score 4

Actually Taytay, they don't use it year round.It may be the biggest rip off to it's members of any club.The members are not allowed to play a month before the masters as they are getting the course ready.They are not allowed to play in July or August because it's too hot and they may hurt the greens.They have the shortest playing season of any southern based club.But as rich as you have to be to belong there, it probably doesn't matter.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

600 days ago

Score 5

Taytay, agree with you and Kels completely. Except on the hacks tearing it up part. I worked at an exclusive private club here in Pittsburgh for several years. One thing I learned is that money in no way shape or form makes you good at golf. There were times when I just wanted to hand them a shovel so they would be done tearing up the fairways a little faster. I saw people take lessons all summer long and they were still awful. I am 100% certain that there are a number of Hacks that hold a membership at Augusta. But, thats what they pay for. For the right amount of money any one of us could go tear up any course in the world. BTW, loved your MSG comparison, right on point.

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Taytay 24All-American

600 days ago

Score 0

Since membership is only be extended invitation, I'm sure none of them are complaining. Poor word choice on my part. It's not available for play every day of the year, but it is played year round with the exceptions that you (and Kelsdad above) mention. Certainly it is not only open for the week of the Masters as Cougar says.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

600 days ago

Score 0

Frug, I have trouble believing that they don't allow play in July or August due to heat.

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Taytay 24All-American

600 days ago

Score 4

Steel Town, I certainly agree that there are probably some poor golfers who hold memberships. But at least a limited membership roll of hacks wouldn't do the amount of damage that everyone and his dog with $30 would do.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

600 days ago

Score 3

Definately Taytay, that's one of the reasons for a private golf club. It keeps the amount of no-talent-hacks down.

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JuTMSY4Legend

600 days ago

Score 3

Good call on the shakespeare quote tay...heh

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Steel TownDraft Pick

600 days ago

Score 2

Is there a minus fairy floating around.

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FrugolfVarsity Captain

600 days ago

Score 3

Cougar, If I could vote 1000 times I would.As I've said before, my son is a local PGA pro.As such he is allowed to go to the Masters and bring one guest.He's only had his PGA card for a few years and as much as I would have liked to go I didn't.With my wife being sick I just didn't want to leave her.Next year I may go, now my fear is if I see it I'll want to play it.Your plan would be great.Maybe next year I'll do an article about it.

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Anonymous Fanatic #4

599 days ago

Score 0

PGA Professionals with a class A card can attend the masters for free but they are NOT allowed to bring a guest. The Masters and US open are the only two tournaments that do not allow this. The membership costs at Augusta are relatively inexpensive even for small private courses but as it is invitation only it is nearly impossible to become a member. (for example the president of the Braves just got a mebership offer this year.) THere is no initiation fee and monthly dues are less than 500 a month.

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Taytay 24All-American

599 days ago

Score 1

I don't know about that. Everything I have ever seen about it says the membership fees are in the six figure range.

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Steel TownDraft Pick

600 days ago

Score 5

I don't know about that added revenue Cougar. The club I worked at had a $40,000 (and we are talking about a non PGA club no where near as prestegious as Augusta) membership fee that expired in 5 years. Then on top of that members had to spend $1200 a month at the clubhouse and then had yearly maintenance dues in the thousands. So just think how many average Joes have to play a $30 round of golf to make up for one member leaving because the course is no longer private.

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LASportsblogAAA-er

600 days ago

Score 6

...Way to think outside the box Cougar - that's a different perspective...

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SSreportersLegend

600 days ago

Score 4

Sorry, this would never work. If you have the Happy Gilmore's of the world destroying Amen Corner....

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CheezerAll-Star

600 days ago

Score 4

Imagine Bushwood in Caddyshack 2. . . and Randy Quaid.

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Taytay 24All-American

600 days ago

Score 4

Making Augusta public isn't even remotely realistic, but I do wish they would at least make it available for video games and simulators. I'd love to play it on EA's Tiger Woods. And I played "Torrey Pines" and "Pebble Beach" at an indoor golf simulator over Christmas, but what I really wanted to play was "Augusta National".

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LASportsblogAAA-er

600 days ago

Score 2

I've played Torrey Pines, my cousin and her husband use to have membership so we got to play the 05 Buick Invatational pro-am and it was incredible. The views, that atmosphere - it was a "never-forget" experience.

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Anonymous Fanatic #5

598 days ago

Score 1

And do you really think that Augusta National needs help with their greens fees? Considering it makes abou 40 million on just Masters weekend, I doubt that. Good try though Cougar 2000. Work on some other reasons to let the public tear up the course.

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Anonymous Fanatic #6

340 days ago

Score 0

Of course there is upfront money required. No monthly dues to worry about.Yearly cost,less Master revenues, are simply divided among the members.

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Anonymous Fanatic #7

300 days ago

Score 0

It's pratically free to be a member, in fact at the end of the year the club frequently pays a "dividend" to each member. The Masters generates well more than enough revenue to keep the club in prestige condition.

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