Augusta National FAQ: Membership cost, members, history, more

Anyone who plays golf has dreamed about teeing it up at Augusta National. The course looms large in our imaginations thanks to an enrapturing mixture of beauty, brawn and history.

Every year, a select group of pros — the smallest of the year’s major championship fields — tees it up at Augusta National to compete in the Masters, the year’s first of four major championships. In addition to pros, the field also traditionally includes a number of amateurs and aging former champions, who receive a lifetime exemption to play. Many continue competing well into their 60s.

Of course, much of the allure of the Masters has to do with the course — and club — itself. Below, you can learn more about Augusta National via answers to frequently asked questions about the course.

What is Augusta National?

Augusta National is a golf course founded by amateur legend Bobby Jones and investment banker Clifford Roberts, who hired renowned architect Alister Mackenzie to design the course in Augusta, Ga. The course formally opened for play in 1933 and hosted the first Masters Tournament (known then as the Augusta National Invitation Tournament) in 1934.

Why is Augusta National so famous?

While this is a subjective question, the course’s fame is largely a result of several things at once: the Masters’ growth in stature and importance on the annual golf calendar, the exclusivity of the club, the beauty of the course, which became accessible to the masses in conjunction with the advent of televised golf, and the club’s commitment to the preservation of history. Visiting Augusta National during the Masters is a throwback experience in which phones are prohibited, as is rowdy behavior of any kind. Traditions like the annual Champions Dinner and Par 3 Contest are celebrated and revered.

What are Augusta National’s most famous holes?

While you could make a case for just about any hole on the property, the stretch known as Amen Corner, holes 11-13, are held in particular esteem for their beauty, difficultly and drama, with many Masters contenders experiencing singular consequence — both good and bad — over the course of the tournament’s history.

Who can play Augusta National?

Augusta National is a private club and thereby adheres to a strictly members-only policy for most of the year. Members are allowed to bring guests, however, and players who have qualified for the following year’s Masters are allowed to play practice rounds in the months leading up to the tournament.

A field of amateur women is also invited each year to play the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, at which the final round is contested at Augusta National. Players who miss the cut are still allowed to play a practice round at Augusta National on the day before the final round. For members of the media who are onsite covering the Masters, there is also an annual lottery in which a select group is allowed to play Augusta National on the Monday after the Masters concludes.

How can you become a member at Augusta National?

There is no application process to become a member at Augusta National. Membership is strictly invite-only.

Who are famous members at Augusta National?

Augusta National does not publish the names on their membership roster, but during the Masters, club members can be spotted wearing the Augusta National’s traditional green jackets. The club famously extended membership invitations to women for the first time in 2012, admitting Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore.

Other reported members include Peyton and Eli Manning, Roger Goodell, Annika Sorenstam, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.

How much does a membership cost?

Like its membership roster, the club keeps its finances close to the vest. It’s difficult to find an accurate tally, with reports ranging from an initiation fee between $40,000 and a half-million, and annual dues between $10,000 and $50,000.

Who can play the Masters?

Beginning in 2026, there are 26 ways to qualify for the Masters field, each of which is listed below. And for any international player who does not meet these qualifications, the Masters Committee also reserves the right to invite players not otherwise qualified.

1. Masters Tournament Champions (Lifetime)
2. U.S. Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
3. The Open Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
4. PGA Champions (Honorary, non-competing after five years)
5. Winners of the Players Championship (Three years)
6. Current Olympic Gold Medalist (One Year)
7. Current U.S. Amateur Champion (7-A) (Honorary, non-competing after one year) and the Runner-up (7-B) to the current U.S. Amateur Champion
8. Current The Amateur Champion (Honorary, non-competing after one year)
9. Current Asia-Pacific Amateur Champion (One year)
10. Current Latin America Amateur Champion (One year)
11. Current U.S. Mid-Amateur Champion (One year)
12. Current NCAA Division I Men’s Individual Champion (One year)
13. The first 12 players, including ties, in the previous year’s Masters Tournament
14. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s U.S. Open
15. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s The Open Championship
16. The first 4 players, including ties, in the previous year’s PGA Championship
17. Individual winners of PGA Tour events that award a full-point allocation applied to the season-ending Tour Championship 
18. Those qualifying and eligible for the previous year’s season-ending Tour Championship
19. Current Scottish Open Champion (One year)
20. Current Spanish Open Champion (One year)
21. Current Japan Open Champion (One year)
22. Current Hong Kong Open Champion (One year)
23. Current Australian Open Champion (One year)
24. Current South African Open Champion (One year)
25. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking for the previous calendar year
26. The 50 leaders on the final Official World Golf Ranking published during the week prior to the current Masters Tournament

How can you get tickets to the Masters?

Augusta National members receive first dibs on tickets, which are good for all four tournament days and are called series badges. Some lucky non-members do have access to series badges, but they are hard to come by. The waitlist for series badges, which has only been open twice in the last 50 years, is so long that it’s been shut since 2000. Series badges are available for the recipient’s lifetime, but do not pass down through families. Presumably, when a badge becomes available, it is offered to the next person on the waitlist.

For non-members and non-series-badge-holders, there’s one other avenue to entry: the annual Masters lottery. For a few weeks every June, you can apply for tickets via the lottery, with winners notified in July for admittance to the next year’s Masters.

What is the significance of the green jacket?

The green jacket has become an iconic symbol of both the Masters and Augusta National. It was first introduced in 1937 to make members identifiable to tournament patrons with questions and to waiters with the dinner bill. In 1949, it was given to Sam Snead to commemorate his Masters win and as a symbol of his status as an honorary member. The jacket has since been given to every winner, and honorary membership privileges applied to winners prior to Snead.