A Trip to the Masters in Augusta, GA

A Once in a Lifetime Experience

Last year, I had the pleasure of collaborating with Destination Augusta on some social media content. We hit it off so well that this year, they surprised me with an invitation to the Masters! They generously offered me a choice to attend a practice or tournament day. Since cameras are only allowed on practice days, and taking photos is my entire personality, I opted for Monday's first practice round.

The moment I received the invitation, I knew exactly who to call. My brother has dreamt of visiting Augusta National since we were kids, and just the act of asking him to be my plus-one became one of the highlights of my life. I've never seen a person book a plane ticket as fast as he did that day!

Me and my brother on the veranda of the Partridge Inn in Augusta, GA

Unfortunately, the weather did not want to cooperate. No matter how many weather apps we downloaded, they all seemed to point to a washout for our Masters experience. At 7 PM the night before we were scheduled to go, we got an official update:

We went to bed that night, assuming our once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend the Masters was over. So, when we woke up the next morning, and the sun was peeking out from the clouds, we were THRILLED. We didn't care what happened, all we wanted was a chance to step inside Augusta National.

We went to bed gutted and woke up surprised and thrilled

And we got our chance! Standing at the entrance gate early in the morning and hearing the famous "Welcome to the Masters" was incredible and the first of many "goosebump" moments.

The first stop was a picture in front of the main leaderboard

We had three goals for our visit: walk the course, visit the merch tent, and eat all the sandwiches. Ultimately, the weather would have other plans, but not until we made it to the Augusta National Clubhouse at the end of Magnolia Lane!

Augusta National offers free pictures outside the clubhouse

Fun fact, there are no cell phones allowed inside, and cameras are only allowed during the practice rounds, but everyone can get a picture! They are free and available in front of the clubhouse. You will get a card with a QR code to download your photo when you're reunited with your phone.

Calling my husband from the free phone stand, hoping "Augusta National" would appear as the incoming call. Instead, it showed up as "Potential Spam Augusta," so I got sent to voicemail. 😂

I loved thinking about what kind of outfit to wear to the Masters. Someone told me to "wear your preppiest outfit," so that's what I did. Most people I saw wore golf/sports attire, while others leaned into the Master's green theme.

Scenes from the course -- not one person was in a bad mood here.

The number one piece of advice I received before I left for the Masters was to pack comfortable shoes because of all the walking. And it's true, there is a lot of walking!

A few hours after we arrived, an alarm sounded and a voice on a loudspeaker announced that due to inclement weather, play was suspended and all patrons had to exit the grounds.

Despite my face, I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity, rain and all.

We may have had to leave before we made it to the merch tent and the pimento cheese sandwiches, but we were there (!), and my brother and I will remember this experience for the rest of our lives.