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Guidance on Masters badges/hotels

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by JoelHammond, Dec 27, 2011.

  1. JoelHammond

    JoelHammond Member

    Hey gang: Entertaining a trip to Augusta for my 30th in April. I know there have been discussions here before, but is my best bet going through a web site like MastersTickets.net? Or are there other avenues?

    Is it really going to cost me $800 to get in? I'm assuming the hotels in the area are sold out in plenty of time, right?

    Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
     
  2. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    It will cost you at least that much, especially if you're shooting for tournament days and not practice rounds.

    Even if they aren't sold out, I'd advise against staying in Augusta. You'll pay $300 a night for even the worst cockroach-infested places in town. I'd check Conyers, Ga., or Columbia, S.C., for better and cheaper options. Those may be gone, too, but it's a good starting point in either direction.
     
  3. JoelHammond

    JoelHammond Member

    Thanks, Burns. I used to live in Anderson, so maybe I'll go that route. Clearly, I was quite naive on get-in prices.
     
  4. joe

    joe Active Member

    "Jeannie didn't lose her badge till Saturday night." [crossthread]
     
  5. Rockbottom

    Rockbottom Well-Known Member

    Be prepared to drop a cool thou on badge/room. Per night.

    Expensive? Hell yes. Worth every dime? HELL YES.

    rb
     
  6. trifectarich

    trifectarich Well-Known Member

    Yep, plan to stay at least 30 miles away. And expect price gouging. A room that goes for $79 the other 51 weeks of the year is probably $229 for Masters week. It's a pretty place that time of the year, but in the end, it's like all the others: 18 holes with 18 greens. You'll want to see the entire course, naturally, and the best time to do this is during a practice round; the crowds aren't too bad and you can get right up to the green a lot of the time.
     
  7. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    If you don't mind a 2.5-hour drive and sleeping on my couch (friends on my floor) you can crash at my place. :D
     
  8. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Like all the others? Say it ain't so, man.

    I went my senior year of high school, my dad had badges through work and gave two to me and a friend for the weekend. Saturday night hotel on Washington Street included. Talk about a road trip you can't appreciate until 20 years later, having not sniffed the place since.
     
  9. BurnsWhenIPee

    BurnsWhenIPee Well-Known Member

    The Augusta National experience is one of the few (only?) I've ever been a part of where the lifelong hype and buildup was not only met, but exceeded by the reality of the place.

    The quote from Bobby Jones about God creating that piece of land, just waiting for someone to come along and put a golf course on it (paraphrase) seems very appropriate.
     
  10. trifectarich

    trifectarich Well-Known Member

    In a working capacity, the Masters is way down the list of tournaments I like to cover. I don't mind at all if a trip to Augusta isn't on my April calendar.

    But, sure, it's a place every avid golfer should see once in his lifetime.
     
  11. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    Why is that? Just curious. I thought it was a trip to Mecca for golf writers just as much as fans.
     
  12. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    I've never been to a sporting event worth $300, much less $1,000. I don't get it, particularly for those in the industry. We cover sports all the time, getting hotels paid for by the company and credentials for free. Why would you choose to use up so much of your discretionary income on a sporting event?

    The only exception I really understand would be if your team were playing in the Super Bowl and you got "cheap" tickets and hotel prices. Even so, you're probably talking $500-plus per person, and that's only if you stay in a hotel just one night.

    Granted, I probably attend no more than five sporting events a year on my own dime these days, and I have and will never spend my own money to watch golf.
     
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