Augusta Masters: the biggest golf tournament in the world begins, where there is no advertising or ticket sales

The Masters marks the unofficial start of spring in the northern hemisphere. Although the date is not accurate, the month of April is when golf is played again in the central/northern United States. The snow begins to disappear, golfers rescue the clubs they kept 5 months ago and every second weekend in April they gather in front of the televisions to watch a unique show. The intense green of the fairways contrasts with the white sand of the bunkers and the azaleas in bloom give the place an unparalleled color.

You will surely wonder why this tournament is so special or what is different about it from the rest, and you are right. I will try to explain to you why the Masters is the most famous golf tournament in the world and one of the sporting events that must be seen.

Bobby Jones was a legend of American golf in the 1920s. The Atlanta-born man in 1902 won 4 US Open and 3 times the British Open between 1922 and 1930, when he was an amateur player. To these titles I add 5 US Amateur Championships and one from Great Britain. His fame was recognized by everyone and when the 1930 season began he set out to win these four championships in a single year, something that was unthinkable for many.

Jones traveled to Great Britain and won the Amateur played in St. Andrews, and then he stayed with the Open in Liverpool. He returned to the United States (by boat) and less than three weeks later he won the US Open in Minnesota. He only lacked the US Amateur, a title he won without problems in Philadelphia. The ring known as Grand Slam in those days made headlines throughout the West, but much more so when Jones announced that he was retiring from the competition at the age of 28.

The next thing in his life was the creation of a club that would host a great championship every year. That's what he wanted to be his legacy. He commissioned a Real Estate firm to find land for him to build the field and after a lot of searching they found a flower nursery in the city of Augusta, located about 200 km east of Atlanta. Jones arrived there and when he crossed the house and saw the land he said: “This place waited for years for someone to build a golf course.”

The designer of choice was Scottish Alistair Mackenzie, whom Jones had met in California years ago when he visited Cypress Point Golf Club, perhaps Mackenzie's best design. This is how Augusta National Golf Club was born, which opened its doors a couple of years later, but only in 1934 saw the birth of the Augusta National Invitational. At the end of the 30s and at the suggestion of the press, the name changed to The Masters, something that Jones did not see favorably because he felt very presumptuous. The Second World War interrupted the tournament that came back much stronger in 1946.

There are things that distinguish the Masters that are worth reviewing to continue understanding the reason for its fame.

You'll be surprised when I tell you that the Masters, along with the Olympic Games, are the only two sporting events where there is no sponsor. There is no advertising poster in Augusta and nothing intoxicates the viewer's or viewer's visual. It is almost certainly the hardest ticket to get in the world of sports, for the simple reason that tickets are not sold. The immediate question is: How do you get a ticket? In 1971 the Masters put together a mailing list with the data of the spectators who had attended that year. Every end of the year these people began to receive a letter asking them if they want the tickets for the tournament days for the next Masters. People answer yes and include in the envelope a check/card with the value of the tickets. A couple of weeks before the tournament, whoever answered in the affirmative receives the tickets by mail. Tickets for practice days continued to be sold at the club's door, until a few years ago an annual draw began to receive tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Inside the club nothing that is sold has a brand. The water comes in bottles with the club logo, soft drinks and beer, in a green glass. The sandwiches, in green plastic bags and there is nothing cooked so that on the court there is no smoke or smell that bothers. Everything is very cheap at the food stalls, so much so that for less than 10 dollars you get two sandwiches, a drink and an ice cream. Different is the merchandising store, which you have to enter like a Universal game. People are desperate to buy anything with the Masters logo and one of the reasons is that everything is sold only during the week of the tournament and at the club. There is no online sale during the year. Nothing is very cheap here and it is estimated that turnover is around 150 million dollars a week. They read well.

The Masters is the most watched golf tournament in the world and one of the reasons, in addition to being the first major tournament of the year and having a unique setting, is that there are only two minutes per hour of advertising. They achieve this by charging very low television rights, but making sure they control the transmission.

During the week we are going to continue talking about some of the traditions that make this tournament unique, but the truth is that on Thursday the 86th edition of the Masters begins with a news that shook the world of golf: Play Tiger Woods.

The former N1 in the world who in February 2021 suffered a violent car accident in which the chances of his right leg being amputated were great, and will return to play a tournament after 17 months of inactivity. No one knows how it will go, but I have already learned that against this type of phenomenon there is no bet against it.

A new edition of the Masters is among us. Whether you like golf or not, I suggest you turn on the TV even for a little while to see a unique place and one of the most important sporting events in the world. I only leave you this story to believe me: years ago in the audience I recognized Pep Guardiola. It was the sabbatical year he took after leaving Barcelona. I introduced myself and told him I didn't know he was a golf fan. His answer: “I'm not, but if you like sports, the Masters is something you have to see even once.”

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