It’s a tradition unlike any other: trying to spot the newest members of Augusta National Golf Club at the Masters in April.
Sometimes the news trickles out ahead of time such as last year when Golfweek learned that Annika Sorenstam was one of the club’s newest members. This year, citing “sources,” Sports Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter reported former New York Giants QB Eli Manning and Sean McManus, who retired after this year’s Masters as chairman of CBS Sports, the longtime TV partner of the Masters, are among the newest members to sport the club’s famous green jacket. Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, and Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines, are other new members.
Manning’s brother, Peyton, already is a member at ANGC. SBJ noted in its story other prominent members in the sports community include NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and Braves Chair & CEO Terry McGuirk, among others.
Augusta National has traditionally cited membership as a private matter and gone to great lengths to keep its membership list, which is believed to be in the neighborhood of 300 and includes a group of some of the wealthiest and most powerful businessmen — and since 2012 women — private.
Augusta National was founded as a men’s-only club in 1932. It began hosting the Masters in 1934.
The corner of Augusta National shown in these photos is the 15th and 16th greens and the 17th tee box.
Hurricane Helene devasted hundreds of communities earlier this year, including the town of Augusta, Georiga, which just so happens to be the home of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters.
We’ll have to wait and see what the course does to fix this problem, but knowing the power of ANGC, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see new trees filling out this area come April.
The corner of Augusta National shown in these photos is the 15th and 16th greens and the 17th tee box.
⛳🌀👀 Before-and-after images from our photo library show some of Hurricane Helene’s effects on Augusta National Golf Club.
Golf courses that make up much of the Augusta area’s identity continue to slowly dig out from the damage.
Blasted by Hurricane Helene like the rest of the region, the golf courses that make up much of the Augusta area’s identity continue to slowly dig out from the damage caused by the storm.
Thousands of tall pines, oaks and other hardwoods that once lined fairways and greens now lie toppled over or have been cut up and stacked like cordwood in huge piles.
But in several locations, courses have reopened and golfers are back on the links.
A sample of how the Augusta area’s golf courses fared include an estimated 300 trees downed at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course. Other courses also were victims of the 80 mph-plus winds that slammed the area on Sept. 27. Forest Hills Golf Club had an estimated 2,000 trees damaged. West Lake Country Club cleared out some 1,100 trees, while Goshen Plantation Golf Club had more 300 trees blown over or damaged.
Even Augusta National Golf Club, the course that put Augusta on the golfing map, suffered serious damage. During a news conference in Japan earlier this month, club Chairman Fred Ridley said the course was seriously damaged by the hurricane.
“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club,” wrote club Chairman Fred Ridley. “In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected.”
He added that the club will be up and running “sooner rather than later.” Augusta National officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Goshen owner Spike Kelley said after Helene blew through Augusta his crew got busy cleaning up the mess, breaking out the chain saws and putting heavy equipment to work pushing trees off the fairways and into the rough.
Goshen had nine holes open within a week of the storm and the remaining nine within the following seven days.
A large tree was split in half outside the clubhouse for the Augusta Municipal Golf Course “The Patch” due to Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago in Augusta, Ga. on Oct. 19, 2024.
Sam Upshaw Jr./The Augusta Chronicle/Gannett/Imagn Images
“We started in the middle of the fairway and pushed the debris and everything to the side of the fairway. They pushed that to the rough and into the extreme rough. And once we got the hole playable, then we could let people play,” Kelly said Saturday.
Demarcus Lanham, assistant pro at the Augusta municipal course, said there were about 55 people out playing Saturday, about half the number usually playing during a weekend.
Because of downed trees still lying helter-skelter about the grounds, the course was not yet completely open. Golfers were limited to playing only nine holes this past weekend, Lanham said.
Vinny Brooks came out to play a few rounds Saturday and enjoy the sunshine at the course, also known as The Patch. But he said it was emotional for him to see the wind-blown tree damage.
Brooks said he has been playing at The Patch since 1979 with a group of friends known as the Irish Mafia. The damage from Hurricane Helene was the worst he had ever seen in the Augusta area, even worse than the destruction caused by the ice storm that hit the area some 10 years ago.
The numerous trees lying on their sides with their root balls exposed had turned a “pretty” course into a landscape that was not easy for Brooks to look at. And it had him feeling blue.
“When you see this kind of damage, and you’ve never seen it before ― you always hear it, watch it on TV ― it’s depressing when it happens to you. I can’t imagine how people in Florida feel,” Brooks said of Florida residents who went through Hurricane Milton shortly after Helene raged through the Augusta area.
“It was hard for me to come out here see this course like this. It’s always been a pretty course,” Brooks said.
Because of the potential danger from damaged trees, Lanham and Kelley both said players at their courses were discouraged from going into the rough to shag a wandering ball. Until the damaged trees were cleaned up, The Patch also was closing early, at 5 p.m., for the safety of players.
Lanham said officials hoped to have crews come out to assess the damage and begin cleanup this week.
James Shulfer lines up a fairway shot with the backdrop of a fallen tree at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course “The Patch” in Augusta, Ga. on Oct. 19, 2024. The course reopened recently after closing due to damage suffered following Hurricane Helene a few weeks ago that took this and other trees down.
Sam Upshaw Jr./The Augusta Chronicle/Gannett/Imagn Images
James Shulfer said he came out to play Saturday to get away from the difficulties caused by the hurricane and other issues weighing on him.
“I come here to recharge and to renew myself,” Shulfer said. “I can just come and be myself and just relax, kind of let go of all that. Yeah, you just forget about all that. Here you just have to focus on one thing ― to hit the ball and find it and hit it again. And that’s your only goal.”
It was tough for the first two weeks after Helene came through and the municipal course was closed, Shulfer said. He wasn’t sure if would even reopen again.
“So I actually came here and walked the course, and I was devastated when I found those beautiful trees that I’ve grown to love and hate at the same time were gone,” he said.
One big oak tree that had for years slapped down the balls he tried to hit over and around it was now gone, struck down by the wind. But since he has returned to the course, he misses his old nemesis, which lies horizontal on the grass.
Also lost was the communal shade tree where the Irish Mafia would gather after a round of golf, Shulfer said.
“I love the character of this course. It’s a beautiful, walkable course. But now it’s totally different. It’s been scarred. It’s almost like I will always see those scars, even though they will replant trees. I will always remember the course the way I first played it, and just like everyone has played it since 1928 when it was first opened,” Shulfer said.
“I’m wondering if I should just have the same exact menu. It was pretty good.”
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That’s the Scottie Scheffler approach to cooking up his menu for the Champions Dinner on Tuesday of Masters week —April 5th for those of you scoring at home.
It’s one of the traditions like none other during Masters week —the defending champion hosts a dinner at Augusta National’s clubhouse for all the past champions and not only picks the menu but picks up the check. It’s a tradition started by Ben Hogan in 1952.
When Scheffler won the 2023 Masters, his menu for the dinner featured cheeseburger sliders served “Scottie style,” firecracker shrimp, tortilla soup, Texas ribeye steak, or blackened redfish and then a warm chocolate chip skillet cookie with milk and ice cream for dessert.
During his appearance on Golf’s Subpar podcast, Scheffler, who won the Masters in April for the second time, was asked if he’d been giving any thought to his menu for the big night yet. Scheffler answered that he had.
“I’m wondering if I should just have the same exact menu,” he said. “It was pretty good. It’s all my favorite foods. I don’t know really what I could do differently. I think it would be kind of fun just to have the exact same food.”
If Scheffler repeats the same meal, he wouldn’t be the first to do so. He would be taking a page out of the Tiger Woods playbook. Tiger famously served cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, French fries and milkshakes in 1998, his first year as host of the dinner, but in 2003 for his third time calling the shots he repeated the menu of porterhouse steak, chicken and sushi from his 2002 menu.
Scheffler still has some time to reconsider but there’s no reason to mess with a menu that includes sliders “Scottie style” and how do you top the warm chocolate chip skillet cookie anyway?
Insinuating that Scheffler will win even more Green Jackets before his career is over, podcast co-host Drew Stoltz joked, “They’re going to get tired of having that exact same meal.”
“As far as the golf course, it really was affected just as the rest of the community was.”
Hurricane Helene swept through the southern part of the country last week, leaving behind an extensive amount of damage to several states. The home of the Masters — Augusta, Georgia — was one of the thousands of communities affected by the natural disaster. On Saturday, Augusta National Golf Club released a statement regarding the status of the golf course.
“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club,” wrote club Chairman Fred Ridley. “In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected.”
Ridley is in Japan for the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at the Taiheiyo Club, where the winner will earn an invitation to play in the 2025 Masters and British Open.
While meeting with the media, Ridley touched on a few things regarding the condition of Augusta National, including whether or not the course would be ready for April.
“As far as the golf course, it really was affected just as the rest of the community was,” he said according to Golf Digest. “… There was a lot of damage and we have a lot of people working hard to get us back up and running.”
He added that the club will be up and running “sooner rather than later.”
Scottie Scheffler gives a thumbs up to the crowd after winning the 2024 Masters Tournament. (Photo: Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Network)
Hurricane Helene swept through the southern part of the country last week, leaving behind damaged communities that are now in rebuild mode. One of those was Augusta, Georgia, and the home of the Masters was not spared.
While there have been a few posts floating around social media showing the damage done to the historic venue, this drone footage gives a detailed look at Magnolia Lane after Helene left the area.
🚨🚁⛳️#NEW: Drone footage shows the devastation to Augusta National’s Magnolia Lane (video via MrHushpuppy / YouTube) pic.twitter.com/uhKifmThZ4
“We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club.”
Augusta National Golf Club is top of mind with golf fans after Hurricane Helene hit Augusta, Georgia, leaving more than 200,000 residents without power.
The Category 4 storm rolled through the area on Friday, leading to speculation that the home of the Masters could have suffered significant damage in the process. On Saturday morning, the private club that hosts the season’s first men’s major and is ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek’s Best Classic Course list, issued a statement regarding the storm on its social media platform.
“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club,” wrote club Chairman Fred Ridley. “In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected.”
Hurrican Helene made landfall Thursday night along Florida’s Big Bend coast. Helene brought tropical storm-force wind to the Augusta area (30-40 mph winds with 65 mph gusts).
A video on X showed what appeared to be Rae’s Creek flowing at a high level. The creek flows close to holes No. 11 and 12 at Augusta National.
Another post from Eureka Earth, which has often been the first to detect course work at the club via drone footage, showed photos of trees down on the famed course.
First responders in Columbia County reported numerous trees falling on houses, cars and roads Friday morning. Augusta first responders reported multiple water rescues and structure fires.
There is speculation that Augusta National Golf Club could have suffered significant damage.
More than 200,000 residents in Augusta, Georgia, have been without power after Hurricane Helene rolled through the area, leading to speculation that Augusta National Golf Club, the home of the Masters, could have suffered significant damage in the process.
The Category 4 storm made landfall Thursday night along Florida’s Big Bend coast. Helene brought tropical storm-force wind to the Augusta area (30-40 mph winds with 65 mph gusts).
A video on X showed what appeared to be Rae’s Creek flowing at a high level. The creek flows close to holes No. 11 and 12 at Augusta National.
The National Weather Service Friday morning reported there was potential for wind from 58 to 73 mph.
A flood watch is in effect, with an additional inch of rain expected, according to the NWS. A tornado watch is also in effect, with potential for several tornadoes.
First responders in Columbia County reported numerous trees falling on houses, cars and roads Friday morning. Augusta first responders reported multiple water rescues and structure fires.
“My wife texted me ‘YES,’ with about five exclamation points.”
Nicklaus Miller has a name with 20 major championships between them.
The grandson of World Golf Hall of Famer and two-time major champion Johnny Miller also has a first name for World Golf Hall of Famer and 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.
“We named him Nicklaus, not Nicholas, but Jack Nicklaus, and Miller, so he’s got, I’m always behind Jack so I’m 2nd place but the bottom line is, he’s got the right stuff,” said Johnny to the local ABC affiliate in Utah two years ago.
The 12-year-old from Provo, Utah, is proving to be a chip off the old block and living up to his lofty pedigree — he’s already a scratch golfer. He’ll have a chance to do something his grandfather never could quite do: win at Augusta National. Nicklaus recently qualified for the National Finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt the Sunday before the Masters gets underway in April after winning the Boys 12-13 Division in the Pacific Northwest at Chambers Bay in University Place, Washington.
Nicklaus’s father, Todd, the director of golf at Brigham Young University, said his son has been trying to qualify since he was seven or eight years old and had made it to the finals at Chambers Bay, where the winner advances to the National Final, before but this will be his first appearance at Augusta National.
An Augusta National spokesperson said that in 2023, Tony Finau’s cousin, Nelson Manutai, became the first relative of a Masters competitor to compete in the DCP and this April, Flynn Lewis, the grandson of 1987 low amateur Bob Lewis followed suit. Johnny Miller finished second four times at the Masters, including in 1975 to Jack Nicklaus, who won the Green Jacket a record six times. But that didn’t prevent Johnny from counting the Golden Bear as one of his closest friends.
Todd’s wife, Shannon, accompanied Nicklaus to the competition and was texting him videos while he hosted a recruit at BYU. Nicklaus didn’t get off to a promising start in the driving portion, which is usually his strong suit.
“He kind of hit a heel push, and it went out by like a yard,” recalled Todd of the first of three attempts to stay within the grid. “And so you could see in the video he kind of just dropped his head.”
But Nicklaus rallied to finish in the top three, chipped well enough, putted even better and when the scores were added up, he did just enough to eke out the victory.
“My wife texted me ‘YES,’ with about five exclamation points,” Todd said.
Nicklaus calls his grandpa after every competitive round for a debrief. “I’ll call him up and tell him how my game is going, and he’ll give me some suggestions over the phone,” he said, according to a story posted on the Drive, Chip & Putt website.
Imagine the call after advancing to Augusta was a pretty special one.
And Todd says a little bit of Johnny has rubbed off on his son.
“The cool thing about Nick is he’s got a lot of the characteristics of my dad. He he has a ton of confidence in what he’s doing, and got a great personality and quick wit. You know, sometimes he jabs the older guys at our home course at Riverside a little too much, and I have to tell him to back off a little bit. And that’s definitely a trait he gets more from my dad than he does me or my wife. And so it’s just kind of fun to see that. It’s fun to see him have a little bit of Johnny in him.”
Johnny Miller gives a swing tip to grandson Nicklaus Miller. (Courtesy Bill Servis)
Expect the whole Miller clan to make the pilgrimage to Augusta National, a place that always meant so much to Johnny during his career but sadly proved to be unrequited love.
“My wife hasn’t been to the Masters, and neither has Nick,” Todd said. “Even before he qualified [for the DCP], I kind of wanted to take my family out. My dad’s getting a little older, and so wanted to try to take my family out with my dad, if he can make it. And it was just great to have Nick qualified so we can, so we can all go out there and watch him.
“My dad doesn’t like to travel that much anymore since he retired,” Todd added, noting it’s been at least a decade since Johnny last attended the Masters. “I think he really wants to come out.”
Golf fans can rejoice: there will be more coverage of the 2025 Masters to enjoy in April.
Golf fans can rejoice: there will be more coverage of the 2025 Masters to enjoy in April.
Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, announced Tuesday that CBS Sports will expand coverage hours of the tournament on Saturday and Sunday beginning in 2025.
In partnership with CBS Sports, the 2025 Masters will debut five additional hours of live coverage of the third and final rounds, stretching the total to 14 hours of weekend coverage on CBS and Paramount+, in addition to their digital feeds Thursday through Sunday.
CBS and Paramount+ will air the Tournament live from 2:00 – 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13, which is an increase of one hour for Saturday’s third round. Additionally, two hours of live coverage have been added on both Saturday and Sunday to air on Paramount+ from Noon – 2:00 p.m. ET. Commercial time per hour will remain unchanged at four minutes.
“The Masters Tournament has had the great fortune of enjoying an extraordinary relationship with CBS Sports for nearly 70 years,” said Ridley in a press release. “Alongside our friends at the network, we are pleased to extend the Tournament’s weekend coverage and ultimately deliver more live golf for Masters fans.”
Ridley also announced that Bank of America will join AT&T, IBM and Mercedes-Benz, who each have extended their relationship, as Champion Partners. Delta Air Lines, Rolex and UPS have returned as Tournament Partners.
“Through Bank of America’s support of our community initiatives and amateur events, they have become an impactful and committed partner in our organization’s mission in Augusta and around the globe,” said Ridley. “Today’s announcement celebrates an expansion of our relationship, and we are delighted to welcome Bank of America to our valued family of Masters Tournament partners, which together will strengthen the Tournament for many years to come.”
Bank of America previously has served as a Proud Partner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur since the inaugural Championship in 2019, as well as the Latin America Amateur Championship and Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship since 2022.
The 2025 Masters Tournament is scheduled for April 7 – 13. Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion.
