Rare is the golfer who doesn’t light up when talking about Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters. The spiritual setting that warms the heart, the singular tournament that stirs the senses. The explosion of colors, the anticipation of a Sunday charge. A 12th hole that basks in beauty while serving as a devilish conquest, a green jacket that triggers dreams and lives on forever.
The gathering every April among the Georgia pines is matchless, from Augusta National Women’s Amateur to the Drive, Chip and Putt competition. While we won’t be seeing any of these events in the coming days due to the coronavirus pandemic, we think you’ll still be interested in reading about Masters traditions, the iconic holes at Augusta National and your favorite golfers who would have been in the field this month.
Golfweek surveyed 39 golfers, including 14 winners of the green jacket and 24 major champions in all, to get their views on certain features of Augusta National and the Masters. From putting to eating to predicting to offering their architectural viewpoints, we’ll roll out their takes on a variety of topics in the next 10 days.
What would you order if you could only have one thing off the menu?
“Butter pecan ice cream. It’s pretty good. I’ve never felt any ice cream is bad, but there’s just some that’s better than others.” – Six-time Masters champion Jack Nicklaus
“Couple bottles of Screaming Eagle 2005. Great wine.” – 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell
“The chocolate cookies are so good. They bring them out after lunch, they are so good. So good.” – Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy
“They have quite a few things that are really good there. But the chowder is really, really good. Tastes a bit better when you eat it in the Champions Locker Room. And the shrimp cocktail is amazing.” – 2016 Masters champion Danny Willett
“The simple stuff is so good. I always look forward to a cheeseburger after the round. They make such a good cheeseburger there.” – Matt Kuchar
“One meal or one thing? I always get their jumbo lump crabmeat. It’s unbelievable. No matter what I’m eating, there’s always a side of that, too. It’s just so good. I don’t know where they get it from but it’s unbelievable. I have it with every meal.” – Brandt Snedeker
“Oh, man, that’s a tough question. I think the right answer would be something from the wine cellar, so let me see the wine list.” – Nick Watney
“My go to there is the bison burger. It’s pretty damn good. And a peach cobbler.” – 2013 Masters champion Adam Scott
“I always eat at the caddie’s shed and I get that chicken sandwich that the patrons get because it’s so good. You have no idea how good it is until you’ve had it.” – Bill Haas
“Wow, that’s a tough one. They have such great comfort food. The hamburgers are great, the tuna melts are great. Everything seems to taste better there. I don’t know why. And out on the golf course, the egg salad sandwich is the best. I probably eat two a day and I’m there for seven days. My caddie knows to have them in the bag. And the Augusta National chocolate that has appeared the past few years is out of this world.” – 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman
“All the food is really good there. I’d go with one of the classics, the Pimento cheese sandwich. Always hits the spot.” – 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia
“They have great steaks. And the wine cellar is so good there, so I can pair the steak with some great wine.” – 2015 Masters champion Jordan Spieth
“Everything is so good there. So let’s go with that. I’ll broaden my list.” – Two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer
“Fried chicken. It’s off the charts.” – 2015 PGA champion Jason Day
“The junior club is phenomenal.” – Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson
“You have to go with one of their staples – Pimento and cheese. It’s awesome. It’s the best.” – 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed
“It’s all good. But the fried chicken is so good. And the fried oysters. I’m not a big oyster fan, but their fried oysters are really good.” – 2016 U.S. Open champion Dustin Johnson
“They always have the Taste of the Masters where they have barbeque, egg salad and pimento cheese and you have a little bit of all three of them. It’s top of the line there.” – Kevin Kinser
“I hang out in the caddie area and that fried chicken is amazing. It is amazing.” – Paul Casey
“The fried chicken is unbelievable.” – Patrick Cantlay
“I really love the fried chicken there. It’s amazing.” – Kevin Na
“The pulled pork sandwich. That’s pretty phenomenal.” – Luke Donald
“The bacon at Augusta National is so good. I learned that from Phil Mickelson. You can’t get enough of it.” – 2011 PGA champion Keegan Bradley
“All the food there is so good. But I always get a chicken sandwich on the course. I always have someone go get me one. They’re great.” – 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland
“Everything is awesome there. But my go-to in the grill is the egg salad BLT. It’s great. I’ve never been a big egg salad guy and only eat it when I’m at Augusta National. Bacon’s good on just about everything.” – Rickie Fowler
“Their breakfast there is so great. You can order anything. Their entire breakfast is so great, it’s so awesome.” – Patton Kizzire
“Their breakfasts are the greatest. The over-easy eggs are fantastic. Anything they do with breakfast is fine with me.” – Tony Finau
“The chicken fried steak, because it’s really, really, really good.” – 1998 Masters champion Mark O’Meara
“I just love the New York strip with a sweet potato. It is just so beautiful.” – 2011 Masters champion Charl Schwartzel
“The crab Quesada. It’s so good I ordered it four out of the five days I was there, and it’s not healthy and I needed to eat healthy that week.” – Keith Mitchell
“Half a club sandwich and clam chowder. Both are so, so good.” – 2003 U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk
“I’d get two pulled-pork barbeque sliders and one pimento and cheese. It is the best.” – Two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson
“Everything is pretty good there. I take that back. Everything there is great.” – Billy Horschel
Editor’s note: Check back each day for another Masters Survey.
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