How to get tickets to the Masters, and how much it costs to get into the world's second-most exclusive sporting event
Masters tickets are considered the second-hardest to obtain in sports, trailing only the Super Bowl.
Tickets are cheap if you are lucky enough to be a patron or win the annual lottery.
If you don't get tickets directly from Augusta National, be prepared to spend thousands.
Want tickets - or badges - to the Masters? It's possible, but it is not easy unless you are willing to shell out the big bucks.
There are three ways to get in during Masters week: Patron badges, daily tournament tickets, and practice round tickets. Below we take a look at how to obtain all three.
Patron badges
Owning a patron badge is a lot like being a season-ticket holder for the Green Bay Packers, except more mysterious because nobody outside of Augusta National knows how many exist.
Once you have one, you can keep it for the rest of your life. You pay $375 each year, and you have access to the entire week at Augusta National for the Masters.
Children aged 8-16 can attend for free if they are with somebody with a patron badge. They do not have to be related.
The waiting list for badges
If a person who owns a patron badge dies, it can only be transferred to a surviving spouse. Other family members are not eligible. If there is no surviving spouse, the badge goes back into the pool and is awarded to somebody on the waiting list.
The patron waiting list is uber-exclusive. Augusta National first created it in 1972. It got so long that Augusta closed the list in 1978. It was briefly re-opened in 2000, and Augusta National has not opened it since.
The secondary market for patron badges
The patron badges are typically available on the secondary market through ticket brokers or hospitality groups offering Masters packages. Sellers often put them up for sale daily, but that typically requires a sizeable deposit, and they must return the badge at the end of the day.
Tickets are limited in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. Badges for the 2019 tournament went for a minimum of $2,000 for the opening round and $9,000 for all four days.
Daily tournament tickets
Since 2012, Augusta National has offered a limited number of tickets to each round through a lottery on their website. The deadline for applying for the lottery is typically June 1 during the previous year, and only one application is allowed per address.
Tickets for the 2021 tournament went for $115 each, and applicants were limited to two per round.
Practice round tickets
Augusta National also offers tickets to the practice rounds on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, through the same lottery on their website.
Tickets for the 2021 practice rounds went for $75 each, and applicants were limited to four tickets per practice round.
Scalping tickets
The big thing to remember when buying Masters tickets from scalpers is that it is against the law within 2,700 feet of Augusta National.
People will also often wait outside of Augusta and ask for tickets from people leaving the tournament. Because of this practice, Augusta National now limits each to three re-entries per round.
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