The 2026 Masters is in the books, but Augusta National Golf Club won’t exactly be getting back to normal business like any other course.
On the Monday after the tournament, select VIPs from Masters sponsors and broadcasters get to play Augusta National, as do the 28 winners of the Masters press lottery.
After that, grandstands, leaderboards, and other temporary structures constructed for the Masters will start to come down and the Green Jackets of Augusta National will return to member play—but not for too long.
Augusta National closes each year in mid-May just as the Georgia summer heat is ramping up. The course remains closed for nearly half the year, typically re-opening in mid-October.
While the world’s most famous golf course is closed, the club usually uses that time to make key renovations.
This past year, several large trees were re-planted in spots where they had fallen down during Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Augusta National didn’t have enough time to make significant changes between the storm and the 2025 Masters, which made the course look more barren than normal last year.
Many course alterations—like re-doing greens—are subtle and not announced. Ahead of the 2026 Masters, the only public change was pushing the 17th tee box 10 yards back.
Partying in Style
Augusta National holds four major parties for its members each year:
- The season-opening party in October
- The governors party in November
- The jamboree in March
- The season-closing party in May
While not all members attend every event, the festivities do mark the rare occasions outside of the Masters that Green Jackets are able to get together in large numbers.
Exclusive Invite
Augusta National does not publicize who its members are or how many it has, although the number has long been estimated to be around 300 at any time, and many well-known members have been confirmed throughout the years.
The list includes business icons like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, sports figures like Roger Goodell, Peyton and Eli Manning, and Annika Sorenstam, and politicians like Condoleezza Rice.
Many members are assigned specific roles during the Masters, like serving on various committees governing competition, media, ticketing, parking, concessions, and digital technology, among others.
About a half dozen new members are initiated each fall..
Initiation fees and annual dues are not public, but reports have suggested they’re modest compared to what Augusta National could command, with estimated initiation costing around $100,000 and annual fees less than $40,000.
