Thursday, August 27, 2026
The FOS App Launches September 1 Pre-save on the App Store Today

From Green Jackets to Black Cards: Masters VIP Arms Race Escalates

The Masters is an experience unlike any other for patrons on-site—especially for those who can afford luxury options around Augusta National.

Apr 9, 2025; Augusta, Georgia, USA; Patrons move about the course during a practice round for the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club may have fewer trees this year, but off the course, the home of The Masters Tournament has gotten even bigger in several major luxury areas.

Map & Flag, what the club describes as “the official Masters hospitality experience,” has debuted a second floor at the 26,000-square-foot venue that opened across Washington Road last year

With high-end food and beverage, tournament access, and its own merchandise shop included, around 2,500 weekly badges were sold at roughly $17,000 each—that’s more than $42 million in ticket revenue. However, several insiders speculated Map & Flag could easily have space for 4,000 ticket holders moving forward.

“The popularity of this venue inspires us to consider what else may be possible in future years,” Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said Wednesday.

Map & Flag is a complement to Augusta National’s longtime ultra-exclusive on-course offering, Berckmans Place, which is a popular hangout spot for Green Jacket–wearing club members. Ticket prices for that VIP space, which is just off the fifth hole, are not public, but one source pegged it around $25,000 for this week.

The More, the Merrier

Speaking of add-ons, the addition of Bank of America as a fourth champion partner of The Masters meant makeovers for the hospitality buildings used by the other three top-tier tournament sponsors: AT&T, IBM, and Mercedes. 

Hidden behind the trees just off the 10th fairway sit four two-story luxury houses with top-shelf amenities reserved for those Masters sponsors and their guests. Last year, there were just three one-story buildings. It’s unclear how much those projects cost and whether the incumbent sponsor homes were simply renovated or torn down altogether and reconstructed.

Augusta National also completed construction of a private underground parking structure for its two-phase players’ services project, which will see a state-of-the-art facility for Masters invitees and their families open in 2026.

Watch Party

With more global media-rights partners than ever before, The Masters welcomed more than 50 different production trucks (running an estimated 270 miles of fiber cables) that operate behind Augusta National’s content center that sits on the edge of club property. 

Top broadcasters such as CBS, ESPN, Golf Channel, and Sky Sports don’t film from that compound—they record from TV towers, The Butler Cabin, and another house-turned-studio overlooking the practice area—but it is the hub for their TV production, as well as everything on the Masters app. Typically, the Augusta National digital team is roughly a dozen people, but around the Masters, that balloons to about 150, to pump out as much content as possible. 

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Sign up for
The Memo Newsletter

Get the biggest stories and best analysis on the business of sports delivered to your inbox twice every weekday and twice on weekends.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Good Good Golf Founder Apologizes, Says He Hopes People ‘Move On’ 

Clark was shown shoving fellow Good Good creator Alexis Miestowski.
Aug 23, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of the FedExCup Trophy before the third round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament

Good Good Golf Fallout Is Talk of Tour Championship

Major questions still remain for the brand and its partners.
Exclusive

Union Head: NBA Players Have ‘Serious Problem’ With NBA Europe

Kelly also said the union is “no fan” of the second apron.

Gov. Landry: SEC ‘Creating a Legal Mess’ Over Athlete Eligibility

“Don’t hate the player,” the Louisiana governor said. “Hate the game.”
podcast thumbnail mobile
Front Office Sports Today

8/27/26 – NFL Pro Bowl Eliminated, Walter Not Selling Dodgers, Jordan Skips NBC

0:00

Featured Today

Deshaun Watson Has Done the Impossible: Unite Browns Fans

Watson was named the starter after complaining boos were “personal.”
August 23, 2026

Dan Snyder ‘Invisible’ in NFL Three Years After Commanders Sale

Snyder has had little to no contact with former NFL associates.
Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Burnley - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - May 18, 2026 Arsenal's Kai Havertz scores their first goal past Burnley's Max Weiss
August 21, 2026

Why the Premier League’s Star-Power Shortage Doesn’t Matter

The world’s richest soccer league doesn’t rely on big stars to dominate.
August 12, 2026

Trendy Golf Hat Divide Is More Than a Fashion Fight

As golf has gotten trendier, so has the sport’s style.
Joey Spallina of the Maryland Whipsnakes
August 6, 2026

How Eye Black Became ‘War Paint’ on the Field

“You’re going into battle, doing something you only do on game days.”
Feb 2, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebackers Byron Young (0) and Jared Verse (8) pose during NFC practice at the NFL Flag Fieldhouse at Moscone Center South Building. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

TV Ratings Help Explain Why the NFL Killed the Pro Bowl

Average viewership fell by 57% in one year and 70% in four years.
August 26, 2026

Jed York Absent From NFL Owners’ Meeting

49ers CEO Al Guido was the team’s primary representative.
August 26, 2026

NFL Owners Remain Confident About Roger Goodell Extension

The owners did not discuss it Wednesday during their meeting.
Sponsored

Kerri Walsh Jennings’s Playbook for the Future of Volleyball

The former gold medalist talks NCAA, the Olympics, & investing in volleyball.
August 26, 2026

NFL Eliminates Pro Bowl Game, Adds Player-Accountability System

Pro Bowl selections will still be made.
August 26, 2026

Another LIV Vendor Ramps Up Legal Fight As Layoffs Hit League

Deltatre, a sports technology service provider, is suing LIV.
August 26, 2026

Unrivaled Valued at $650M After Latest Funding, Players Own 30%

Unrivaled will move out of its Florida arena in 2028.
Aug 20, 2026; Saint Louis, Missouri, USA; Rory McIlroy waves to the crowd after playing his shot off of the twelfth tee during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
August 25, 2026

Rory McIlroy Backs ‘Big Swing’ Tour Championship Overhaul

The changes will come in the 2028 season.