• Loading stock data...
Wednesday, April 1, 2026

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. 

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

McAfee: Masters ‘Told Us to Go to Hell’ on Show Pitch—Three Times

McAfee is a fan of Jason Kelce’s role at Augusta National.
Feb 27, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; The NFL Network logo on the field during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Business as Usual at NFL Network as ESPN Era Begins

There were no noticeable on-air changes for NFL Network on Wednesday.

NBA Will Review Bids for Potential European League 

Adam Silver hopes to launch the league next year. 
May 7, 2024; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Adam Ottavino (0) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
exclusive

Adam Ottavino Joins Revamped ESPN MLB Lineup

The 15-year MLB vet spent the past four seasons with the Mets.

Featured Today

‘The Sonics Never Died’: The Long Afterlife of Seattle NBA Merch

Inside “the largest team shop for a team that doesn’t exist.” 
Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA;UConn Huskies forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) dunks the ball against the Michigan State Spartans in the second half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena
March 28, 2026

March Madness Coaches Debate ‘Blueblood’ in NIL Era

The term’s meaning was up for debate at men’s March Madness.
Maxime Vachier Lagrave
March 25, 2026

The Planet’s Best Chess Players Are Having Their LIV Golf Moment

Chess’s most prestigious tournament is battling a splashy Saudi event.
Beau Brune/LSU
March 22, 2026

College Athletic Departments Are Becoming Media Companies

“There’s only so many tickets you can sell, but content is infinite.”
MLB base logo

MLBPA Builds $519M War Chest As CBA Showdown Looms

The union’s financial holdings have reached unprecedented levels.
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks cheerleaders perform during pregame activities before Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi's Stadium.
March 31, 2026

Super Bowl Heads to Vegas in 2029 With No Set Date

The lack of a firm game date intersects with a hot-button league issue.
March 31, 2026

NFL Approves Plan to Use Replacement Refs in 2026 if Talks Stall

League owners ratify a measure that would aid replacement referees.
Sponsored

Cameron Boozer & Cayden Boozer Talk Pressure, Benefit of Playing Together

The Boozer twins have built their games, and their identities, side by side.
March 30, 2026

Brady, Mannings Among Investors in NFL Flag Football League

The league selects TGL operator TMRW Sports as a key partner.
March 30, 2026

Browns’ NFL Draft Pick Trade Proposal Falls Flat, Withdrawn

Support is lacking for the liberalized roster-management rule.
March 29, 2026

MLB’s New ABS System Hits Fast—While Exposing Umpire Calls

Fans and players alike quickly gravitate toward the new system.
March 29, 2026

Verstappen’s F1 Future in Doubt, Says Slow Start Isn’t the Reason

Verstappen is 28, but is already in his 12th year in F1.