Upcoming The Masters dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
There is no seat to reserve at Augusta
A Masters ticket admits you to the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club; it does not come with a seat. Patrons, as the club calls spectators, roam freely and pick their own vantage points. So the decisions that matter are which day you attend and where you plant yourself. For a first visit, a practice-round day and a spot near a green where several holes meet will usually beat a crowded Sunday spent five rows back.
The Masters is played in the first full week of April in Augusta, Georgia, and since 1948 the final round has generally landed on April's second Sunday. Applied to 2027, that would make Sunday, April 11, the last day, but only the club can confirm dates, so check before you book flights.
Choosing your day: practice rounds versus tournament rounds
- Monday to Wednesday, practice rounds: the most attainable tickets through the lottery and the most relaxed atmosphere. Players sometimes hit extra shots, the crowds are thinner and personal cameras are allowed.
- Wednesday afternoon, the Par 3 Contest: a lighter, family-style event on the club's short course.
- Thursday and Friday: the full field of roughly 85 to 100 players, the smallest of golf's majors, before the cut after round two.
- Saturday and Sunday: the hardest tickets to get, with Sunday the hardest of all because the champion is decided.
If you get only one day, a practice round with a camera in hand often makes for better memories than a Sunday you mostly spend peering between shoulders.
Amen Corner and other places to set up
Augusta National's elevation runs from about 160 to 310 feet, so expect hills, and wear shoes for them.
Amen Corner
Amen Corner covers the approach to the 11th green, the entire par-3 12th and the drive at the 13th. Rae's Creek crosses in front of the 12th green beneath the Hogan and Nelson bridges. It is the most photographed stretch of the course and often where the tournament turns, which is also why it is among the most crowded.
Stay put or walk with a group
- Hold a spot near a green where holes converge and let the field pass you. You see every group and the most players.
- Walk with one pairing for 18 holes to see how a round unfolds. On the weekend, expect to watch from several rows back.
Because phones are banned, you follow the tournament on the course's manual scoreboards. Set up within sight of one if you want to know what is happening elsewhere.
The lottery and series badges
Augusta National controls every ticket through two channels, and nothing else in sports works quite this way:
- The lottery. Practice-round tickets and single tournament-day tickets go through an online application on the Masters website, filed nearly a year in advance. Winners are drawn at random. You cannot pay more to improve your odds, and selection is never guaranteed.
- Series badges. A badge valid for all four tournament rounds is sold only to a closed patrons list, with a lifetime right to renew annually. A waiting list existed from 1972 until 1978, opened again for a short window around 2000, then shut and has not reopened. When a holder dies, the badge passes only to a surviving spouse.
This system is why the Masters is widely called the second-hardest ticket in sports, behind only the Super Bowl.
Resale listings and the risks behind them
Masters badges and daily tickets do appear on the secondary market, but you should understand the rules before you consider one:
- The club forbids resale. Augusta National's ticket purchase agreement bars reselling, and patrons caught doing it can lose their badges for good. Enforcement has tightened since 2025, and badges carry RFID chips (small radio tags that identify each badge).
- Georgia law sets a perimeter. State law makes it illegal to buy, sell or pass along a ticket anywhere inside 2,700 feet of the club, so a curbside deal on Washington Road is not an option.
- Supply is small. Few tickets exist and sellers risk their access by listing them. Demand climbs toward Sunday, with Thursday and Friday lower and practice rounds lower still.
In short, a resale Masters ticket carries a risk that a resale concert ticket does not, because the issuer objects to the transfer. Read the listing terms closely and know exactly what any seller guarantee covers before you buy.
Phones, cameras and patron etiquette
As of the 2026 tournament, the club's rules include:
- No phones or electronic devices on the grounds. Calls, email, texting and recording or transmitting voice, video or data are all banned. The club provides free phones on the course; your own stays behind.
- Cameras on practice days only; none on tournament days.
- Behavior: patrons may not run or talk loudly, signs, flags and noisemakers stay out, and caps are worn bill-forward. Violations can mean removal and the permanent loss of ticket privileges.
Without a phone, plan as a group: pick a meeting place and time before you walk in, since you cannot text anyone you lose. The club revises its policies yearly, so check patron information on masters.com before you go.
Two details make the day easier: parking in the tournament's own lots is free, and food stands charge remarkably little compared with other majors, and the pimento cheese sandwich is the famous order.
Jones, MacKenzie and the green jacket
Bobby Jones, the great amateur champion, founded the tournament with investment banker Clifford Roberts. Jones and architect Alister MacKenzie laid out Augusta National on the grounds of a former plant nursery called Fruitland, and every hole carries a plant name, among them Tea Olive, Magnolia, Pink Dogwood and Holly. The first tournament, in 1934, was called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament; the Masters name became official in 1939. No other men's major uses one course every year, and none comes earlier on the calendar.
The green jacket has gone to the winner since 1949, and the champion may take it off the grounds for one year. Six victories, the final one in 1986, give Jack Nicklaus the record, ahead of Tiger Woods with five and Arnold Palmer with four. Rory McIlroy won in 2025 in a playoff with Justin Rose and repeated in 2026, one shot ahead of Scottie Scheffler, joining Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Woods as the only back-to-back champions.
On Tuesday the defending champion hosts the Champions Dinner; other customs include honorary starters, former winners who open the first round with ceremonial drives. The week before, Augusta National stages the closing round of its Women's Amateur and the national finals of Drive, Chip and Putt for juniors.
Frequently asked questions
Can you sit down at the Masters?
Only where you choose to. General patrons get grounds access with no assigned seat, and you pick the spot along the course where you want to watch.
How does the Masters ticket lottery work?
You apply online through the Masters website nearly a year ahead for practice-round or single-day tournament tickets. Winners are drawn at random, and selection is never assured.
What happens if you are caught reselling Masters tickets?
Sellers risk a permanent ban, because the club's purchase terms forbid resale. Separately, Georgia makes any ticket transaction within 2,700 feet of Augusta National illegal.
Are cameras allowed at the Masters?
Yes, but only Monday through Wednesday, the practice days. Phones and other electronics are banned every day of the week.
What is Amen Corner?
It is the stretch covering the second shot at the 11th, the par-3 12th and the tee shot at the 13th, with Rae's Creek in front of the 12th green. It is one of the most crowded places on the course.
Is parking free at the Masters?
Yes. Parking in the tournament's own lots is free.