Getty
Gary Player can’t play a round at Augusta National despite being a three-time Masters champion.
Augusta National Golf Club is notoriously private and strict about who gets to play the course. The only way to tee it up at Augusta is to receive an invite from a member of the club, no matter your social status or place in the golf history books. Not even golf legend Gary Player, who won the Masters three times and serves as an honorary starter every year, can book a foursome for him and his family.
“I have been an ambassador for Augusta for all these years, yet they won’t let me have one round of golf in my life with my three grandsons,” Player said, per Golf Monthly. “All the golf courses that have hosted the Open [Championship], the U.S. Open and the PGA [Championship] would oblige, but they won’t do it at Augusta.”
If you ever wondered how exclusive Augusta National is—well, now you know.
Gary Player Claims Augusta National Denied Him a Round With His Family
GettyGary Player can’t hide his sadness after being denied by Augusta National.
You’d think a major championship venue would be thrilled to host a golf legend for a round of golf. After all, Player owns three green jackets and was the first non-American to win the Masters in 1961. He also holds the record for Masters starts in a career (52) and hits the opening tee shot as an honorary starter alongside Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson every year.
Despite his golf pedigree and admiration for Augusta National, Player isn’t allowed to visit the club for a friendly round.
“My grandsons are dying to know about their grandfather’s episodes on that golf course,” he said. “It is just this current management there. But these are the times we live in, and I accept it, but I accept it with sadness. When I go there, I feel I am walking onto a golf course in heaven. I tread very carefully, and I love Augusta so much, but I don’t like all the rules.”
The rules are strictly enforced for everyone who isn’t a member at Augusta National. If Tiger Woods asked the club if he could book an afternoon twosome with his son, Charlie, ANGC would deny his request.
Player Says He Shaped Augusta Into What It Is Today
Player feels he was a major influence on what the Masters is today. He looks back on his playing days and takes pride in what he, Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer did for Augusta National.
“There are a lot of things that have made Augusta what it is, but the part [the Big Three] played was a prevalent part of my career,” Player said. “Bobby Jones was a wonderful man and a wonderful asset to a wonderful tournament, as was [member] President Eisenhower, as was [co-founder] Clifford Roberts. Those three people, they basically made Augusta. Then Arnold, Jack and I came along, and we fought it out every year, and then we made Augusta thanks to the coverage and publicity we generated around the Masters, whether the club likes to admit it or not. They won’t admit it, but we made Augusta.”
While that might be a bit hyperbolic, there’s no questioning the legacy Player built at Augusta National and the Masters. You’d think his decades of service to the club would earn him one tee time with his grandsons.
Jack Dougherty Jack Dougherty is an established sports journalist covering professional golf, Penn State football and the NFL with a focus on the Philadelphia Eagles for Heavy.com. His work has been featured on GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, the Associated Press, Sportscasting, Sportmoney, Pro Golf Now and Yardbarker. More about Jack Dougherty
More Heavy on Golf
Loading more stories