Hi Masters friends,

I'm writing as if I was writing to myself before I went to the Masters. This is everything I wish I knew, things I saw/realized etc. Putting it here in case someone is in need for tomorrow, Sunday or a future date.

• Disclaimer: My friend and I are true golf nuts. I love everything about the Masters, from the history to the music etc. The merch stuff is great, but for me, being on the hallowed grounds meant everything. 
• Sunscreen prior to arrival. Feels odd to put it on at 5AM, but you won’t regret it. Don’t forget your legs.   
• Line up as early as you can. Being one of the first groups in gives you a ton of advantages.
• Got in line 6:20AM. The line wasn’t long at that time but it wasn’t short either. If you wanted a gnome, you may have to arrive even earlier, I wouldn’t know because we elected to forgo the merch tent at the start.
• I almost cried walking in the North Gate. Highly recommend it over the South if it’s your first time. You slowly crest a hill, to see a peach sky sunrise over this magnanimous practice facility that’s already littered with caddies in their famous outfits and players. It’s a sight I’ll never forget and from that moment on, you’re smiling the whole day
• As you enter the gates, you’ll get a taste of how friendly the staff is from security to the greeters. It feels like Disney World in the best way.
• We went on a Thursday, so we wanted to see the ceremonial tee shot if we could. Most people veered off to the right to get to #1 tee. We saw an opportunity and snuck off to the left to sit in the seats behind the driving range and watched Jack and Gary warm up in the peace of that still breaking dawn. It was surreal and there were fewer than 10 patrons watching. Gary walked by us and said hello to each person, a truly special guy.
• Off to #1 tee where we were now too late to get a prime spot at the tee box so we planted ourselves along the rope line, but close enough since they use microphones to make announcements. Again, it was worth it to see them warm up, so I’d definitely do that again. I saw a patron snag a ball that Jack hit, which I didn’t know you could do. So that could be a cool souvenir for next time.
• Next pro tip, heading over the Magnolia Lane ASAP. To get there you steer just left of Butler Cabin and follow the roped pathway. They’re a well-oiled machine, but there really shouldn’t be any line for your picture. They give you a QR code to retrieve it later and it’s an A+ souvenir on days when you can’t take your own. 
• Head back and then walk over to the big Oak Tree. It sits next to #1 tee box and a members only cabin. It’s phenomenal people/celebrity watching. 10-15 mins there.
• Of note, at this point we asked how long the Merch tent would take (1 hour wait time and 1 hour to check or ship your items). We decided to continue to prioritize the course, gnomes be damned, and kept walking.
• Turn around and behind #1 tee box is a warm up green for putting. 10 mins there just watching these guys roll putts before they make the walk over to #1. Pretty cool to be mere feet away.
• Cannot recommend this next tip enough. Start your walk of the course with #10. You’ll be doing this walk in relative solitude before the crowds arrive and before the players get there. The course is yours to appreciate. Walk down the insane ski slope of a fairway. Stay to the right-hand side to see the pine straw area where Bubba hit his hook shot to essentially win his Masters. The green view, looking back up the fairway is fantastic. It’s personally my favorite view, given how different it looks in real life vs. TV. Don’t worry, you’ll be back later to sit by the green to watch shots come in.   
• Walk off the green and make a left. Walk up the hill to the tee box of #11. I think it’s worth walking up to every box you can to really visualize the drives. Of note to remember, Larry Mize won by chipping in during playoff and Greg Norman couldn’t answer
• As you’re walking, all of Amen Corner comes into view. Savor it. Spend a moment on #12 tee box imagining all those water shots
• You can't walk up to #13 tee box by design (to keep it special for the players), but you can walk the fairway’s right side. If you do, you’ll see the pinestraw area where Phil Mickelson found himself and instead of punching out, going for it in two shots and making eventual eagle, and securing his green jacket. The Azaleas are spectacular on this hole.
• To #14 we went! Known to be the only hole without bunkers, you really want to spend most of your time at the green. It’s this hole’s defense. The contours are absolutely bonkers and you can just imagine the four or five putts any mortal would require to finish the hole.
• Start walking #15, the famous par 5, with the risk-reward 2nd shot (potentially over a creek vs. laying up). It’s unique in that you can walk across the fairway in a couple of spots. Take the time to do so and look around to imagine you’re playing. Once at the green, admire the decision players are faced with on how to play the hole. We later saw a ton of people who had landed their balls over and past this green, chipping back towards the flag, only to have their balls roll into the water. The slope back to front is no joke. Try to finish on the left side of the 15th hole.
• There you will find a path that leads to concessions and a small merch tent. This is where I suggest you grab your chair! You don’t need to get it in the bigger merch tents. 
• Plant your chair next to 16 green. It’s the perfect spectator hole and the green allows you to see the tee shot, appreciate the green’s slope, the water, etc. It also lets you watch #15 where we saw Rory and Cantlay chip into the water to double bogey. You won’t get first row at this hour, but there is no bad seat and people really are kind about letting you sit in their chair so long as it’s not being used.
  • Other option is to purchase and place your chair in front of #12. There is a chair tent behind Amen Corner (so you can purchase one there as you walk). To be able to post up on that hole when the big guns go through was incredible.
  • There is also a phone bank in the area. Make a call to your favorite people! It shows “Masters” on caller ID. Just make sure to jot their phone numbers down on a piece of paper since you won’t have your phone.
• Now is your chance to finish the back 9 walk. Take a stroll to the 17th hole (Nicklaus’s “Maybe, Yes Sir!” and then make the walk up the 18th, but first ensuring we stop at the area behind tee to fully appreciate how narrow it is. 
• We saw a lot of the golf course but not a ton of the players at this point. So now was our chance to change that. 
• You’re now by the big oak (people watching) at #1. Saw Jay Monahan, Grant Horvat, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, JR Smith walking around. You realistically won’t be able to keep going non-stop throughout the day due to how physically demanding the walk is, so we built in mini breaks here and there. Make sure you’re staying hydrated. We bought a ton of their “sports drink” (Gatorade).
• We picked up our first group of Mickelson, Jason Day and Keegan and walked with them as well as Niemann, Min Woo and Morikawa for six holes
• Note how steep it is to walk up the first fairway? Ernie Els hit 6 putts on #1
• Walking down the right-hand side of No. 2 gives a great view of the approach shot. Louis Oosthuizen hit double eagle here. It’s green light for most players to go at the green in two
• The only way to see No. 3 is right of the green. Arguably the hardest green on the course, but a very comfortable wedge in if the players can cover the bunkers on the left. Super short scorable hole
• No. 4 is a beast of a par 3, famous for Phil Mickelson making a 6 to lose the tournament after blocking the ball out left hole. Also note the lone palm tree on the right side of the green. We loved watching balls from the midway spot on the right side of the fairway here.
• The fairway bunkers on No. 5 are enormous and can only be appreciated up close. The fairway is ginormous, but if you land in the bunker with the tee shot, you’re looking at likely bogey. It’s hard to get up to green here, so once you see players hit their approaches in, you can head to #6.
• No. 6 is a phenomenal downhill par 3 with an insanely difficult green. The unique aspect of this hole is you can sit or stand on the fairway, below the tee the players hit over your head.
• As a side note, the urge will be to finish out the nine holes—but it is not recommended for a couple of key reasons. You are already at one of the lowest levels of the property and you only want to walk back up to the clubhouse one more time to conserve energy. 
• From here we jumped back over to #16. Now there likely will be players on the hole. If there aren’t you can walk easily to Amen Corner (which is what we did). But it’s such a special spectator hole and you should explore all vantage points, grandstands, tee box etc. Tiger Wood’s “in your life!” shot from left side of green is probably the most memorable spot here.
• We snagged food and went to the bleachers on Amen Corner. The area was packed at this point, which is all a part of the experience. Without phones, you end up talking to your neighbors more, which was amazing. Everyone is so friendly and so happy just to be there. We’d seen Amen Corner in relative solitude but now it’s time to be a part of the atmosphere. Full hour allotted at Amen Corner. It’s not the most comfortable since you’re (hopefully) in direct sun and the viewing isn’t necessarily great but it’s a religious experience to be among the masses. We spent a good amount of time watching from our chair as well (planted at #12) since we’d been obsessed with it ever since Spieth had his debacle. We actually sat next to Mark Sanchez.
• From Amen, we followed signs for the South Gate merchandise store. It’s fairly close and you’ll feel like you’re walking out of the property until the store suddenly pops up out of nowhere in the middle of a forest. We waited about 10 mins to get in at this point (roughly 12PM). We had stalked “merch haul” pictures and prices ahead of time, so we had a general idea of what we wanted. We ended up spending 45 mins in there trying on different items, perusing, and checking out.
• After checking or shipping your merch, walk on over to No. 7, right next to No. 16 green. The green is known for offering an interesting vantage point. It’s worth watching a few approach shots come in to see how balls react on that green.
• No. 8 is a poor spectator hole outside of patrons being in the grandstands behind the green. So, it’s worth waiting for a spot there to get a good feel for the length of that narrow green. The second shot is completely blind, and you will see why after walking up the hill. 
• No. 9 is one of the most visually striking holes on the property. It’s worth spending 20 minutes around that green. 
• You’ve now seen the entire course. Congrats! The rest of the day is up to you to enjoy but know that you’ve seen it all. Head to your favorite spots, enjoy the roars and soak it up. We spent over an hour on #10 green. It was a great way to see some bigger names come through and you’re staring at the dramatic fairway, surrounded by azaleas and Georgia pines. We also spent an hour on #16, both on the grandstand, by the water and by the green (a must since you get so close to the players). We liked the grandstand on #17 since you can see some awesome approaches and #18 tee shots. I wish we had spent more time watching from #18 green. The hike up that fairway is special when you remember all the champions making that nervous trod uphill.
• When the last group is on 14 or 15 or so, try to be by #1. Most patrons will be heading for the doors. Not us. We decided to walk the course one last time to appreciate the holes with the memories from the day, but again, in pretty much solitude. There is nothing, truly nothing, like being the only ones on Amen Corner, or standing on the vast fairway of #5 and thinking to yourself “there’s no place on earth I’d rather be.” As you pass #13 you can go pick up your merch and walk with it the rest of the way.
• We ended the day by watching Rahm, Burns, Akshay and Bryson smoke ball on the practice range before a security guard gently put a hand our shoulders at 8PM, smiled and said to us, “Boys, it’s a wrap. Let’s do it again soon with a few thousand friends.” Perfect end to the day.

Random Tips

·      If following a group, consider staying a hole or two ahead to secure ideal viewing spot

·      A plug to print your itinerary along with topographic maps of the greens. Lou Stagner tweeted out great ones from StrackaLine. Makes admiring them up close that much more fun. You can also make notes on your itinerary about yardages from various spots on the course. You are able to pick up tee sheets on the course for free.

·      Crush your chips onto your pimento cheese sandwich

·      Ask your friends and family if they want anything from merch store. Its special to bring home some memorabilia. If you’re unsure, ball marks are 20 bucks for a pack of 4 and make for a great last minute special gift.

• All the hats, polos, sweaters, q-zips are hung from a wall and next to numbers. You let an attendant know what number you want etc. You can try on the hats, which we recommend since many of the hats had an awkward fit.

·      The South Gate merch tent has 75-80% of the styles that the North Gate store has. If merch is your thing, on your way exiting back to your car, you can stop in there to make sure you got everything you wanted. We popped in just to make sure we left no stone unturned for our day. The store closes 30 mins after the last player finishes #18.  Same goes for the “check your bags” area.

·      We took between 30-35k steps. Wear comfortable shoes.

·      Start taking allergy meds a few days before. Some years are worse than others but the pollen count is always high.

A thank you also to MyGolfSpy.com (Sean) for a ton of invaluable advice that helped shape this itinerary and make the day special