GOLF
Who are the Augusta National members? How much does it cost to be a member at the home of the Masters?
With membership fees at Augusta National rumored to be somewhere between $40,000 and $200,000 and monthly fees between $400 and $500, it should come as no surprise that members are said to be among the world’s wealthiest people.
Augusta National Golf Course is one of the world’s most prestigious and well-renowned golf clubs in the world. Located in Augusta, Georgia, this private club is home to the Masters Tournament, one of golf’s four major championships. Augusta National was founded in 1932 by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts.
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There’s no application procedure. Members can suggest someone to occupy one of the 300-member places when a vacancy comes about, but ultimately the club decides who to invite to become a member. Other perks for members include being able to stay on the property in “cabins” for an estimated $100/night. Membership has its rewards, such as exclusivity and affordable prices.
Augusta National membership cost
The Augusta National membership fees are relatively low for a club of its reputation. The initiation fee is estimated to be in the range of $40,000 - $200,000, but the official figure is unknown. And the yearly dues are assessed at “a few thousand” dollars annually, in the field of $7,000 to $10,000. Augusta National is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and only accepts a limited number of members (300). Other costs are involved, whether for guest fees or on-site lodging, but those are also relatively low.
As a member, you would have access to the club’s world-renowned 18-hole golf course, which has hosted the Masters Tournament every year since 1934. You could also use the club’s other facilities, including a clubhouse, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. The original membership stake in Augusta cost $350, which is still less than $5,000 in today’s dollars.
How to play at Augusta National
For most mortals, it’s impossible, but for some lucky golfers, there are ways to play the 18-hole course. Like the pros who tee it up every April, you could qualify for the Masters. You could get a press pass and play with the lucky journalists who get to tee it up the day after the Masters.
There’s also a path through employment which is to say, if you work as a caddy at Augusta National, you get to play one round each year. The same goes for Augusta National employees, who get to play the course once a year. Competitors at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur tournament play the course the week before the Masters and some college golfers from the area get to play the course once in a while in tournaments.
Famous Augusta National members
Regarding membership numbers, Augusta National Golf Club is notoriously tight-lipped, and the private club has never publicly released information about its membership. Given Augusta National’s exclusivity and reputation, it’s unsurprising that membership is difficult to come by. The club’s membership registrations are invitation-only, and it’s widely considered that Augusta National’s members are some of the world’s wealthiest and most influential people.
There are only about 300 members of the club, and most of them are wealthy business executives or former Masters champions. The membership includes Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (by the way, the club did not allow women’s membership until 2012), and billionaire Warren Buffett. CEOs abound from companies like IBM, Bank of America, MillerCoors, American Express, General Electric, and plenty more. Former Georgia senator Samuel Nunn is among the politicians who belong to this exclusive club.
As for others on the list, there are a number of powerful and wealthy members including Pete Coors, Jack Welch, former US Senator Sam Nunn and two former US Secretary of State in the form of George Schultz and Rex Tillerson. The Yates family, with close ties to golf history and Bobby Jones, include current members Charlie Yates Jr., Dan Yates, and his son, Dan Yates III. According to the Golf Monthly article above, the women members include: Condoleezza Rice, Darla Moore, Diana Murphy, Virginia “Ginni” Rometty, Ana Botin, Heidi Ueberroth and Annika Sorenstam.