Insider Golf Guides #3 The Masters
Golf Traveller has many years of experience in delivering itineraries that ensure a magical experience at the Masters, combining the finest golf and immersing clients in the best that Atlanta and beyond has to offer. This is our guide to the Masters 2025 at Augusta National.
Why go? It’s no secret that the experience of attending the Masters at Augusta National has no equal. Many a golf tournament is branded as ‘unique’, but only at the Masters is that is fully realised; there is the beauty of the course’s impeccable fairways and blooming azaleas, the inimitable atmosphere of a tournament with no modern pleasures of phones or cameras, and the prize on offer itself, not a silver-clad trophy but the infamous Green Jacket. Whether you’re a fan of tradition or of a course that demands precision perfect golf from tee to green, there’s something for everyone at the Masters.
Beyond the property itself, there is much on offer for visitors. The gateway city of Atlanta, the Peach State’s capital, is home to an eclectic food scene from upscale fine dining to pit-style barbecue meats, and the city fizzes with excitement around Masters time as visitors fill the local watering holes. If golf is what you’re looking for, there are a host of exclusive private courses you can play (with Golf Traveller’s contacts), or the nearby masterpieces of Pinehurst No. 2 and Kiawah Island.
When to go? The Masters 2025 will be taking place between the 7-13th of April 2025, right before the pleasing Georgia temperatures in the low 20s spiral into a steamy summertime, so it’s the perfect time to visit. With a full week of golf on offer, the best days to be fairway-side are down to preference. For a closer view of the professionals (and the chance to bring a camera with you), the practice rounds from Monday through to Wednesday will be ideal, as well as offering less of a queue to grab some famous merchandise. To see your favourite golfer, the first two days before the cut on Thursday and Friday will be your best bet, but if you’re there to see the drama reach fever pitch, Saturday and Sunday at Augusta invariably produces tight finishes and long-lasting sporting memories.
Why golf in Georgia & South Carolina? After experiencing exclusive private club golf in Atlanta, head southeast and you can tee off at the triumvirate of Great Waters, a Jack Nicklaus Signature design, The National, one of Tom Fazio’s finest, and The Oconee, a Rees Jones routing along Lake Oconee’s shoreline. Then, along the coast, there’s Kiawah Island, the iconic 1991 Ryder Cup venue. The real question is, with such golfing riches, why wouldn’t you want to play golf here?
The Whitley Atlanta (5*)
The Whitley Atlanta (5*)
Where do you stay? Blending cosmopolitan style with timeless elegance, The Whitley Atlanta (5*), located in the Buckhead neighbourhood, is a luxury contemporary stay complete with spa, indoor heated pool, and is ideally situated steps from world-class shopping, dining and nightlife. Alternatively there is The St Regis (5*), across the promenade from Buckhead Village, an ‘in town’ luxury resort famed for its lively hotel bar and Michelin star restaurant serving bold American cuisine.
The St Regis (5*)
The St Regis (5*)
What activities can you do? For a slice of Americana, head to the World of Coca-Cola, the famous fizz having been first served in the city, and Starlight Six, Atlanta’s sole surviving drive-in cinema, before some retail therapy in Buckhead, home to Lenox Square mall, its more upscale neighbour Phipps Plaza and designer names such as Dior. Other notable distractions include the new interactive Illuminarium; Six Flags Over Georgia theme park; and Georgia Aquarium, where visitors can snorkel with whale sharks. However, given Atlanta’s nickname as the ‘City in a Forest’, some of the best of the city can be explored by foot or by bike, with some glorious open spaces such as Grant Park, the Botanical Garden and Westside Park, its preeminent green lung. Piedmont Park hosts regular outdoor events while Centennial Olympic Park serves as a reminder of the time the city hosted the summer Olympic Games in 1996.
What’s the ideal length of stay? A six-to-seven-night stay will give travellers plenty of time to take in Augusta National and the drama of the Masters, experience the best of Atlanta’s cuisine and play golf of their own, from exclusive private courses to some of America’s most famed tracks at Pinehurst and Kiawah Island.
Kiawah Island