Can three friends and I still book a masters trip?We’re looking for a place to stay, admission badges for the weekend and a few rounds of golf. Is that even possible at this late date?
Surprisingly, your prospects are quite good. The Masters is such a tough ticket and Augusta has so few hotel rooms that an entire industry has sprung up to handle demand. Jim Robustelli, president of Georgia Sports & Event Marketing (themastersgolftickets.com), satisfies late requests like this every year. He says the practice of renting out private homes is so common in Augusta that supply usually exceeds demand. Ticket inventory grows considerably more limited as the big week approaches, but somehow the sports marketers are able to secure them at late dates. Be prepared to spend several thousand per person for an eat-sleep-play-watch package.
As for golf, most decent courses outsource all Masters-week tee times to the packagers, who should be able to get you a game. A good trick is to play one of your rounds on Monday after the tournament, when demand falls way off. For travel, check Delta’s recently beefed-up flight schedule into Augusta’s airport—or fly into Atlanta, where rental-car availability is sure to be better.
