The Masters Tickets Lottery and a Quick Guide to Attending The Masters Tournament

If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing the best golfers in the world navigate Amen Corner or tap in a dramatic birdie on “Holly” to put on the Green Jacket, you aren’t alone. Over 2 million people each year apply for the Masters tickets lottery, but the chances of your number being called are about 1 in 200. That is to say—the odds are decidedly stacked against you.

But if you’re a superfan of the PGA Tour, have The Masters on your bucketlist, or just want to catch a glimpse of golf’s biggest stars or young phenoms, here’s your guide to the Masters tickets lottery—and if you’re lucky—what to expect on the first week of April at Augusta National Golf Club.

What Is the Masters Tickets Lottery?

The Masters tickets lottery is a ticket system implemented in 2012 that allows golf fans to apply for tickets to the famous tournament. Prior to this online system, tournament series badges—also known as weekly badges—were given to club members and passed down through marriage. Some also gained these types of passes by putting their names on a waiting list—often taking years to pay off. Alternatively, golf fans could apply for tickets via mail, which was the selection process from 1995 through 2011.

The idea of The Masters ticket lottery was to provide a fairer way to distribute tickets, give fans an easier way to apply, and limit price gouging in the secondary market, which ultimately gives you a chance to get a ticket—even if those odds are slim.

How To Apply for Masters Tickets

The days of applying via snail mail are long gone. Today, you can apply for tickets and increase your chances of seeing Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, or Scottie Scheffler by applying for the ticket lottery at Masters.com and following these steps:

1. Create your account by logging onto tickets.masters.com. New account holders can create their account at any time during the year. Returning customers are already set up and ready to go for the application process.
2. Confirm your email and enter your address, date of birth, and last four of your Social Security number.
3. On June 1 of the year prior to the year you want to attend, apply for tickets. The ticket lottery window for daily tournament tickets is usually open until June 20 or 21. That would mean that the window has closed for the 2023 Masters Tournament, but you can apply for the 2024 edition on June 1, 2023.
4. You will hear back by early July if you’ve won the lottery—which is life-changing to say the least.
5. You have from July 20 to August 10 to pay for your tickets.

Keep in mind that you have to be at least 21 years old to fill out a ticket application, and you can only get single-day tournament tickets due to ridiculously high demand (two per customer if you win the lottery). All tickets are general admission.

How Much Are Tickets for The Masters?

In 2022, Super Bowl tickets went for an astonishing average price of $7,542 apiece. But you won’t find that kind of price gouging at The Masters.

Masters tickets have been notoriously inexpensive ever since the tournament started. So if you win the lottery, it doesn’t matter which tournament round you see. Whether you’re at Augusta National during the opening round or the final round, you’ll pay the same for your Masters Tournament tickets:

• $140 for tournament day tickets (Thursday through Sunday)
• $100 for practice round tickets

Amazingly, those with series badges passed down through their family are the only people who can attend all four days of The Masters. To see everything from the Masters cut to the last putt, these people only pay $375.

What Are My Odds of Winning the Masters Tickets Lottery?

Here’s where you can feel a bit of your life force leave you. According to Bookies.com, your odds of winning the Masters ticket lottery are about 1 in 200—or about 0.55%. To put this in perspective (but hopefully not enough to crush your hopes and dreams), here are some things more likely to happen than you winning the Masters tickets lottery:

• Being audited by the IRS: 1 in 160
• Getting called to participate on The Price Is Right: 1 in 36
• Meeting a person who’s a New York Yankees fan: 1 in 10
• Getting into Harvard: 7 in 100
• Being named Emma or Jacob if you were born between 2000 and 2019: 1 in 107 and 1 in 179

So needless to say, your odds are slim for a tournament that’s been sold out every year since 1972. But don’t let that deter you from applying. As Wayne Gretzky or Michael Scott once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

Is There a Secondary Market for Tickets?

A secondary market or scalping market certainly exists for Masters tickets. However, Augusta National and the City of Augusta have taken special steps to prevent this from happening.

If you’re caught trying to sell your Masters tickets in the resale market, you risk having your tickets canceled. Moreover, any scalper caught within 2,700 feet of Augusta National will get a ticket, have their name reported to Augusta National, and ultimately have their tickets canceled.

But that isn’t to say that anonymity and a huge bank account can’t limit your odds. In the past, secondary tickets have been bought or sold—jut expect to pay somewhere in the range of $2,000 to $7,000 for a single-day ticket.

A Handy Guide if You Win the Masters Tickets Lottery

If you’re among the lucky individuals who get that coveted, mind-blowing, life-changing email in early July one year, congratulations! After you calm down and you’re done celebrating, you can start to get your plans in order. Here’s a short guide to what to expect when you’re at The Masters.

What To Expect During the Tournament

Sitting on the edge of the Georgia-South Carolina border, Augusta is unsurprisingly Southern. If you’ve never been to the Dirty South, don’t let it scare you.

People are almost shockingly friendly, everyone’s ready to chat, and don’t be surprised if you’re offered a sweet tea more than once—it’s all about that world-famous Southern hospitality. Moreover, Augustans don’t change just because they’re the center of the sports world for a week, so check your suspicions at the door.

Some other things to think about while you’re at The Masters include:

• Arrive early. Estimates are that about 22,000 people attend The Masters each day, so get there when the gates open at 8 a.m.
• Bring a folding lawn chair so you don't have to sit on the grass!
• Get your pictures at the picture line at the clubhouse. Photos and videos are banned at the course, and if you’re caught, you’ll be ejected. You must also put your phone in a locker to avoid temptation per tournament rules. Pro Tip: You can bring your camera or phone during the practice round!
• Purchase your souvenir at the right time. Buy it too early and you’ll have to carry it all day; buy too late, and selection is limited. Plan accordingly.
• If you want to see a specific golfer tap in a putt for birdie, grab a greens pairings card near the front entrance. This will show you which two golfers are together, as well as their tee times.
• Don’t indulge your inner Happy Gilmore or you could be denied entry to the club. Business casual or a basic golfing outfit (polo/button-up shirt, slacks, and nice shoes) should suffice.
• Parking is free, although only 8,500 spots are available. You can always take an Uber or a taxi, and some hotels offer shuttles.
• You could fly into Augusta, but expect to spend a ton of money. The better, thriftier, and more interesting option is to fly into Atlanta and take the two-hour drive to Augusta. Don’t forget to make stops along the way, especially if you’ve never been to Georgia or the South.

Food and Beverage Costs

In May 2022, PGA pro Justin Thomas called out PGA tournament organizers for selling $18 beers at the PGA Championship—a common price-gouging experience at the concessions stand at pro sports.

Fortunately, you won’t find any of that at The Masters. Staying true to the idea of affordability—Augusta isn’t exactly a wealthy place—and the fact that initiation fees for Augusta National are upwards of $500,000—making it the most expensive golf club in the free world—price gouging simply isn’t a thing.

According to attendees from 2022, you could buy one of everything on the food menu at The Masters and spend less than $60. Some of the menu items—including the famous pimento cheese and egg salad sandwiches that Augusta is known for—go for the following prices:

• Pimento cheese sandwich: $1.50
• Egg salad sandwich: $1.50
• BBQ: $3
• Turkey and cheese or ham and cheese sandwich: $2.50
• Chips: $1.50
• Peanuts: $1.50
• Coffee: $1.50
• Domestic and imported beers: $5
• Georgia peach ice cream sandwich or Georgia pecan caramel popcorn: $2

Where To Stay

Augusta has plenty of hotels within a few miles of Augusta National. However, prices are going to be sky-high even for modest accommodation. Make sure to book your lodging early to save the most money.

If you want to get extravagant, stay at The Partridge Inn. Built in 1910, this iconic hotel has hosted diplomats, dignitaries, and celebrities over the past 100 years, and it’s the closest hotel to the golf course. It’s going to be hard to get a room, but if you can manage it, there’s no other experience like it.

Other Things To Do in Augusta

Since you’re only going to attend one day at The Masters but likely stay the entire weekend, you might want to plan a few other activities. Fortunately, Augusta has its fair share. Aside from going to bars and drinking beers with visitors and locals during the tournament, you can also try a few of these attractions:

• Take a stroll along the scenic Augusta Riverwalk, which goes along the Savannah River.
• Go to one of the many events that occur during Masters Week.
• Hit the links at one of the dozens or so courses in the area.
• Take a picture with the James Brown statue in downtown Augusta—the birthplace of the “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” or the “Godfather of Soul.”
• See the boyhood home of President Woodrow Wilson.
• Check out the bars, restaurants, and locally owned shops that line Broad Street.

Can I Play the Course After the Tournament?

Unfortunately, you cannot play a round on the golf course after The Masters is over. It’s a private club, and only club members and their guests can hit the links. Not even greasing the palms of the valet guy or the bartender will work—so hold onto you Benjamins and don’t squander them needlessly.

However, attending the tournament is perhaps your best way to rub elbows with the right people. Maybe if you’re lucky and turn on a bit of the old charm, you can work your way into a round at one of the most famous golf courses on the planet.

At the very least, a front-row seat from your couch isn’t all that bad. Just make sure to get in on the action as early as you can next year. Good luck!