Inside The Augusta National Merchandise Shop

You queue for 2 hours and struggle to leave without spending hundreds of dollars!

Augusta National Merchandise Shop
It's hard to leave without spending hundreds of dollars
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

The merchandise shop at Augusta Nation is absolutely jam-packed with US Masters souvenirs, clothing and much more. Nick Bonfield explains...

Inside The Augusta National Merchandise Shop

Before I left for Augusta National to watch my first US Masters last year, I was inundated with requests for merchandise – hardly surprising given Masters gear is arguably the most coveted in all of sport.

I attempted to look around on Tuesday, but I’m not exaggerating when I say the queue was at least two hours long.

Every subsequent time I walked past the situation was the same.

I visited the shop in the clubhouse – press are given great access at The Masters – but it’s a much smaller selection in there.

Finally, on Saturday, I bit the bullet and queued up to enter what must be one of the best-run, best-stocked and most comprehensive merchandise ‘tents’ in world sport.

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It’s so hectic inside that you don’t know where to go, but it’s so exciting that you want to explore everywhere.

It’s best to abide by the unofficial one-way system and proceed in an anti-clockwise direction.

If you don’t, you might get trapped, as I found out when I accidentally ended up in a check-out queue with seemingly no escape.

It’s so hard to go inside and leave without having spent so much you need to take out a loan.

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The gear isn’t particularly cheap – especially the clothing – but it’s of an excellent quality.

Still, no matter how well constructed, I don’t think you’ll find many people who are willing to spend $175 on a belt.

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But that’s not to say there isn’t some value to be had. The caps, t-shirts, flags, markers and pitch-mark repairers make for excellent souvenirs.

I tried to find the most expensive, and the cheapest, items in the merchandise pavilion. I didn’t see anything more expensive than a $525 high-resolution print of Augusta National’s clubhouse, nor anything that cost less than a set of markers ($15).

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Some of the items you encounter are quite bizarre. I spotted an Augusta National cocktail shaker, an Augusta-branded laser rangerfinder and even a hip flask wrapped in some sort of knitted patchwork. What a place.

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Nick Bonfield
Content Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, commissioning and feature writing. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x