Augusta National looks heavenly each April, but is the world-famous course open all year round?
Is Augusta National Open All Year?
It may be a purely theoretical question for most of us who will never get the chance to play at the home of The Masters.
But the answer, quite simply, is no.
While a handful of UK and Irish courses close over winter – among them Old Head in Ireland and Kingbarns and the brand new Dumbarnie Links in Scotland – it is the summer months when things close down at Augusta National.
November, when the 2020 Masters took place, would normally be the course’s first full month after its annual summer closure.
This extends from late May until some time in October.
Augusta National typically closes for the summer just over a month after every April’s Masters (Photo: Getty Images)
Why does Augusta National close in the summer?
When it opened in the 1930s, Bobby Jones wanted Augusta to be a “national” club in the sense of attracting wealthy executives from all over the States.
Winter was not only the best time for them but also the best time for Augusta’s climate.
Spot the hole – Augusta National from the air in January 1933 (Photo by PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
In this part of Georgia, the summer temperatures remain in 90s throughout June, July and August.
In 2019, the temperature gauge hit 100˚F (37.8˚C) or more on five days in July and August.
May and September temperatures are also in the high 80s.
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Add in extremely high humidity, which can hit 100% in July, and summer golf in Augusta wouldn’t be a whole lot of fun.
The weatherspark.com website says this about Augusta from mid-May to early October.
High humidity means that “the comfort level is muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 23% of the time!”
Finally, golf followers will know that things are constantly being remodelled at this most famous of golf courses.
This often-extensive work is undertaken during those summer months when no golf is being played.
Many of us will be looking to get as much golf as possible in during the summer months.
But it’s the complete opposite for members at Augusta, where golf is a late autumn, winter and early spring pastime.