Elliott Heath
Only the avid golfer would know what The Crow's Nest is and what purpose it serves at the The Masters. Located on the second floor of Augusta National's clubhouse, The Crow's Nest is one of the most historic places on the property.
The Nest itself is situated above the library and Champion's Locker Room, and it provides accommodation for the amateurs competing at the tournament.
Although it does not provide the most luxurious of stays, The Crow's Nest is steeped in history and provides those that are fortunate enough to stay there with a truly memorable experience.
The Crow's Nest can accommodate five people. Rising from the approximately 30 by 40ft room is the Clubhouse’s 11 foot square cupola - which is where the iconic room gets its name from. The cupola features windows on all sides and can only be reached by ladder.
The Crow’s Nest consists of one room with partitions and dividers that create three cubicles with one bed each, and one cubicle with two beds. There is also a full bathroom with an additional sink. The sitting area has a game table, sofa and chairs, telephone, and television.
It features plenty of golf books as well as photos and art work on the wall depicting past Masters and other golfing scenes. Players to have stayed in the Crow’s Nest as amateurs who later went on to win The Masters include Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Tiger Woods, Tommy Aaron, Tom Watson, Ben Crenshaw, Craig Stadler, Mark O'Meara and Phil Mickelson.
Although this year's crop of amateurs in the Masters field will be looking to make history and become the first amateur to win the Green Jacket, regardless of the outcome they will most probably be content having stayed at such a prestigious venue where many golfing greats have resided before.
Stewart Hagestad, who played in the 2024 Masters in his third Augusta appearance, described what it was like staying in the Crow's Nest.
"It's really cool. It was a really, really cool moment. Yeah, I was the only person upstairs. I had dinner. I had a cocktail and a cigar. It was great.
"They have a great bar selection up there. I dipped into the Añejo. Please don't bill me. I had a cigar. I had a nice steak. I had apple pie. I went to bed at 10:00. It was awesome."
