As you drive down Washington Road and make your final approach towards Augusta National Golf Club, it seems everyone is carrying one. Some people lug them around like a bag of groceries, others - the more experienced patrons - strap them over their backs. It’s more comfortable this way, plus it frees up your arms to carry bags and bags of Masters merchandise.
The reason why patrons regard the iconic green Masters chair as an essential piece of kit - besides the obvious, i.e. it's to plant your backside on - is that once you’ve arrived on the course, you can pick a spot, unfold your seat and then, basically, leave.
Then, once you’ve got your cold beer and sandwich from concessions, had a wander, visited the Golf Shop or the restrooms, you can came back safe in the knowledge that your chair will still be there.
"There’s a standing rule here that if you put your chair down, no one will mess with it and no one takes your spot, and your spot is there for as long as you want," says Kirk Seaman, who's visiting for the first time, and has found a handy piece of shade underneath a pine tree to watch the players hit their second into the par-5 8th. "It's a tradition like nowhere else in the world. No other tournament does it. You'd lose your chair!"
Keen to experience the week as a real patron, I joined the queue for the Golf Shop on Wednesday and invested $35 on a green Masters chair. As Masters merchandise goes, that's not a bad price, and I’m already picturing it on my lawn back home, book in hand, barbecue on the go.
Friday’s mission was to arrive early and plant my new purchase in a prime viewing spot. I chose the side of the 9th green, which gave me a brilliant view of the approach from the fairway below, and a more distant view of players teeing off the 1st.
The 9th is where you'll find Catherine Luckey. A course marshal points her out. Her wonderful mop of grey hair makes her easy to pick out amongst the other patrons. The Augusta native has been coming here for nearly 55 years. She's like a celebrity and I can't get near here. Safe to say she has her own chair.
Instead, I speak to Warren Hoyle, who's been coming here since 1997. He bought himself his own chair in 2002 for just $16 - and it's a beauty. You can't take pictures at Augusta National on tournament days so there's no seeing Hoyle's model, but it's a more robust looking chair than today's version (below), good for hour upon hour of spectating.
"We love coming in and watching them up close. We like it here on the 1st," says Hoyle, who's getting up from his seat to take a break from the sun. You can do that, of course, come back and it'll still be there. He's off for a cold one, back later to see Scheffler tee off.
"We offer our chair up when we leave, everybody does it, and I've never heard of anyone ever losing a chair," he adds. "There are thousands of them on the 18th and no one ever takes them. We've got a little yellow ribbon on ours, but if it got taken it wouldn't be on purpose, it would be by mistake."
I settle down into Hoyle's chair to watch Fred Couples tee off. It's pretty comfortable. And when he comes back, I'll shake his hand and return to my own two-by-two foot of real estate by the greenside bunker on 9 to watch Tiger Woods complete his front nine. If there's anyone sitting in it, there will be trouble.
Masters Spectator Guide: Chairs
How many chairs are you allowed per person?
In fairness to spectator access and viewing, patrons are only allowed to bring one chair (per person) onto the grounds.
Can you bring your own Masters chair?
Yes.
Can you leave your Masters chair at Augusta overnight?
No.
Won't someone take my Masters chair?
It's a well respected tradition to bring your own chair, leave and come back. Reports of missing chairs are very rare.
Can you sit in someone else’s Masters chair?
Lots of people do. When the owner returns, you move on. It's all very polite.
How much does a Masters chair cost?
In 2023, the cost of an official Masters chair from the Golf Shop on site was $35.
