Some of the elements that set The Masters apart from any other tournament are its many traditions and quirks, including the honorary starters who begin the event and the requirement for caddies to wear boiler suits.
However, it’s not just those directly involved in the action that are at the mercy of the unique qualities of the Major and its home, Augusta National.
Those fortunate enough to attend The Masters will find things just a little different to any other occasion. For example, at what other world-famous sporting event could you set up a folding chair, then wander off for several hours safe in the knowledge it will be exactly where you left it when you get back?
The list of things you can’t do is long, too, so there’ll be no cell phones, no running and no wearing of caps backwards, either – among several other responsibilities.
Overall, anyone fortunate enough to find themselves at the other side of the gates of Augusta National will surely know instinctively that this is somewhere quite unlike anywhere else.
And if you don’t, well, call yourself a fan? Actually, you can’t really do that either. That’s because, unlike anywhere else, fans attending the event are referred to as “patrons.” But why is that, and how did it come about?
Given the huge emphasis on tradition at the venue, it will come as no surprise that the label originates from the co-founder of Augusta National Golf Club, Clifford Roberts.
Right from the Major’s inception, in 1934, Roberts wanted the event to be a more distinguished experience for fans, who he saw as far more than simply people who pay their money, watch the day’s play and leave. Instead, he considered them an integral part of the tournament’s essence.
And so he bestowed the word “patrons” on those attending, and quite simply, it has stuck, with everyone from golf lovers to media outlets routinely referring to spectators as “patrons” at The Masters, despite it being no more than the preference of Augusta National Golf Club rather than a stipulation.
Along with Augusta National’s strict rules for patrons to adhere to (there’ll be no sunbathing, sitting on the grass, overtly branded goods, coolers, selfie sticks, flags, banners, signs or shoes with metal spikes, either) it’s hard to disagree that Roberts’ decision to elevate fans to patrons has helped maintain impeccable standards at the event over the years.
As a result, for patrons attending the tournament (ensuring their badge is fully on display at all times, of course), it is almost guaranteed to provide an experience unlike any other they’ve ever had – just as Roberts intended all those years ago.
