Augusta National Golf Club recently unveiled a state-of-the-art Player Services Building for the 90th Masters Tournament — one of many upgrades to the grounds in recent years.
The three-story facility has a new locker room, dining area, gym and physiotherapy room, to name a few of the highlights. It’s accessible to players, their families and support teams, with some calling it “world class.”
The Player Services Building is just the latest addition to the famed club as it expands its physical footprint, begging the question: Will there one day be Masters housing for the players?
Well, Chairman Fred Ridley didn’t say no on Wednesday during his annual Masters press conference — but he didn’t say yes either.
“I would say, as it relates to housing, I think we would look at housing for our tournament workforce or parts of our tournament workforce before we’d look at housing for players,” he said.
As it stands, players have one of two housing options in Augusta, Georgia — a relatively normal city best known for hosting the first major of the year. Players typically rent homes or stay in nearby hotels.
Many Augusta residents pack up and leave for the week, renting out their homes to players, support staff, media and fans. If a player finds a house they like, they’ll often come back and rent the same place year after year. As you can imagine, the Masters housing rental market can be particularly lucrative.
It’s a pretty good situation for the players. Could it be better?
“We want this to be a pleasant experience,” Ridley said. “I was in the Player Services Building yesterday. I’ve been through it many times, as you might imagine, in the summer and leading up to the tournament, but it was the first time I was there with people in the building, and just the energy, the mood just couldn’t have been better.
“Sure, we’ll look for other opportunities. We ask players what we can do to make their experience better. That’s really how this building came to be. It was not — it went up very quickly. We started it June 1 last year, but the planning for it took many years. That was because we really asked players, their teams, what they wanted, what could make their experience to the Masters better. So we’ll continue to do that.”
If the players want on-site housing, one day they just might get it.