History of the The Masters 2017

The 81st Masters Tournament will begin on Thursday. So how did this invitational golf tournament in Georgia get so popular? What’s the history behind it?

Thursday will be the opening round of the 81st playing of The Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course in Augusta, Georgia. It is one of the four major tournaments on the PGA Tour.

The Masters has long been the first major tournament to kick a PGA Tour season into full swing. So what’s the history behind The Masters and how did this invitational only tournament get to be what it is today?

It all begins back in 1930 when the best golfer of his era in Bobby Jones abruptly retired from the sport at age 28. Jones grew tired of carrying the growing sport and wanted to be able to still play golf without having to do so for thousands of fans every time he took to the course.

The Atlanta native eventually began looking for property to build his own private golf course where he and his friends could play undisturbed. He and co-founder Clifford Roberts found a plant nursery and former indigo plantation in Augusta as the perfect location for his golf course. The lay of the land really spoke to Jones that this was the right place to build his private golf course.

Jones and Roberts hired Alister MacKenzie to help build this golf course on this property in 1931. MacKenzie would pass away before the first tournament known as The Masters would be played in 1934. The private tournament would be known by its popular name in 1939.

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Since that year, the nines have switched their orders. Initially, the golfers would begin at what is now the 10th tee. Over time, the landscaping at Augusta National has become world-class with each hole named after a type of tree associated with the hole. This is a tribute to the golf course being a former plant nursery.