Under golf’s regularly scheduled program, we'd be halfway through the rotation of major championships. Augusta would be a blip in the rearview mirror and Brooks Koepka would have taken a crack at a third consecutive Wanamaker Trophy in San Francisco.
Instead, thanks to COVID-19, major season will culminate this fall with a November Masters. In the meantime, the wheels keep turning in Augusta and tournament organizers appear to have something unique up their green-jacketed sleeves: for a cool $26 Million, ANGC has reportedly purchased the National Hills shopping center across the street, making it the club’s most expensive real estate purchase to date. With the 15-acre property now in their portfolio, the tournament will use the space for… well, we don’t really know just yet.
There have been rumors in the past that AGNC intends to build their own exit off the nearby highway and this recent purchase brings their total spend over the past three years to roughly $70 million. Is Augusta positioning themselves to build a golf utopia that extends beyond course property lines? Could we see something of a Disneyland resort for golf fans?
Plenty can be left to the imagination but what we do know is that the Masters fan experience remains unparalleled. Tickets remain elusive, and most attendees arrive armed with a shopping list from their friends and colleagues. Could this new property be used for an off-site merchandise center? No matter what the intention is, one thing remains clear – even with no play on the course, any news from Augusta brings with it a sense of wonder and anticipation. The possibilities here seem endless.
