Since 1934, Augusta National has played host to the annual Masters Tournament, one of the four major championships in professional golf, and the only US championship not to rotate annually between several clubs. Many golf rulings made in the early days of the Masters remain today, such as the four-day stroke playing of 18 holes each day and denying permission for anyone except the player and caddie to be in the playing area. Each hole on the Augusta National course is named after the tree or shrub with which it has become associated; for instance, Hole 1 is named Tea Olive and Hole 18 is named Holly.

Since 1949, the winner of the Masters tournament has been presented with a distinctive green jacket. Winners keep their jacket for the first year after their first victory then return it to the club to wear whenever they visit. Tickets to watch the competition are granted only on application.

Date The US Masters is held in April each year.

Location Augusta National Golf Club, 2604 Washington Road, Augusta, GA, USA. Located just off the I-20 highway between Atlanta and Columbia)

Venue Augusta National Golf Club. Founded by Bobby Jones and designed by Alister MacKenzie, the private club opened for play in January 1933. Course: 18 holes, 7445 yards, par 72. The manicured fairways are only open six months a year, from May through to the end of October.

Getting there Nearest airport: Augusta Regional Airport (Bush Field) and Columbia Metropolitan Airport, located 96km from Augusta. By car: Augusta National Golf Course is located on the I-20, 72km from Columbia (a drive of around 1 hour 15 minutes); and 231km from Atlanta (a drive of around 2 hours 30 minutes).

Highlights

Georgia Away from the state’s modern neon-lit cities lies the ‘old South’. Here you can discover the region’s surviving antebellum towns and drive through stunning pastoral landscapes that still echo the words of southern authors such as Tennessee Williams and William Faulkner. Explore the tree-lined streets of Madison, one of the few towns not to be burnt to the ground during the American Civil War, just an hour’s drive east of Atlanta. Or head to Savannah, a town saved from burning by General Sherman and given by him to President Lincoln as a Christmas present instead. Take a horse-drawn carriage along Savannah’s cobblestone streets past historic mansions, squares and parks, then relax with a mint julep on a veranda overlooking the Savannah River. Don’t miss driving along US Route 76 from Ellijay, past Blairsville and through the Chattahoochee National Forest to Clayton – one of the most scenic drives in Georgia.