Augusta National Golf Club opened in 1933 and has hosted the Masters tournament every year since 1934.
First designed by Bobby Jones and Alister Mackenzie, the course has seen multiple redesigns and changes to adapt it to the modern golfer -- the course has been lengthened by 500-plus yards from 2001 to present. All the while, it remains one of the most prestigious -- and exclusive -- golf clubs on the planet and a trip to the Masters is a bucket list item for most every golf enthusiast.
Here are five things to know about Augusta National Golf Club ahead of the 2016 Masters:
1. The grass: The first thing that pops into your head when you think about Augusta National is the lush, green grass that covers the property. It's the greenest Bermuda grass you've ever seen -- with an assist from the overseeded rye added each fall -- from the tee boxes all the way up to the bent grass greens. The transition from Bermuda to bent grass on the greens started in 1978 when the Par 3 course was redone, and the main course was changed to bent two years later after the 1980 event.
Augusta National is kept immaculate and green not by overuse of pesticides and chemicals, but by the painstaking effort of constant attention and upkeep, which includes one of the world's best greenskeeping staffs, a state of the art irrigation system and more.
2. Unique terminology -- Augusta National also has its own language of sorts. There is no "rough" at the Masters -- that would imply imperfection -- there is simply a first and second cut.
Attendees of the Masters are not "fans," they are patrons and are to be referred to as such. When you make the turn from No. 9 to No. 10, you don't go from the front nine to the back nine, you are going from the first nine to the second nine.
The hole names are as unique as anything at Augusta National. Each hole is named for a different tree or plant, fitting considering the property was once a plant nursery. From Tea Olive (No. 1) to Holly (No. 18), each hole has its own name.
3. Concessions pricing -- Every year patrons flock to the concession stands at the Masters and enjoy some of the best value one can find at a major sporting event. There are few events where you can get sandwiches from $1.50 to $3 and beers for $4 and $5.
The most popular and iconic item at Augusta National's concessions stands? The $1.50 pimento cheese sandwich. Also, it's a fun game to see who is putting in work on the beverages by the height of their Masters cup stack -- because you never throw away a Masters cup.
4. Merchandise -- Everyone wants a piece of Masters merchandise to take home from their trip to Augusta National and part of the reason is because it is the only place you can purchase officially licensed Masters gear.
The lines for merchandise stands can have waits lasting hours, especially on practice round days, and some patrons will drop big bucks -- they've already had one patron spend $20,000 on merchandise this year -- for that Masters gear.
5. Par 3 Contest -- As unique an experience as there is in golf, the Masters Par 3 Contest is a surreal event. The Par 3 course at Augusta National gets the same care and attention as the big course, and on Wednesday of Masters week, it's packed with patrons and participants, who are looking to earn a little crystal for a hole-in-one.
If you're ever able to secure a Wednesday practice round badge for the Masters, after taking in the big course, be sure to pop over to the Par 3 course for a rare look at pure joy from the world's best golfers a day before one of the most stressful rounds of their careers.
