In fact, Augusta National's bunkers are actually filled with waste produced by the mining of aluminum. This type of mining produces a really bright quartz, which is why the sand traps at the Masters are so sparkly white. So there's a little extra incentive for golfers to keep their balls out of the bunkers!
Manpower was tight for everyone during World War II, including Augusta National. As a way of replacing maintenance crew workers who had been called off to war, the club occasionally set a couple hundred heads of cattle loose to help cut the grass.
Author Herbert Wind first deemed the second shot at the 11th hole, all of the 12th and first two shots at 13th "Amen Corner" as a way of giving this section of the course a transcendent nickname. The name was inspired by a 1930's jazz record titled "Shouting in that Amen Corner."
While Tigers Woods and other top pros get a pass for using their cell phones at Augusta, this is a big no-no for ordinary fans like you and me. Fortunately the club is one of the few places in the world that still provides access to payphones.
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5. The food's actually affordable
Egg salad for $1.50? Veggie wrap for $2.50? Club sandwich for $2.50? Not bad at all for one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments.
Face value of a four-day badge at the Masters is just a paltry $250. Unfortunately they're only available via lottery, and secondary ticket market prices can be in the thousands.
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7. The origin of the green jacket
Those snazzy green jackets were first worn by members in 1939 as a way to help visitors identify them in case they needed help or had questions. The tradition of awarding the jackets to tournament winners came 10 years later, with Sam Snead being the first champion to ever be given the most recognizable jacket the world has ever known.
While many favor 2014 Masters champ Bubba Watson to pull off a repeat victory, it may not be too smart to put any money on that. In the last 80 years, only three players -- Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo -- have pulled off back-to-back victories at Augusta National.
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9. Just a handful have won multiple Masters
Though not quite as exclusive of a club as back-to-back Masters winners, there are still just 17 golfers in the world whose closets feature more than one green jacket.
Not only does Jack Nicklaus have the most green jackets (six), he also gave older golfers around the world hope by winning the 1986 Masters at 46 years old.
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11. Why caddies wear all white
There was a time when players couldn't bring their own caddies to the Masters and instead had to hire one from the club. Since most caddies were poor locals from the town of Augusta with little money to buy nice clothing, the white coveralls were designated as a mandatory uniform to uphold appearance standards.
Before launching the inaugural Masters Tournament in 1934, Augusta National had hoped to become a host venue of the U.S. Open. The request was denied so Augusta started its own tournament, and the rest is history.
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13. First ever on-course scoreboard
While the on-course scoreboard is a staple of hundreds of top golf tournaments throughout the world, the Masters was the first to implement the grandiose feature.
Aside from recording the biggest margin of victory ever at a Masters, Tiger Woods' legendary performance in 1997 saw him become the youngest green jacket winner ever at just 21 years old, nearly two years younger than the previous golfer who held that title.
Rory Mcllroy comes into the 2015 Masters as a favorite, but the track record for European golfers at Augusta isn't that great. Just six Europeans have ever won a green jacket, with the most recent being a 1999 victory by Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal.
