Well you still can attend, but the cost may have you watching from your Big Screen TV instead...
With The Masters golf tournament just a few weeks away, emails from companies selling tickets to travel costs coercing me to attend, litter my mailbox. Here are a few of the "deals" (?) to attend the first major event of the season.
I was sent this note from a Priceline.com representative - Priceline.com and online ticket marketplace TiqIQ.com have analyzed the costs to attend the event, both the practice rounds and the tournament itself.
Priceline Travel Editor Brian Ek suggested to me that hotel rates and tickets during the practice rounds are much less expensive. "Tickets are a bit harder to come by, but prices for the early practice rounds are about a third to one-half the cost of a tournament ticket."
So, how much does it cost to attend The Masters?
According to TiqIQ’s Jesse Lawrence, the average cost of a secondary-market ticket for practice rounds is $362.67 for Monday, $502.69 for Tuesday, and $1,029 for Wednesday.
Okay, catch your breath...it's time for ticket prices during The Masters:
On April 9th, one-day tickets are averaging $1,460.62 for Thursday, $1,233.06 for Friday, $1,167.39 for Saturday, and $1,403.63 for Sunday. A four-day pass for the tournament is approximately $4,442.40.
After searching the Internet to check those figures, I came across Ticket City which threw me for a bigger loop; The Master Par-3 Package on April 7th (single ticket) was selling for $2,942 with a $545 service charge!
WAIT!! Once you have secured the Masters tickets, you will need a place to stay!
Last-minute Masters' accommodations are probably difficult to find in Augusta but I was sent an email from Melissa at Augusta’s newly renovated historic Partridge Inn which she told me of special Masters rates starting at $549.00 ...she did not mention whether this rate is per night so, if you are planning this last-minute excursion, please make sure you contact them for details.
For that price, you could play a round of golf at Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and stay at Spanish Bay! Hmmm...interesting thought.
Add in food (tourists will want to try a pimento sandwich), souvenirs, Masters hat, towel, etc. and the total cost? PRICELESS!
Have you been to Augusta National to watch The Masters? Let us know on this golf blog or on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.