The annual Masters tournament draws celebrities, wealthy athletes and corporate executives to Augusta, and they don’t drive up in Fords and Toyotas.
Take a look at the types of vehicles affluent travelers are driving this week on the streets of Augusta:
Exotic and luxury cars
Nate George, managing partner of Atlanta-based Milani Rentals, rents up to 20 vehicles each year for the tournament. He said his clients rent luxury or exotic cars to add to the experience and network.
Milani offers a wide variety of exotic cars, but George said there are two cars that are most popular for the tournament.
“Some popular ones [for The Masters] are Rolls-Royces and also Lamborghinis,” he said. “We also have a lot of Escalade rentals because, believe it or not, a lot of people rent these vehicles and drive their customers around.”
George said customers who rent exotic cars for the tournament ship them to Augusta or drive them themselves from Atlanta.
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“We send a certain number of vehicles in advance and they are delivered to the customer [in Augusta]” he said. “At the end of The Masters, we put them on a flat board and bring them back to Atlanta. We also have some customers who fly to Atlanta and drive, so it depends on what the customer wants.”
George said Milani will also provide drivers, but it depends on what patrons or athletes they are looking for and how much they are willing to spend.
While many may question spending thousands of dollars a day to rent an exotic car, George said many of his customers are older and yearn for unforgettable life experiences.
“Since COVID, everything has changed,” he said. “I was talking to a customer once and I said, ‘Why are you spending all this money on rentals?'” And he said it was his dream to enjoy these cars and during COVID he had a lot of friends who unfortunately passed away.
“There is only one life to live. People are changing their mindset, wanting to do more, travel more and enjoy life more because of COVID.”
Although not a Georgia native, Alexandria Mao, media relations manager for California-based car-sharing app Turo, said the business offers a number of luxury vehicles that Masters tournament participants can reserve in and around Augusta.
Some of their available cars include the Bentley Continental GT, Maserati Quattroporte and Porsche Macan.
Sprinter vans, drivers
Harley Napier, owner of Celebrity Limos, which has been in Augusta for eight years, said his local business provides chauffeured transportation to The Masters, which many customers seek. He also owns Augusta Luxury Transportation, a business that rents out dozens of Sprinter vans.
Napier said his clients have a variety of needs, all of which he can accommodate.
“There are some customers who want manual transportation all day — to and from the course, to dinner — basically at their discretion,” Napier said. “Then you have other people who get tickets to The Masters and fly in at the last minute and fly out the same day on private jets.”
He added that his business has attracted a few golfers playing in this year’s tournament on Monday, but the business generally caters to golfers’ families.
“Usually it’s the wives and family and friends that we get, but we have golfers that actually play,” Napier said.
Napier said he has customers reserve Sprinter vans six months before the tournament. However, it still has some available for those looking for a last minute ride.
“Every year you get customers and they always come back,” he said. “[The Masters tournament] is extremely important. My business is built by The Masters.”