Why Augusta National Invests in Community Golf and ‘The Patch’

As the annual host of the Masters golf tournament, Augusta National Golf Club has dramatically shaped—and reshaped—the city of Augusta, with a total economic impact estimated at approximately $120 million annually.

Thousands of visitors descend on Augusta and the surrounding area each April for the first major championship of the year, flying to Atlanta or Columbia, South Carolina, then renting cars, grabbing free rooms at local hotels, inns and lodges, dining at local restaurants and spending money in local stores.

Although as private as a golf club can get, Augusta National has actively sought to boost the game globally from a more grassroots level, especially in recent years. The club has also been active in the Augusta community and is now looking to elevate golf locally, announcing plans for a major renovation of the nearby Augusta Municipal Golf Course, located just five miles from the front gates of the home of the Masters.

Two big names in golf architecture circles — Tom Fazio and Bo Welling — will tackle the renovation of the 96-year-old local course known as “The Patch” after working on Augusta National itself in recent years.

The project will begin in January 2025 when the club and Augusta Technical College (which has a strong golf management program) enter into a lease with the City of Augusta to manage the public course. Once work begins next year, the goal is to reopen in April 2026, around the time the Masters makes its annual return.

“There’s almost limitless potential,” ANGC and Masters Tournament chairman Fred Ridley told The Patch, which is adjacent to Augusta’s private airport, Daniel Field. “There is a lot of history. We will honor this story.

“The main thing we’re going to try to do is really provide a great golf course and practice area and possibly a short course,” Ridley added. “It’s really going to be a middle school and high school golf center.”

A year ago, Augusta National announced a collaboration with the City, Augusta Tech and the First Tee of Augusta to create accessible trails to discover the game of golf. Over the past year, the club has held community input sessions to get feedback on the most significant improvements needed at the facility. While a new clubhouse is not in the plans, Ridley said it will be refreshed as part of the effort.

The cost of the renovation has not been disclosed, but the dedication to preserving and improving public golf in Augusta is the latest major effort within the U.S. community golf space. The best-known example is in Philadelphia, where at least $100 million has been invested in revitalizing the historic Cobbs Creek Golf Course and building an educational center for Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation.

In Washington, the National Links Trust is seeking to revitalize the three muni golf facilities in and around the nation’s capital. San Francisco completely redesigned its 9-hole Par 3 course at Golden Gate State Park, while the city of Sarasota, Florida, recently reopened its Donald Ross-designed municipal course at Bobby Jones Golf Club after a major restoration project.

There are many other examples across the country.

While the challenges facing some government-owned municipal golf courses have been well-documented, particularly older facilities with aging infrastructure in densely populated urban areas, the National Golf Foundation noted last month that there are now more munis operating in the US than at any time in history.

The Patch is one of nearly 3,000 municipal golf courses nationwide that are owned or operated by states, counties and cities to help make golf an affordable recreation for local residents. What’s remarkable is that this total represents just 18 percent of the total U.S. golf offering, but NGF surveys revealed that 71 percent of the game’s major players—defined as those who play at least eight rounds a year— trace some of their earliest golfing experiences to a municipal golf facility.

Municipal golf courses have long been celebrated as places where golf is most affordable and accessible and where aspiring golfers, young and old, are often introduced to the game.

Augusta National may be the pinnacle of golf exclusivity, instantly recognizable to golf fans around the world who will never play the course itself, but the club’s investment in The Patch is a clear effort to strengthen the roots of the game and continue to provide the necessary access in a city that is determined by the Masters tournament.

“It’s really an amalgamation of a lot of different elements of the game, which could really be a great thing for Augusta,” Ridley said.