When the likes of Rory McIlroy, world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau stroll down Magnolia Lane on Thursday morning, they’ll be greeted by golfing nirvana.
Awaiting them is the pristine haven of Augusta National. For the golf world, it’s hallowed ground. A cathedral of pines. It’s also a far cry from the other Augusta.
To them, Augusta refers to the revered 365 acres of oasis that lies behind a 12-foot hedge and guarded white front gates.
Yet, beyond the perfectly manicured private fortress lies another world, which, for the other 51 weeks of the year, is the antithesis of the church of golf.
‘You’ve got to realize there are two worlds in Augusta,’ Mike, a lifelong local, tells the Daily Mail. He doesn’t sugarcoat. He doesn’t need to. A quick glance around the heart of Augusta makes that evident enough.
On a Friday afternoon three weeks out from the Masters, Downtown Augusta is a ghost town. With the exception of the homeless man sleeping on a bench next to the statue of hometown hero, soul legend James Brown, that is.
Rory McIlroy is pictured at Augusta National in Georgia ahead of the 2025 Masters tournament
Beyond the pristine hedges of Augusta National Golf Club lies another world
Downtown Augusta paints an extremely different picture to the famous golf course
The heart of the southern city lies in a state of empty shop windows and boarded up buildings. The properties that are occupied share more in common with a time machine than a bustling high street business.
A peek into the windows of Ruben’s, a department store proud to have been ‘dressing Augusta since 1898’, transports passersby almost as far back in time. Flat caps, three-piece suits and tea dresses adorn the aging mannequins.
Signs adorning the emerald fairways of Augusta National advertise Amen Corner and pimento cheese sandwiches. Just four miles away on Broad Street, they offer Vegas showgirl lounges and strip clubs.
Driving along Washington Road, the most traveled street in Augusta during the Masters, the mile-long strip of asphalt passes by in an unremarkable blur of Olive Gardens, drive-thrus and strip malls.
While McIlroy and Scheffler are headlining this week’s blockbuster, on any other week of the year, it’s an elderly gentleman and his particularly rousing rendition of ‘God Bless the USA’ bringing the curtain down on Karaoke night at local Mexican hotspot, Veracruz.
Back on Broad Street, the only inkling that the city is home to one of the world’s most prestigious golf courses is the green and white flags bearing the Masters logo that flutter above the occasional bar – one of which features a cartoon of a busty cowgirl in its front windows below.
They’re all seedy obstacles that defy the Bible Belt convention and buttoned-up country club aesthetic.
On any other week of the year, Augusta is an unglamorous urban shell encasing the polished pearl that is its famous golf course. With a population of around 200,000, the city boasts no billionaire residents, Michelin-starred restaurants, or five-star hotels. Yet, for one week in April, it transforms into a playground for the rich and famous.
Augusta’s regional airport becomes congested with over 1,000 private jets as they descend on the city.
To the golfing world, Augusta is nirvana thanks to its perfectly manicured oasis
At its center, Broad Street features at statue of soul legend James Brown
Just weeks before the Masters, the main street of Downtown Augusta was deserted
Signs along Broad Street advertise Vegas showgirls and strip teases
The heart of the southern city lies in a state of empty shop windows and boarded up buildings
Harry Styles, Niall Horan and Peyton Manning are among the famous faces to have adorned the grandstands at Augusta National. Meanwhile, Bill Murray is known to hop on the mic’ and sing the blues at Soul Bar on Broad Street, the barmaid at Stillwater Taproom up the road reveals.
But Augusta’s residents hold no grudge against their temporary neighbors and the fanfare they bring to town. They embrace it. The ones who don’t, leave.
‘No one really cares. It’s not like golf fans are known for their boisterous nature. They’re not brawling in the stands like the NFL,’ Jennifer, a native Augustan, says.
Rental homes are a lucrative business in Augusta during Masters season. From one week alone, homeowners reap enough to pay off their mortgages by offering out their homes to the millionaires, patrons and even players as a place to rest their heads.
Half the population leaves town and even school holidays are arranged around the tournament to cater to the fleeing families. Everything is in place to make Augusta ‘Masters ready.’
‘It’s a boom for Augusta. It’s nothing but a good thing. Businesses thrive as fans spread 20 to 30 miles around the area from Thomson to Aiken. Bars, hotels, restaurants are full for the week,’ Jennifer adds.
Masters week has been one of the biggest economic drivers for Augusta for decades. Last year, Forbes reported it contributes an estimated $120 million annually.
It’s an injection of wealth that’s desperately needed by a city that was ranked as the nation’s fifth worst for economic well-being in 2023, according to local newspaper the Augusta Chronicle, with child poverty, food insecurity and unemployment rates all listed as issues plaguing the city.
A sign displaying Amen Corner is shown during a practice round at the 2025 Masters
The only inkling that the city is home to one of the world’s most prestigious golf courses is the green and white flags bearing the Masters logo that flutter above sports bars
A mural of hometown legend Brown adds a splash of color to the high-street ghost town
But this year, Augusta needs the Masters more than ever.
The two worlds, while polar opposites, were united by tragedy a mere six months ago. Last September, catastrophic Hurricane Helene swept through the southeastern United States, leaving unfathomable damage in its wake.
Helene claimed the lives of at least 249 in the United States, according to the National Hurricane Center, making it one of the deadliest hurricane the United States has witnessed since Katrina in 2005.
Augusta was battered by gusts of wind which reached 100mph, which resulted in the deaths of more than 30 people in the city and the surrounding counties – 11 of whom were killed by falling trees.
And even its fortitude of luxury couldn’t protect Augusta National as the iconic course fell victim to Helene’s wrath, leaving the notoriously private club in disarray.
Timber was left sprawled along Magnolia Lane, other trees were strewn along the course with some even infringing on the usually immaculate fairways. Two of the felled pines caused significant damage to the typically treacherous 16th after they came crashing down onto the green.
Drone footage in the aftermath of Helene laid bare the apocalyptic scenes and many were left fearing what the journey down Magnolia Lane would reveal.
But, speaking in January, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley said: ‘As far as the golf course goes, it’s in spectacular condition.’
It was a shock admission just months on from fears that the destruction could bring the Masters to a halt for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, and before that, World War II. Yet testimonies from players, including McIlroy and past winner Patrick Reed, have confirmed the same verdict. Augusta, as we know and love, is still intact.
Niall Horan (left) and Harry Styles (right) were spotted at last year’s major championship
The city of Augusta was left devastates by Hurricane Helene that swept through in September
Augusta’s iconic par-three 16th hole suffered the most devastation from the 100mph winds
But the golf course’s miraculous transformation hasn’t been met with the same shock by its locals.
‘That’s the CIA of golf,’ Mike says of the exclusive golf club. ‘They do whatever they want. If they want to helicopter trees in, they will. They spend $100million like we pay bar checks – and they go out every night!’
Augusta does spend money. With membership to its ultra-exclusive ranks at ‘a few thousand’ dollars annually, it can afford to. But Augusta’s privilege isn’t lost on the club.
In early October, Augusta National announced, in partnership with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA), a joint $5 million donation towards the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, supporting local relief efforts.
Yet, the scars – both physical and mental – remain. Abandoned homes, blue tarps, uprooted trees and rubble blight August and its surrounding areas.
‘Six months on, and nothing is normal,’ Mike says. ‘My roof still isn’t fixed. There are not enough people to get the jobs done. It’s just not quick enough.’
Georgia’s gift to golf is the Masters and in return the Masters has helped put Augusta on the map – just for one week a year.
But when CBS’s broadcast pans over Augusta National this week, it will capture the picturesque scenes of flugelhorn azalea blossoms, the glistening water of Rae’s Creek and towering canopy of pines. What viewers won’t see is the defeated, yet proud, Augusta beyond its borders that cannot be tamed by the opulence of its greatest asset.
