The Private Jets That Flew To Augusta For The Masters Tournament

The Masters Tournament is one of the four major championships in men’s professional golf. The event typically takes place in the first full week of April every year and is always held at the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. The tournament is well known for its exclusivity and various traditions, such as the winner being awarded a green jacket and the previous year’s winner hosting a Champions Dinner on the Tuesday before the tournament each year. Scottie Scheffler won last year’s tournament, making it his second Masters Tournament win. Other winners include Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player, among others.

The Masters Tournament is also one of the most exclusive sporting events in the world. Augusta National Golf Club is a private club whose membership is capped at a specific number of members. Membership is also by invitation only and highly exclusive. Because of this, many of the attendees of the Masters Tournament are wealthy executives with an array of connections. This means the local airports typically fill up with private jets from these wealthy travelers.

The President of Stratos Jets, Joel Thomas, spoke with Simple Flying about the significance of private jet travel during the Masters Tournament. Thomas stated,

“The Masters is one of the busiest weeks for private aviation in the Southeast, with Augusta Regional often seeing over 1,500 private jet arrivals over the course of the tournament weekend. Flying private offers unmatched flexibility and efficiency, considering that Augusta is located over two hours from Atlanta’s commercial airport. Direct access to the regional airport puts travelers just minutes from the course and gets them in and out of Augusta faster.”

The Exclusivity Of The Masters Tournament

An entrance to the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia

Photo: Katherine Welles | Shutterstock

The Masters Tournament is the only major tournament that is conducted by a private club, Augusta National Golf Club, instead of a national golf organization like the Professional Golf Association (PGA). Because it is a private club, membership is by invitation only and extremely exclusive. It is virtually impossible for a normal golfer to acquire a tee time at the club, as an active member must invite you to play on the course. Of course, membership is capped at a certain number of members.

The Masters Tournament is slightly less exclusive. However, it is still considered one of the world’s hardest sporting events to attend. Potential guests must enter the Augusta National Ticket lottery to attend. Future attendees typically apply through the official Masters website in early June. Winners of the ticket lottery are notified in late July when they have the option to purchase tickets for a select number of days of the event.

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Examined: Private Jet Activity At The 2024 Masters Golf Tournament

The Masters bring in hundreds of jets to Augusta Regional Airport in Georgia.

The Masters Tournament is a week-long event, with practice rounds on Monday through Wednesday and the actual tournament held from Thursday through Sunday. Winners of the ticket lottery can purchase tickets for either the practice rounds or up to two days of the tournament. Additionally, the resale of Masters Tickets is strictly prohibited.

The Private Jets Flying Into Augusta This Year

A Bombardier Challenger 600 about to land.

Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock

Because the Masters Tournament is so exclusive, many wealthy travelers fly on private jets to attend. Of the 40,000 people who attend the event each day, many guests fly private jets. Augusta, Georgia, where the tournament is held, has a small regional airport, Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), which is utilized heavily by regional flights and private jet access. The airport, which is just 12 miles from Augusta National Golf Club, is typically overloaded with private jets during the week of the Masters Tournament.

This year, Augusta Regional Airport has become completely full of private jets, with many aircraft taking up ramp space on the apron. According to Joe Pompliano, over 225 private jets arrived or departed the Augusta airport on Tuesday. The airport also mentioned that it expects to see over 1,000 arrivals for the remainder of the week-long event.

The airport has become so full that many private jet users have flown into nearby airports. Some of these travelers have flown to Aiken Regional Airport (AIK), approximately 26 miles from Augusta National Golf Club. Aiken Airport advertises daily ramp fees for parking aircraft, ranging from $50 for small planes to $2,000 for heavy jets. Other travelers have flown to the following airports:

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) in Columbia, South Carolina, approximately 75 miles from Augusta National Golf Club
Charleston International Airport (CHS) in Charleston, South Carolina, approximately 150 miles from Augusta National Golf Club
Dekalb-Peachtree Airport (PDK) in Atlanta, Georgia, approximately 150 miles from Augusta National Golf Club

Many of these private jets that fly to Augusta are flown by popular air carriers, including SkyShare, a private jet provider based in Ogden, Utah. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SkyShare, Cory Bengtzen, spoke with Simple Flying about the influx of private jet use around the Masters Tournament. Bengtzen stated,

“Every year, The Masters is a major private flight destination for our fractional owners, managed clients, and charter customers. We currently have two aircraft en route to the event.”

Bengtzen also stated that the easy way to tell if an event has a high demand for private jets is to check the special fees at the local airport. For example, the current Special Event Fee at Augusta Regional Airport is about $2,500 for a super-midsize jet. He also stated that the airport operates on a first-come, first-served basis, making overnight parking nearly impossible. As a result, operators typically need to fly in, drop off passengers, reposition to a nearby airport, and then return for departure—incurring the Special Event Fee again on the way out.

A Look At The Local Regional Airport

The main airport that private jet travelers fly to when attending the Masters Tournament is Augusta Regional Airport (AGS), about 12 miles from Augusta National Golf Club. This popular airport covers approximately 1,411 acres and sits at an elevation of 144 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The airport has two runways with the following dimensions:

Runway	Width (feet)	Length (feet)	Surface Material
17/35	150 feet	8,001 feet	Concrete
08/26	75 feet	6,002 feet	Asphalt

The airport was first formed in early 1941. It was originally developed as a flight training school for the US Army Air Corps. It was used heavily throughout World War II, as it was one of only three contract pilot schools conducting basic training alongside Dionne Auxiliary Field and Yawn Auxiliary Field.

Augusta Georgia USA Regional Airport at Bush Field street sign

Photo: Billy F Blume Jr | Shutterstock

The Air Force closed this facility in September 1944, as the training requirements were decreasing at the time. It was utilized by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation until 1948 to dispose of and sell surplus military aircraft. This includes trainer aircraft, drones, and large transports, many of which were purchased by the first scheduled cargo airliner, Flying Tiger Airline.

However, the airport, which was known as Bush Field at the time, became Augusta’s first commercial airport. The federal government transferred the airport to the City of Augusta in July 1950, and several commercial airliners immediately moved to the airport. The airport increased its commercial traffic significantly over the years. Even so, the airport sees a considerable number of aircraft operations, averaging around 120 departures per day. Nearly half the airport’s departures are general aviation, with less than a fifth of these departures for scheduled commercial services.

How To Fly To Augusta Regional Airport For The Masters Tournament

American Airlines (American Eagle) shutterstock_2566654017

Photo: Robin Guess | Shutterstock

Currently, Augusta Regional Airport has commercial service from two commercial airlines. These two airlines are American Airlines

and Delta Air Lines. Currently, American Airlines flies to the following destinations:

Five daily flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina
A daily service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in Dallas, Texas
A daily service to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C.

Additionally, Delta Air Lines

flies at least five flights to Atlanta Jackson Hartfield International Airport (ATL) in nearby Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is just 150 miles away from Augusta, Georgia. However, this year, Delta Air Lines increased its operations during Masters Week, flying up to 1,900 daily seats. This includes services to the following destinations: