In the town of Augusta, Georgia, USA, lies one of the most famous golf clubs in the world, operational since 1933 and host to significant professional tournaments. In 2009, Golf Digest ranked it as the top golf course in the United States.
The club is private and situated on land that was once a nursery, which is why each bunker is named after a tree or plant. The design of the course was heavily influenced by the St Andrews Club in Scotland, but since its inception, it has undergone some of the most dramatic changes among America’s top 20 courses, affecting gameplay, architecture, and technology.
Due to its strict membership criteria, the club faced severe criticism in the past. Until the 1990s, it did not admit African Americans, and until 2012, women were also excluded. Among the first two women to join was not only a woman but also an African American: former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Today, the club remains a bastion of tradition and integrity in the game. It has approximately 300 members, each paying an estimated annual fee between $10,000 and $30,000. Notable members include Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.
Augusta is situated between Atlanta, Georgia, and Columbia, South Carolina, with several national parks nearby, including Sumter National Forest and Oconee National Forest.
Bottom line: The place to play with Gates and Buffett.
