Founders Circle at Augusta National Golf Club
Imagine having Magnolia Lane on one side of you and the Augusta National Golf Club clubhouse on the other. If you are lucky enough to attend The Masters Tournament (or otherwise find yourself on the Augusta National grounds), you don't have to imagine: You'll be in that spot when you visit Founders Circle.
Magnolia Lane ends in a roundabout, a traffic circle, in front of the clubhouse. The immaculately manicured ground inside that roundabout is Founders Circle. It includes the club's main flag pole, two plaques honoring club founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, a small knoll, and two bright yellow flower beds in the shape of the Masters logo (each an outline of the continental United States with an Augusta National flagstick representing the location of Augusta, Georgia).
The plaque honoring Roberts was dedicated in November of 1977, about six weeks after Roberts, aged 83, committed suicide on the club grounds. Founders Circle itself was officially dedicated as such a few months later, in mid-March 1978, a couple weeks prior to the 1978 Masters. That's when a plaque honoring Jones (who died in 1971) was added a few feet away from the Roberts plaque. (Just to be clear, the roundabout, the flag pole, the yellow flower beds were there long before the plaques were dedicated or the area was named Founders Circle.)
What are the bright, yellow flowers that make up the iconic Masters logos inside Founders Circle? From November through April (so at the time of The Masters each year) those flowers are pansies. At other times of year the yellow flowers will be chrysanthemums (in the fall) or marigolds (in mid- to late spring).
Founders Circle and the clubhouse are depicted on the gold medal that each Masters champion receives.
What the Founders Circle Plaques Say
The two plaques honoring Roberts and Jones are bronze, set on concrete slabs embedded in the grass at the base of the flag pole.This is what is written on each plaque:
Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.
March 17, 1902 — December 18, 1971
Co-founder and President of Augusta National Golf Club and Masters Tournament
A gentleman in every sense of the word whose legendary feats as a golfer will inspire those who play the game in the years to come
Presented in honor of Robert Tyre Jones, Jr. by the members of Augusta National Golf Club on this 18th day of March, 1978
Clifford Roberts
March 6, 1894 — September 29, 1977
Co-founder and Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and Masters Tournament
A man whose vision was inspired by genius and given substance through determination. His contributions to the game of golf will be remembered as long as the game is played
Presented in honor of Clifford Roberts by the members of Augusta National Golf Club on this 5th day of November, 1977
Taking a Photo at Founders Circle
For fans lucky enough to get tickets for Masters Tournament week, Founders Circle is one of the must-get photo ops. Every year during tournament week and after, thousands and thousands of spectators share photos of themselves posing at that location.But individuals taking their own photos at Founders Circle is not allowed. So how do you get your photo taken?
It's easy: Augusta National Golf Club provides the service free of charge. Just make your way toward the Par-3 Course and then follow instructions to get in the line for Founders Circle photos. When it is your turn, a professional photographer will snap one photo of you or your group. Each attendee who takes such a photo receives a card with instructions on retrieving their copy of the high-resolution image.
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- Champions Dinner menus: 40+ years of what they served
- The Hogan Bridge at Augusta National
- The Masters trophy: facts, figures, history
Augusta National Golf Club. "Planning Your Masters Experience," https://www.masters.com/en_US/news/articles/2024-03-08/planning_your_masters_patron_experience.html.
Fields, Bill. "The Enveloping Beauty of Augusta National, Masters.com, April 5, 2015, https://www.masters.com/en_US/news/articles/2015-04-06/the_enveloping_beauty_of_augusta_national.html.
Martin, Jim. "The week for Augusta here again," The Birmingham (Ala.) News, April 2, 1978.