Masters 2026: Is Augusta National in danger of jumping the shark?

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club doesn’t make mistakes. And if mistakes are made at the Masters — note the passive voice here — they are simply rectified immediately and fade into memory, never to be mentioned again.

(Example: After one rainfall a few years back, the kitty-litter-esque drying agent used to soak up moisture along the patron walkways smelled uncomfortably close to sewage. The next day, and every day hence, a different agent with a much more pleasing odor was in use.)

So it was more than a little unusual that Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley disavowed, by name, the club’s 2022 collaboration with Dude Perfect, the YouTube stunt-sports crew. In case you’ve forgotten that video, never saw it, or actively attempted to wipe it from your mind, the Dude Perfect lads and Bryson DeChambeau gathered at Amen Corner to play a little Frisbee, hockey, tennis and other neon-colored sports:

“In retrospect,” Ridley said, “I like those guys, but that may not have been the best idea. But it does point out that we try things every once in a while that are a little bit nontraditional.”

True. Although “every once in awhile” is quickly becoming “every year.” This year, for instance, features noted ESPN bro Jason Kelce serving as a commentator for the Par 3 contest, and making a spectacle of himself in the process:

Jason Kelce is rocking a full caddie outfit for the Par 3 Contest 😅 pic.twitter.com/dKOXv8MX01

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 8, 2026

Kelce seems like an amiable enough fellow, and his act plays very well in an NFL context. But Augusta National doesn’t much appreciate when individuals — particularly non-players — make themselves the center of the show. The emphasis here is on golf, specifically Augusta National’s carefully-curated caretaking of the sport.

Or at least it was. Now, in an era of social media flexing, the emphasis isn’t visiting Augusta, it’s making sure other people know you visited Augusta. During practice rounds this week, when patrons can bring cameras onto the course, budding influencers from the clubhouse oak to Amen Corner posed before the iconic pines, fairways and flags of Augusta National.

Augusta National is leaning into the moment, creating TikToks of its own. Would co-founder Bobby Jones have approved of sticking a camera in patrons’ faces and asking them to pronounce “pecan”?

Probably not, but then he’s not available for comment.

The Masters is also edging into the treacherous world of fashion, tiptoeing closer to the dreaded ALL-CAPS and upside-down logos so favored among a certain set of golf fans:

The Masters’ merchandising / design team truly missed the mark this year. I’m not entirely sure who their target audience is for these designs, but it’s likely not BV or the ultra wealthy. pic.twitter.com/4FgwAnr9BC

— Don “Swizz” Draper (@PaulAllenBV) April 5, 2026

All of these little changes add up to a significantly different feel at Augusta National these days. The merch lines are monstrously long, with dedicated resellers surely swelling those numbers. The par-3 contest is a kiddie fiesta, with tots in caddie whites playing in bunker sand while Kelce and Kevin Hart — also in caddie whites — cavort around them.

None of this is wrong, necessarily. Part of the Masters experience is buying the swag you can’t get anywhere else. And if you truly get worked up over rules and ethics in the par-3 contest, please seek professional help.

Some of this is the inevitable forward march of culture; even Augusta National isn’t immune from changing times. But part of the allure of Augusta National is that it’s like a step back in time, to an era when we weren’t tethered to our phones at every waking moment, an era where we didn’t need to show the world where we were … because we couldn’t.

Perhaps Ridley will disavow Kelce and the TikTok’ification of Augusta National in a few years. Perhaps not. But if he doesn’t, an essential element of the character of this tournament will be lost … and that’s something you can’t capture in a vertical video.