Who Owns Augusta National Golf Club?
Augusta National Inc. owns Augusta National. It also owns the Masters tournament that is held there. Augusta National Inc. was founded in 1935. It describes its core business as ‘owning a golf club and running golf tournaments’.
Augusta National is a private company. Private companies in the US are not required to disclose financial information, or details or its operation, to the public. Hence why no-one beyond a select few actually know how much income, or profit, the Masters generates. Augusta National knows how to create, and keep, secrets. But as an incorporated corporation, Augusta National Inc is subject to stringent legal formalities and record keeping.
So some of its business is carried out instead through affiliated limited liability companies – LLCs – where these requirements are much reduced. The company has registered around 90 trademarks relating to the golf club and the tournaments it hosts. These relate to items ranging from computer games to packets of peanuts. Trademarks include not only logos but also terms associated with the Masters and Augusta such as Ike’s Tree – ‘Footwear; headwear and clothing.’
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In 2020, when as no patrons were allowed on the grounds, the club launched Taste of the Masters (opens in new tab), which they also trademarked. It is itemised, under Serial Number 86240118, as “Pre-packaged boxes containing commemorative cups and various combinations of food items primarily consisting of pimento cheese, egg salad, bar-b-que meats, chips, cookies, popcorn, brownies, crackers, candy with caramel, peanuts and pecans, alcoholic cocktail mixes, beer, roasted peanuts, ice cream, trail mix, corn-based snack foods.”
The company which owns Augusta National is vigilant in maintaining both the course’s and the tournament’s brand reputation. It filed a lawsuit against a golf memorabilia company which was auctioning a Masters champion’s Green Jacket. (opens in new tab) The lawsuit described the Green Jacket in general as ‘probably,…
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