Golf fans floored by Masters food prices ahead of Augusta return
Golf fans heading to Augusta this week for the world famous Masters tournament won’t just be keeping an eye on the leaderboard.
There’s another board with numbers on it well worth a look. Only the food prices have dropped early this year. And once again they’re turning heads.
Each year, the Masters concessions menu draws attention for one simple reason. Compared to most major sporting events, it’s almost incredibly cheap.
That looks set to continue in 2026. Early glimpses of this year’s menu suggest very little has changed.
The tournament’s best-known staples are still firmly in place. Egg salad and pimento cheese sandwiches remain priced at $1.50 (£1.20).
For those wanting something a bit more substantial, several options sit at $3.00 (£2.40). That includes culinary offerings such as chicken salad and the Masters Club and ham and cheese on rye bread.
Even the more indulgent items don’t climb all that much higher. The iconic Georgia Peach Ice Cream Sandwich is also listed at only $3.00 (£2.40).
Eagle-eyed and penny-pinching golf nuts will spot that there may be a couple of small increases.
Golf reporter Claire Rogers shared an image of a menu last week during the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and it was spotted the price of muffins have risen from $2.00 (£1.60) last year to $2.50 (£2.00). Candy also saw a slight bump, moving from $1.50 (£1.20) to $2.00 (£1.60). However, these haven’t yet appeared on the selection boards for what will be on offer during the showpiece event beginning on Thursday.
For what will be available this week in Georgia, drinks are kept simple and inexpensive too. Soft drinks, water and fresh ice tea are all priced at $2.00 (£1.60).
Alcohol options are all priced at $6 (£4.50), which includes Crow’s Nest ale (brewed exclusively for the Masters), domestic beer, import beer, and white wine.
The reaction from fans has been positive, as you’d imagine. Many folk are once again surprised by how low the prices remain.
‘Low key one of the best parts of Augusta. The food prices still feel unreal compared to everything else in sports,’ one user wrote on X. Another added: ‘Looking forward to trying some of this menu out next Saturday.’
While attending the Masters can be expensive, the cost of food and drink once inside is relatively low.
‘We want the experience to not only be the best but to be affordable,’ former Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said about it a few years back. ‘And we take certain things very, very seriously. Like the cost of a pimento cheese sandwich is just as important as how high the second cut of grass is going to be.’
There’s also a broader strategy behind that approach. Keeping concession prices down can help balance the overall cost of attending.
Steve Salaga, an associate professor of sports management at the University of Georgia, explained the thinking: ‘We have to remember, the total cost of event attendance includes travel and transaction costs, the cost of the ticket itself, as well as any parking, concessions and souvenirs purchased,’ Salaga said to FOX Business.
‘So one way to make the overall experience more appealing to the consumer is to keep the price of these products low. I think the affordable pricing is an appealing aspect of the consumer experience at Augusta.’
Tickets themselves remain extremely costly. Practice rounds start at $1,061 (£840), rising to nearly $2,300 (£1,820) for the Friday of tournament week.
Those are prices not to be scoffed at, you’ll no doubt agree. So it’s a good thing the Diet Cokes and cheese sandwiches only cost a few coins.