You want to work for the Masters? Volunteers from 2023 tell us about the ‘brutal conditions’ and why they won’t be doing it again

AUGUSTA (Ga.) — Do you want to be a Master?

My wife and I both thought the same thing in March, when we saw a job fair for Masters in Augusta. We retired from professional careers, and we live in Aiken (S.C.), about an hour from the tournament.

My wife was curious and stopped at the fair to ask about it. I didn’t go. I did not go.

She met a gentleman who said that we were a good match. The Masters recruitment process started with online tests and background checks, followed by training sessions. You’d have thought that we were being interviewed for high-level government security jobs.

My wife and I both thought we would get jobs in the tournament operations. These are our backgrounds.

We were given concessions. It was a bit of a bait-and-switch. We thought that it was a good way to experience the Masters. We’d been to the Masters as spectators many times. My wife’s family is involved in the tournament, which dates back to 1934. In the early days of the tournament, her dad and uncle distributed free tickets to downtown Augusta to encourage people to come. Her uncle became a Masters Scorer.

Augusta National Golf Club, located on Washington Road, is a popular destination for thousands of people who want to witness one of the greatest sporting events in the world.

We were assigned to Concessions stand 1 and learned that our job was to stock the three food service bays with snacks, soft drinks, beer, and wine. In the beginning, we were all about 100 workers at Stand 1, but as the tournament and week progressed, that number decreased by about one-third.

We began each day around 2 am, as we had to allow time for driving to the Augusta University employee parking lot where shuttles would take us to the course. Then Concessions Stand 1 was located below the golf pro/gift store. We had to arrive by 4:30 or 5:30 a.m. It took 10 to 14 hours of work just moving breakfasts and sandwiches from the food service bays to the kitchen. Each morning, before 7 am, these bays were stocked with ice, cups and snacks bearing the Masters logo (such as popcorn, moon pies cheese straws, chips, peanuts or cookies). ).

Stand 1 did not officially close until 30 minutes after the last golfer completed the day’s round. This meant closing down the shop around 5:30 pm. All items that were not sold needed to be inventoried and put back in storage. Counters had to cleaned, and trash had to thrown out. On some nights, we would leave around 7 or 8 p.m. We heard that workers on another stand were not allowed out until 1 am the final day of the tournament.

No sitting. You are walking and standing on concrete floors all day. In Stand 1, there was a small bathroom. Two 15-minute breaks were allowed, as well as a 30-minute lunch break.

Conditions were harsh, comparable to those of Augusta National’s full-time management.

An example: On the day before the tournament we were told to park at the Masters parking lot. A Masters employee showed us where to park with a torch. We did. Later, the attendant directed someone to park behind us. The next morning, in daylight, we saw that the car directed by the parking attendant to park behind us had struck my car and caused damage worth between $1,000 and $2,000 There was no note. Augusta National Golf Club told me that this was my issue, and not theirs.

A senior official in human resources told me that I would be fired if I reported this incident to any manager higher up than him. Really? It was not a strategic career move for us to help at the Masters. We’ve had other successful careers. After we accepted the assignment, we only realized that our positions were paid. This issue remains unresolved.

We’ve met some wonderful fellow workers, from all walks of life and different parts of the nation. We are both amazed at how Masters employees travel from around the world or the country to work in the conditions described. The Masters provides uniforms to employees and $12.50 per day for food.

There is not much golf to see. Concessions stand 1 employees shouldn’t expect to see much golf at the Masters because of the long working hours and the short breaks. The pro/gift store is right next to Concessions stand 1, so you can shop there. Wait until the crowds have thinned out before you shop longer than your 15 or 30 minute break.

Chaos is the dominant undercurrent. Transportation is a good example. Hundreds of Mercedes shuttle buses transport thousands of employees from the designated areas at the tournament to their cars in the Masters employee lot at Augusta University. The mornings are usually fine, but the afternoon pickup points seem to change. This is especially inconvenient when it rains, as we did a lot this week.

What does seem orderly is the electronic check-in and check-out process where each employee has a computer-recognizable card that is swiped through a card reader in the mornings upon arrival and in the evenings upon departure. This process records the hours worked by each employee on a computer. Brilliant. You can easily identify yourself with this card that has your photo on it. This card can also be used to purchase the $12.5 meal allowance you receive each day.

We will never forget our experience of working at the Masters.

Editor’s Note: This is a guest contribution from Joseph F. Patterson. He has managed and created proactive communication and community relations programs at major national televised sports events, including the Heritage Golf Classic. The LPGA Championship. He started his career as an Orlando Sentinel reporter. )