Why the Phone-Free Atmosphere of the Masters Still Matters
No cell phones in sight, just thousands of golf fans—including the Morehouse College Golf Team—living in the moment.
By Emily BurackPublished: Apr 11, 2025
Richard Heathcote
Heading to Augusta National Golf Club for the Masters, I kept checking my bag for my phone before remembering I had left it, on purpose, back in my room. For the Par 3 contest, my husband and I took a shuttle over to the course with the Morehouse golf team.
Coach Edgar Evans Jr., a millennial (which he describes as the “last generation that knows what it’s like to not have a phone”) who grew up in Augusta, was looking forward to bring his team to the Masters, for many reasons—the digital detox included. “I don’t have any of my own children, but it’s like being a dad of seven kids,” Evans tells T&C of having his team with him at Augusta National. “To see them have this experience is really fulfilling. It is joyous to see the smiles they have on their face. And some of ‘em say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the best day of my life.’ Especially in this time, to be able to provide those type of opportunities, is such an amazing thing.”
Courtesy Edgar Evans/Morehouse Golf Team
Evans adds, “Seeing them be present is very, very good. I hope that this encourages them to be present more because they miss out on what’s around them because they’re looking down at their phone.”
I should take some of his advice: I am ashamed to admit I haven’t spent an entire day without my phone since late August 2016, when I lived for three weeks in a wilderness lodge in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Barack Obama was still president; Hamilton was the hottest ticket on Broadway; Pokémon Go had New York City in a Pikachu-themed chokehold. It’s an understatement, to say the least, that times have changed. In the nearly nine years since, the only times I’ve been truly disconnected from the digital world are on long-haul flights, where I typically don’t buy WiFi, and my wedding day in October 2022, when my best friend held onto my iPhone to snap a few pics. (I’m aware that list is depressingly short.)
But, to my surprise, I came away from two days at the Masters relieved at how easy it was to be without my handheld computer that just so happens to also make calls. Though I will admit, there was one time I truly wished I had my iPhone: I got the opportunity to drive down the famous Magnolia Lane—the entrance to Augusta National—in a bright red Mercedes-Benz G-Wagon, and I wish I could’ve snapped a pic.
It was easy, mainly, because everyone important in my life knew I was going to be inaccessible. And besides the time I called my dad from one of the courtesy landlines scattered around the course (so the “Masters” Caller ID would pop up on his phone), I was completely unreachable—and it felt so freeing.
“The ambience and the vibe at the masters and in Augusta is unlike any other tournament,” Juju Chan, who is dating pro golfer Sahith Theegala, tells me, echoing how I felt on the grounds. “All the rules that go along with it make you feel like you’re traveling back in time before phones, and the prices we have today.”
When I was on the shuttle back from the course at the end of the day after both the Par 3 contest and round one of the tournament, I felt my anxiety grow the closer we got to our house. I didn’t want to read the headlines of whatever terrible thing had happened in the world, to check my e-mails, or to respond to text messages. Living in an alternate reality, one where all that was going on was watching golf, eating, shopping, and watching more golf was one I’d happily stay in longer if I could. The Morehouse team agreed with me; one player said what he missed most about being phone-free was listening to music, while another revealed he kept reaching into his pocket to text his dad photos. But there was not a single person I spoke with who wished they had their phone with them as they experienced the tournament.
Augusta National//Getty Images
At day one of the Masters 2025, quite literally not a phone in sight.
“Because you can’t take your phones and you don’t have that screen in front of you, and it’s just you and the beautiful course,” Kasey Funderburg, a sports reporter who has attended the Masters since she was ten years old, tells T&C. “You’re outside in nature, you’re seeing some of the best athletes in the world in the game of golf, and every time I leave there, I just feel so refreshed, I feel so happy. You’re just on this high!” She adds, “It just puts into perspective how much we’re on our phones. When you just get out there and enjoy something for what it is and you have no distractions, it truly makes it so special. And so that’s one thing I’ve come to love is that break from reality and being outside.”
That phone-free aura of the Masters is felt by all, from guests—or rather “patrons,” as they’re called—to players. Sweden’s Ludvig Åberg, last year’s runner-up at the tournament, shared that it’s one of his favorite things about playing in Augusta. “The fact that the patrons don’t have their phones out, it actually makes it feel like they’re so much more engaged,” he said. “There’s a lot more eye contact with the fans. You can really tell that they watch and appreciate good golf.”
On the first day of the tournament, the Morehouse team walked the entire course multiple times. “Because they didn’t have those devices, they could be present,” Evans says. “I’m really big on—especially when we play tournaments—I always preach: ‘Stay where your feet are. Don’t worry about your past, don’t worry about the future. Stay where your feet are. So it was really special that they had to stay where their feet were today.”
Senior News Editor
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
