The Re-Making of the Masters?

Play Pause

What has The Masters mastered—what might it be losing along the way?

In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine and cohost Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") take a loving but honest look at Augusta National. No guest this week—just Matt and Kevin in full golf-sicko form, unpacking why The Masters still feels like the best executed tournament in golf: the beauty, intimacy, reverence, memorable recovery shots, and the no-phone policy that makes the patron experience feel almost sacred in a distracted world.

But they also ask the harder question most golf coverage avoids. As merch culture grows, premium access expands, and the tournament’s narrative becomes more curated, is some of Augusta’s old magic being chipped away? From Magnolia Lane and Rory’s recovery shots to pimento cheese, boredom, agronomy, and a sneaky Athens, Georgia lodging tip, this is a soulful, sharp, and affectionate conversation about spectacle, stewardship, and what makes Masters week unforgettable.

The conversation dives into:

🌺 Why Augusta still feels beautiful, intimate, and deeply reverent

⛳ Why recovery, contour, trees, and strategy create golf’s most memorable shots

📵 How the no-phone policy changes attention, memory, and the patron experience

🧠 Why Augusta gets inside players’ heads and produces a different kind of pressure

🛍️ Whether merch culture and consumerism are starting to crowd out the old magic

🎟️ How hospitality tiers, access, and control may be changing Masters week

🌱 Why Augusta sets a seductive but unrealistic agronomy standard for everyday golf

🏡 A sneaky Masters-week lodging idea for golfers: Athens, Georgia

🏌️ A quick detour on Titleist SM11 wedges, fittings, and why turf interaction matters

Follow The Bag Drop

Instagram/Facebook/Threads: https://www.instagram.com/thebagdrop
X/Twitter: https://x.com/thebagdropgolf
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBagDropGolf

Listen to The Bag Drop

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xRWtUBJH8RazdLw14oaGH
Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm/

Join the NewClub community

Website: https://www.newclub.golf
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newclub

Support our Partners

NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf
Titleist: https://www.titleist.com
Golf Blueprint: https://www.golfblueprint.com

Connect with Matt & The Professor

Matt Considine - X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/

Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") - X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/

Chapters

00:00 Jim Nantz, Augusta trips, and Masters week logistics
07:56 What has The Masters really mastered?
08:19 Titleist wedge fitting and why turf interaction matters
11:36 Beauty, class, intimacy, and reverence at Augusta
17:41 Why Augusta produces unforgettable golf shots
24:12 The course as the crown jewel
28:40 No phones and the patron experience
32:56 Boredom, presence, and conversation on the grounds
35:15 What Augusta may no longer master
39:31 Merch lines, consumerism, and the changing crowd
45:56 "Skip it," contrivance, and the loss of spontaneity
51:47 Magnolia Lane, hospitality tiers, and access
57:26 Power brokers, secrecy, and corporate influence
62:56 The agronomy standard Augusta sets for the rest of golf
65:06 Augusta's impact on the local economy
66:21 Rahm vs. Xander

What is The Bag Drop?
The Bag Drop features weekly stories from the culture, community, and characters shaping golf today. Produced by NewClub Golf Society, each episode blends authenticity and expert insight for passionate golfers at every level.

What is NewClub?
Founded in 2017, NewClub blends the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability of public golf, bringing to life the first premier golf society in the U.S. with local chapters in Chicago, Atlanta, and Northeast Ohio and others coming soon.

Creators and Guests

Host

Matt Considine

Founder of NewClub and our resident feel player. Matt’s junior golf career led him to the University of Akron where he met our co-host. During his junior year, Matt Studied abroad in Ireland and discovered golf societies. Subsequent trips to Scotland fed his passion for the history, ideals, and culture of accessible, affordable, and sustainable golf, a concept he would later bring to the U.S. with NewClub. Known for his interviewing style, quick wit, and compelling storytelling, Matt brings thoughtful, reflective conversations to The Bag Drop. His professional journey before NewClub included multiple leadership positions in growth-stage startups, where he managed teams responsible for more than $250 million in revenue. Matt actively gives back to the game as a Board Member of the First Tee of Akron and past chair of the Evans Scholar Foundation. Proudly based in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, Matt finds inspiration in family life with his wife, their three children, and their golf dog, Gypsy.

Host

The Professor

NewClub's Chief Ambassador and every golf sicko's favorite educator. Kevin is a thoughtful and deeply curious host. His studied, constructivist approach adds intellectual enrichment and balance to the show. As a professor of Math Education at the University of Georgia, Kevin's background in applied mathematics and cognitive psychology uniquely informs his insights on golf strategy and performance. Originally from Ohio, Kevin was a Division I collegiate golfer at the University of Akron, where his passion for understanding mathematical thinking began. After earning his doctorate from Arizona State University, he combined his analytical expertise with his love for golf by co-founding Golf Blueprint, an organization aimed at helping golfers optimize their games through data-driven strategies. Kevin enjoys balancing deep philosophical discussions with simple pleasures, such as indulging his sweet tooth, cheering on college football, and spending relaxed evenings with his friends, his wife, and their beloved dog, Nole.

The Re-Making of the Masters?

Creators and Guests

Listen Anywhere