Hard as it may be to believe today, there was a time when the Masters was preceded by a public “Calcutta” in which contestants were “sold” at auction at the Bon Air Hotel, a local establishment where many of them stayed during the tournament.
These sorts of betting pools were a standard part of club golf tournaments in that age, and the money they raised was usually divided among the top finishers at the end of the competitions.
For a spell, Augusta National participated indirectly in the Bon Air Calcutta, which was traditionally held the night before the Masters commenced, and even staged their own Calcuttas at the club itself, with co-founder Clifford Roberts among those participating.
In time, Augusta National soured on Calcuttas ... At the start of the 1956 tournament, (Cliff) Roberts and (Bobby) Jones issued a bulletin expressing their dismay with the Calcutta that continued to take place at the Bon Air.
According to a report in the April 3, 1935, edition of the Augusta Chronicle by noted golf writer O.B. Keeler, Bobby Jones went for the highest price prior to the inaugural Masters in 1934 (though Keeler did not disclose the dollar amount). And the tournament co-founder came out on top again that spring, with Gene Sarazen and Craig Wood – who finished first and second in the actual event after Sarazen made his albatross on No. 15 and then beat Wood in a 36-hole playoff – attracting nearly as much action based on the good form they had been showing in practice rounds.
In time, however, Augusta National soured on Calcuttas, with the last one staged at the club in 1952. At the start of the 1956 tournament, Roberts and Jones issued a bulletin expressing their dismay with the Calcutta that continued to take place at the Bon Air.
“We have several times been requested to state whether or not the Augusta National has any connections with the Calcutta Pool held last night at the Bon Air Hotel. … The answer is ‘no’ – and we might further add that we do not believe any member of this Club participated in the Pool held at the Bon Air.
“In former years, this Club did conduct an auction in connection with the Masters Tournament. It was deemed advisable, however, to discontinue it.”
That move was a response in part to the USGA coming down hard on Calcuttas in any form, fearing the money involved might corrupt the sport.
In his book “The Making of the Masters,” David Owen revealed a related rationale, and that was Roberts’ concern about the Bon Air making space available on its premises during the tournament to professional gamblers.
Another factor might have been how the take from the Masters betting pools at the Bon Air often exceeded the prize money the tournament offered.
For example, a story from the Greensboro Daily News on Friday of Masters week in 1956 detailed how that year’s Calcutta reaped a total of $50,000 in bets. As for the official purse for the tournament, that came in at a mere $41,450.
Those were the days.
John Steinbreder
E-MAIL JOHN
Top: Bobby Jones plays his tee shot on the first hole while (from left) Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen and Gene Sarazen watch along with patrons in front of the clubhouse during the 1935 Masters.
AUGUSTA NATIONAL, GETTY IMAGES