20 interesting facts about the Masters and Augusta National

Augusta National Golf Club is possibly the most famous golf course in the world.

Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, and opened for play in January of 1933, it's the only permanent major championship residence, and golf fans are almost as familiar with the place as their own home.

Here are 20 interesting facts about the club and the Masters Tournament.

1. The club was originally a commercial nursery, which has provided the vast collection of trees around the grounds.

2. The clubhouse was originally going to be demolished, but due to a limited budget at the time of construction, the building was instead renovated.

3. Augusta National is considered a winter club, originally established for the northeast elite to escape harsh weather. The course is closed for play between May and October.

4. Magnolia Lane, the driveway leading to the clubhouse, is 330 yards in length, and lined by more than 60 magnolia trees.

5. The tournament's original name was the Augusta National Invitational, but it was changed to the Masters in 1939. Jones started the annual event when his request for the 1934 U.S. Open was denied.

6. Dwight D. Eisenhower is the only U.S. president to be granted membership.

7. Club membership is by invitation only. If you ask, you won't get in.

8. Ron Townsend was the first African-American member admitted, in 1990, and in 2012, Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore became the first female members.

9. The green jacket wasn't awarded to the tournament winner until 1949, when Sam Snead won.

10. The green jacket was first established in 1937 by Clifford Roberts so its membership could be easily identified by patrons in search of information.

11. The Masters champion is permitted to take the green jacket off the premises for only a year, then it must remain at the club.

12. The champions dinner, started by Ben Hogan in 1952, is attended by all winners, with the previous champion selecting the menu.

13. There are 10 cabins on the grounds to be used by the members and their guests.

14. Augusta's nines were reversed in 1935, because the back nine holes are at the lowest points of the golf course, and therefore vulnerable to frost.

15. Until 1983, Masters participants had to use caddies provided by the club.

16. The players' locker room is located in the west wing of the clubhouse, while the champions' locker room is on the second floor.

17. The final event at the club before it closes for the summer is the caddie tournament, in which the club's caddies are allowed to golf for free and play as many holes as possible for the entire day.

18. CBS has held the rights to the tournament since 1956, but the club only signs a one-year contract with the network.

19. The Wednesday Par-3 contest began in 1960, and the winner has never gone on to win the Masters in the same year. Ray Floyd was the closest in 1990, but lost to Nick Faldo in a playoff Sunday.

20. Amateurs are allowed to stay in The Crow's Nest, located in the clubhouse's attic.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)