'If You Put Your Chair Down, No One Will Mess with It And No One Takes Your Spot' - I Bought A Masters Chair, Here's Why It's One Of Augusta's Greatest Traditions

I’ll never forget the feeling inside my stomach. I once left a top quality Galvin Green golf umbrella at the pub, and I never saw it again - but this was so much worse. For a split second, I felt like I’d been robbed.

I had, kind of. Two years ago, I left my Masters chair by the ninth green overnight at Augusta National, and when I returned the next morning it was gone.

Was it auctioned off? Was it resold in the Golf Shop the next day? Was it given to one of the thousands of the Masters volunteers at the end of the week?

I’ll never know, although I’m sure it found a good home, which does at least bring me some peace.

What a silly mistake, anyway. The patrons are treated very well at The Masters, with its affordable and very appetizing food and beverages (see Masters concessions menu), as are the media, so long as you don’t run or use your phone out on the course during competition days.

However, it doesn’t matter if your name is Fred Ridley or Jack Nicklaus, you can’t leave your chair on the golf course overnight. Well, you can, just don't expect to see it there in the morning if you do.

I did. In fact, I was quite perturbed when I found out it would not be in lost property and there was no point in taking it up with them.

“No sir, it won’t be there,” I was told by a man in a Green Jacket, who liked at me as if I was insane - which I kind of was at that stage.

It’s an unwritten rule at The Masters that once you’ve put down your chair, that spot is yours for as long as you want it; you can walk off to get refreshments, walk the course, take a toilet break, whatever, and when you return no one will be sitting in it.

I remember sitting down with a beer (approximately $5 in case you’re wondering, and yes I did claim it back on expenses), and watching this wonderful tradition unfold in front of my very own eyes.

My heart almost stopped when I saw a man take someone else’s seat by the ninth. I know this because I’d been watching the front row like a hawk for a solid hour.

When the owner of the chair returned, I assume to watch Tiger Woods come through, the other man simply stood up, smiled, and moved on; in fact, they even shared a brief chat. This was The Masters at its finest.

Two years on, and despite the unsettling experience of losing my first Masters chair, bought for the bargain price of just $35 from the on-site Golf Shop, I still regard this as one of the coolest traditions in sport.

Where else can you pop your chair down and come back a few hours later? Not only that, everyone respects this unwritten rule, just like 99.9% of spectators (patrons) leave their cell phones at home or in the car park.

On this point, I must add the whole event is miles better for it, and it’s better too for actually being able to see a good amount of the action without every to crane your neck every few seconds.

"There’s a standing rule here that if you put your chair down, no one will mess with it and no one takes your spot," I remember one chap telling me.

Kirk Seaman was his name, and he was very happy with his spot underneath a pine tree on the par-5 8th, where you got an excellent view of players hitting their second shots to the green.

"Your spot is there for as long as you want. It's a tradition like nowhere else in the world. No other tournament does it. You'd lose your chair!"

For anyone attending the Masters this year or further down the line, do visit the Golf Shop and buy one of the iconic green chairs.

Don’t, however, leave it on the course overnight, otherwise you’ll find yourself buying another one the next day, which is exactly what I did.

The problem with going back to the Golf Shop is that you can’t just buy one thing. Before you know it, you’ll have another basket full of goodies and another long credit card receipt in your pocket.

I love my Masters chair, even if it’s not the original - which I only had a few hours - and I've vowed never to lose the replacement.

Before departing Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, I wrapped layers and layers of clothing around my chair so that even British Airways couldn’t find a way to damage it.

Had my baggage been over the weight limit, I’d have paid the penalty fare to take it on board, and had that not been an option, I’d have given up my laptop instead.

Thankfully, it didn’t come to this, and my replacement Masters chair has been used extensively since returning home to the UK.

On a sunny weekend, it’s the first item to come out of the garage, even before the BBQ.

And when it’s time to pack up in the evening, as a nod to the rules at Augusta, I always fold it up and put it safely away.