The Eisenhower Cabin At Augusta National

The Eisenhower Cabin at Augusta National, seen at the Masters, is a residence literally fit for a head of state. It was built for a US president and partly designed by the Secret Service.

President Dwight Eisenhower, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in World War II, had become a member of Augusta National in 1948, six months after he had had a two-week vacation staying at the cub. He told reporters it had been his “best vacation in years”.

In 1953, Eisenhower was elected President of the United States. A regular vacation at Augusta had become part of his life, and he wished to continue this as President. (In his eight years as President he is said to have visited the club 29 times.)

So Augusta had to provide somewhere fit for a President to stay in. A new cabin had to be built. This cabin was paid for by Augusta members and designed by a local architect in association with the Secret Service.

This particular white house looks much like other cabins on the property, but is bigger and has facilities the others lack. For example, there is a basement designed to accommodate the Secret Service.

Local architect Lowrey Stulb and his firm, Eve and Stulb, were given the contract. Stulb was the son-in-law of Ed Dudley, the club’s first professional. Work on the three-storey, seven-bedroom cabin began the day after the 1953 Masters had finished.

Stulb recalled: “We had construction crews in Monday morning at eight o’clock after the tournament that year. We had until October 1. On October 1, they turned keys over right on time.”

He was given a golf charm by the President and First Lady. On it was a depiction of the cabin and replica signatures of the Eisenhowers, as well as Cliff Roberts and Bobby Jones, who founded and ran the club.

The Eisenhower Cabin is near the 10th tee, and has the Presidential seal above the door.

Eisenhower’s stays there followed a regular pattern of work in an office in the morning, and then in the afternoon he would hit some practice balls and then play a round, often in company with Cliff Roberts and the club pro. In the evening Ike liked to play bridge.

Eisenhower is not the only president to have stayed there. Ronald Raegan did so in 1983 with senior figures in his administration when planning the invasion of Grenada. During Reagan’s visit there a gunman broke into the club and took hostages in the pro shop - the gunman wanted to talk to the President about job losses.