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Augusta National Should Move To The Metaverse & Let Everyone Play The Masters. NFTs Are Overdue.

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“The Masters.” To golfers, these two words are magical. Every year the best professionals lust for an opportunity to play one of the most iconic courses on the planet. A win there – perhaps the most prestigious “major” in golf – solidifies a golfer’s place in history. And they get a green jacket to boot.

Can We Please Play in The Masters?

Who wouldn’t want to play Augusta National – one of the most challenging courses in the world. Not the degree of difficulty (which is high), but just getting on the course at all. If you want to play Augusta and no one invites you to join the club, you can simulate the experience with simulators like SkyTrak’s golf simulator. But even this “access” isn’t satisfactory. You see Augusta National is unwilling to license its name or the course layout – as “Augusta National.” Companies like SkyTrak ...

“ … the Golf Club, e6 Connect and others are absolutely free to host the layout of the Augusta National course in their software. They’re just not free to use the name “Augusta National” when they do so. Most golfers can live with that compromise and thus, the layout has been copied into the course library in The Golf Club. Historically it has not been there as ‘Augusta National,’ instead ‘Magnolia National.’ Once you know this, it’s very easy to find Augusta in the software and to load it up for your golfing pleasure.” So you can “play” Augusta (though it won’t be called that) if you can find a simulator that hosts the course but not the name.

Augusta National & the Metaverse

So where does that leave the rest of us? As they continue to protect their exclusivity, there’s something happening out there that would not challenge exclusivity but more importantly may represent a huge revenue opportunity for the club. Now, arguably, they don’t care about more revenue, but if they do there’s a tournament here they might consider.

Why not “develop” Augusta National — as Augusta National — in the metaverse? Why not invite current members to extend their memberships to Virtual Augusta? The club should buy the (virtual) land and then offer members a piece: how many would like to own a piece of the real Augusta? Well, this isn’t as good, but it’s something – especially if its resale value (only to members, of course) rises.

Crazy? Snoop’s All In

I realize this sounds crazy. Or does it? Someone just paid $450,000 to live next to Snoop Dogg in the metaverse:

“Virtual land in The Sandbox is being sold as NFTs, which are unique tokens that grant ownership rights over digital items – in this case, plots of digital real estate. The Sandbox LAND NFTs can be bought and sold just like any other NFT on platforms like OpenSea.

“The Snoopverse LAND NFT sale lists three ‘estates’ in total, including the plot that sold at auction for nearly half a million dollars. The two other estates sold for close to 55,000 SAND and 67,000 SAND, which is about $338,000 and $410,000, respectively.

“The buyer who paid $450K for one of the ‘estates’ in the Snoopverse is an NFT collector who goes by the name P-Ape. According to their OpenSea account, they have additional notable holdings of Bored Ape #6445, currently listed for 150 Ethereum, and Mutant Ape #11089, listed at 80 Ethereum.

“This massive Sandbox LAND auction sale price indicates that some are willing to pay the average price of a multi-bedroom house in Phoenix, Arizona, for a virtual 3x3 plot of land in the Snoopverse … for better or worse, a huge amount of capital is pouring into the metaverse, with over $100 million invested in virtual real estate in just the past week.”

Still think it’s crazy? There are all sorts of ways premier properties with “versions” of themselves can play in the metaverse. Augusta National is just one of them. In the golf world, whoever takes the first step – Pinehurst No. 2, Merion, the Old Course at St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Carnoustie, Cape Kidnappers, Casa De Campo – you name it – may set a profitable trend. Other golf sport celebrities have already committed to NFTs, including golfers like Bryson DeChambeau and, of course, Tiger Woods. This isn’t going away: “the Tour owns a deep archive of intellectual property, and it promised players it intends to utilize its ‘full suite,’ inclusive of video highlights and ShotLink data.”

But instead of individual golfers, quarterbacks selling memorabilia, or former First Ladies selling digital eyes, there’s no reason why Augusta National (and other iconic courses and “brands”) should not license themselves through NFT real estate – and other NFT assets.

One of the most interesting uses of NFT revenue streams is LinksDAO, which is using NFT revenue to buy a physical golf course:

“A group of golf enthusiasts and investors have banded together to try to fund the first golf course financed with NFTs … and they’ve raised $10.5 million to get started.

“So far, it’s a unique application of NFTs to the real world of golf, and another step forward for the decentralized economy.

“As members, NFT owners will be the backbone for the organization like members of any other golf country club. Instead of paying thousands in fees or dues, members purchase LinksDAO membership NFTs. Those NFTs provide access to the golf community and give their owners a say in governance of the LinksDAO golf and leisure club.

“According to the company’s site, buying the NFT provides exclusive membership perks including discounts on golf tee times, governance rights and entry into the LinksDAO fantasy golf league.

“Unfortunately for those looking to join, membership is completely sold out. Investors who want to participate will need to purchase the NFTs on the secondary market.”

What about Malbon Golf?

“Malbon Golf Heads to the Metaverse With New Buckets Club NFTs.”

“Buckets Club is an NFT initiative that involves 1,000 unique characters, all of which are inspired by Malbon Golf’s iconic Buckets insignia. Those that own a Bucket NFT will be granted access to an exclusive club of holders with full transparency on the Ethereum blockchain. Each variation is a 1-of-1 image made that includes playful bodies, headwear, accessories and more … owning a Bucket gives you access to an exclusive club of holders with added value that grows over time, with full transparency on the Ethereum blockchain.”

Opportunities Galore

It’s easy to conclude that the virtual world is crazy on fire. NFTs are everywhere from Snoop Dogg to Tiger Woods to Tom Brady to Melania Trump. Augusta needs an NFT strategy and a Metaverse Task Force. So far, the NFT golf strategy has come from players and organizations of, shall we say, somewhat less esteem than the rarefied world of Augusta National, which owns all varieties of digital NFTs and one of the most iconic venues in all sports, though I’m sure the Yankees would disagree.

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