``Free Masters Tickets For Practice Rounds!''
Made you look.
Plenty of other people looked, too. An Internet classified advertisement that offered the tickets -- as long as you purchased photos of 1997 Masters Tournament champion Tiger Woods for the right price -- had 88 hits in less than a week, an indication that 88 people at least looked at the offer.
And Jack, a North Carolina man who placed the ad but didn't want his full name used in connection with it, had no problem selling the photos with their accompanying tickets, he said. The ad was the perfect hook.
``I have a master's (degree) in marketing. I figured I might as well use it,'' Jack said with a laugh. ``About 10 people have gotten back to me with an offer for the photo -- and some of them have been ridiculous. One guy said, `That's above face value,' and I told him, `I'm not charging you for the ticket. I'm charging you for the photo.'''
The sanctity of a Masters admission badge, theoretically, is inviolate. These are no ordinary tickets to be hawked on the street corner or sold to the highest bidder. Before Augusta National Golf Club patrons earn the privilege of purchase, they sign an agreement swearing not to scalp the badge. Those who break the rules risk exile from the genteel land of azaleas and magnolias.
But in reality, the feverish buy, sell and trade closely resembles the mad whirl of the stock market. Atlanta's Olympic village had nothing on this market for sheer commercialism.
The marketing of the Masters, while unendorsed and even discouraged by Augusta National, has exploded in recent years. Classified advertisements, travel packages, credit card offers and a proliferation of Internet sites offer the tickets. Scalpers aren't just standing on the street corner anymore.
Instead, they offer slickly produced World Wide Web sites, where they market their wares for thousands of dollars. A search of the Internet can turn up dozens of ticket brokers who make a profession of buying and selling on the black market. Most operate from states where ticket scalping is legal, but the Internet gives them unprecedented access to buyers in states such as Georgia, which prohibit scalping.
Tony Marino's Pennsylvania-based Terrific Tickets doesn't sell Masters badges.
``It's just too expensive,'' he said.
But Terrific Tickets uses the Internet to hawk tickets for New York City shows and less exclusive sporting events. Traditionally, their customers come from referrals, but technology has opened a nationwide market.
``My partner likes the Internet,'' Mr. Marino said. ``He says it's the wave of the future.''
Team One Tickets, a 20-year-old broker business in Tempe, Ariz., also uses the Internet to find customers. Fans can click on any sporting event they like, and with enough cash, they can be there.
``All prices quoted by Team One include a significant service charge which reflects the cost of obtaining quality seating for you,'' reads a disclaimer signed by company owner Reed Simon.
Team One charged $225 to $350 for Masters practice-round tickets, but four-day tournament badges cost $5,000 to $6,000.
``You call us for the impossible to get, the first 10 rows,'' said Debra DeMase, 38, who works for the company.
Although patrons have promised Augusta National they won't sell, if the price is high enough many will hand over their tickets.
``If you have enough money, everything is for sale,'' Ms. DeMase said.
Cyberspace anonymity
Many scalpers feel safe in the anonymity of cyberspace -- safe enough to include names and telephone numbers. Professional ticket brokers offer business addresses and online order forms.
But few are willing to talk in person or even on the phone about their activities. The same brokers who advertise openly on the Internet and in The Augusta Chronicle classifieds refused to comment, hoping to stay below Augusta National's sight line.
And although they may think what they're doing is legal if their business is in another state, they're right to be wary, says one attorney who studies Internet law. There's still a question of whether a message sent over the Internet should be regulated where it originates -- the state the brokers work in -- or where it ends up -- Georgia, where scalping is illegal.
In a recent obscenity case, a California couple was jailed after a Tennessee postmaster downloaded computer images from the couple's bulletin board. A Tennessee jury decided the images were obscene -- even though they originated in California, where officials didn't consider them obscene.
``That's the tricky jurisdictional question right now,'' said Michael Martin, a Seattle attorney affiliated with Internet Group Inc., which follows cyberlaw. ``I would suspect Georgia would say having the Web site itself isn't a problem, but once tickets have been purchased and sent to Georgia, that's another question.
``It's difficult, and it hasn't been resolved yet,'' Mr. Martin said. ``These guys are taking a risk. The problem right now is that there are not laws to specify what is safe and what is not. They (the Georgia Attorney General's Office) could certainly make an arguable case. I don't necessarily agree with it, but it could be done.''
Scalping shrouded
Aware of the iffy laws, some brokers shroud their scalping by offering sports fans high-priced luxury travel packages, which just happen to include Masters badges.
For $4,100, a Texas company sold a ``Deluxe Corporate Package'' for the Masters. In addition to badges, the package included five days and four nights in a Jones Creek home, shared by four to seven other people. Customers also were entitled to daily maid service, one round of golf at Jones Creek Country Club and a Masters program and souvenir. Prices were subject to change, however, according to an early flier.
Owners of the company refused to talk with reporters from The Chronicle, though they placed classified advertisements in the newspaper seeking badges.
Another corporate hospitality company offered luxurious private trappings for the Masters and 10 badges for $75,000. The money also would buy access to the company's ``luxury private facility'' in Augusta, five-star service and fine dining, according to a flier the company faxed to the The Chronicle's sports editor in December.
``Not only will you and your guests be pampered while attending our five-star hospitality suite, but you will also witness America's single greatest golf event,'' the brochure boasts. ``Watch the world's top players compete for this most prestigious championship.''
But scarce tickets and high prices forced the company to scrap the plans.
``We're not doing the Masters,'' said one executive, who asked that his name and the name of his company not be used. ``There was not enough interest, based on the availability of badges and the price you have to charge.''
The company, which has offices in New York and London, offered similar hospitality packages -- at much lower rates -- for the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.
Top prize: Masters trip
Perhaps the most unusual Masters marketing ploy came from MasterCard and General Motors Corp. Customers who used their GM MasterCards between October and January were entered in a drawing. The top prize was a trip for two to the Masters. Runners-up won a trip for two to Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament or the U.S. Open golf tournament.
That's the way it was supposed to work.
General Motors, which has a longstanding relationship with the Masters Tournament through its Cadillac division, canceled the top prize after company officials learned the prize badges were ``obtained illegally'' by MasterCard, said Robert J. Hoffman, marketing director for General Motors credit card operations.
Rather than jeopardize its relationship with Augusta National, General Motors offered the grand prize winner cash instead, said Mr. Hoffman, who didn't know the exact amount. The winner preferred the cash prize to the badges, he said.
Individuals who once placed carefully worded advertisements in newspaper classified sections and golf magazines also have moved into cyberspace, posting ads on golf sites and bulletin boards on the World Wide Web.
And then there's Jack, the North Carolina photographer ``giving away'' practice-round tickets with his photos of Tiger Woods.
A week and a half before the Masters Tournament began, he had sold six photos for prices ranging from $125 to $225, he said. He took the shots during practice rounds at Augusta National last year. He gained the tickets -- all 12 of them -- legitimately through the golf club's lottery, he added.
He has sold some of his shots professionally and has won some photo awards in the past, he said, assuring potential buyers that they won't be paying for Polaroids.
``And if somebody calls and wants to buy my pictures, I'll include a free ticket,'' Jack said.
Badge brokers turn to the Internet
