No-phone policy at Masters offers rare escape from technology

April 8, 2015: Spectators sit around the ninth hole during the Par 3 contest at the Masters golf tournament. (AP)

Fans and golfers alike will have to abide by Augusta National's no-phone policy at the Masters this weekend forcing everyone to leave their phones at home, in the car or checked at the gate and if anyone is caught with a phone will be escorted off the grounds.

The historic Georgia golf course's policy is embraced by golfers and fans as part of the it’s mystique and forces people to fellowship more, interact and socialize.

Derek Jensen, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, told the Associated Press Wednesday that his itch to post and share passed quickly as he and three friends wandered the course.

"It's part of the mystique of this place," said Jeff Nelson of Rockford, Illinois. "Everybody knows there's no phones, so that becomes part of the whole cool thing. It's like we know we can't use the phones. It becomes part of the experience of knowing you're going to have to turn that phone in because you can't have a phone at the Masters."

The trend has led several people to update before heading to Augusta National with a cryptic message featuring a yellow logo or photos of the course.

Middle Tennessee golf coach Whit Turnbow told his Twitter followers that he was going silent Monday because of the no-phone policy while including a photo showing the end of Magnolia lane.

Turnbow has been coming to this tournament since he was 12, so he knew the policy very well. But his five players looked puzzled when he told them to leave their phones in the van. But even the Masters veteran kept reaching to his back pocket looking for his phone every few minutes throughout the day.

"It is certainly a little bit unusual not to be able to live tweet right here at the site," Turnbow told AP Wednesday.

Others chose not to post. Michael Duncan of Atlanta embraced his time away from social media and did not tell any of his followers about his trip to the Masters. Duncan did admit that he would have already posted an update if he had his phone.

"The point of social media is to let people know where you're at and what you're doing," Duncan said.

Eddie Hunter of Maryville, Tennessee, is considered a Facebook stalker by his friends but forgot to update his status because they couldn't wait to start walking around the course.

"Having a good time far outweighs Facebook," Hunter said.

Ann Benzon of Chicago, Illinois, embraced Augusta National giving her the chance to escape without feeling the need to check social media. She noted even flying these days offers no break with airplane mode and WiFi on planes.

"This place is special, and I actually love being disconnected ...," Benzon said. "I think it's refreshing to get a total disconnect."

The Associated Press contributed to this report