Golf and Masters Trivia Questions
Thirty-one questions on golf, with a focus on the Masters: birdies and bogeys, the rules and the equipment, the four men's majors and the traditions of Augusta National.
Three rounds go from the basics to the questions only a golf fan gets. Each answer comes with a short fun fact for the host to read out.
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Three PDFs, A4, black and white on purpose — the right answer is marked with a filled box and bold text, not with colour, so it survives an office printer.
What This Quiz Covers
- Scoring terms, rules and equipment
- The four men's majors
- Augusta National and Masters traditions
- The Ryder Cup and St Andrews
- Legendary golfers
All 31 questions and answers
Each answer is hidden until you open it, so you can read the questions out or test yourself first. The line under each answer is the fun fact to share once it is in.
Round 1 · The Basics — Scoring, Rules & Equipment
- 1
What is the term for a score of one stroke under par on a single hole?
- ABirdie
- BEagle
- CAlbatross
- DBogey
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A — Birdie
"Bird" was American slang for anything excellent around 1900, and a "bird of a shot" at Atlantic City Country Club gave the one-under score its name.
- 2
A score of two strokes under par on a single hole is called what?
- ADouble birdie
- BBuzzard
- CEagle
- DCondor
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C — Eagle
Once "birdie" caught on, golfers simply reached for a bigger bird, and the eagle became the natural step up from one-under to two-under.
- 3
What is a score of one stroke OVER par on a hole called?
- ASnowman
- BBirdie
- CPar-plus
- DBogey
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D — Bogey
"Bogey" originally meant the score a good player should make, but as equipment improved the standard score became "par" and bogey slid to one shot worse.
- 4
Under the Rules of Golf, what is the maximum number of clubs a player may carry during a stipulated round?
- A16
- B14
- C12
- DThere is no limit
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B — 14
The 14-club limit was introduced in 1938 to stop players from carrying 20+ clubs and forcing caddies to haul enormous bags.
- 5
In which U.S. state is Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, located?
- AFlorida
- BGeorgia
- CSouth Carolina
- DNorth Carolina
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B — Georgia
Augusta sits on the Georgia side of the Savannah River, across from South Carolina, and the Masters has been played there every April since 1934, apart from the war years.
- 6
What garment is presented to the winner of the Masters Tournament?
- AA green jacket
- BA red cardigan
- CA gold waistcoat
- DA tartan blazer
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A — A green jacket
Green jackets were first worn by Augusta National members in 1937 so patrons could spot a club official, and from 1949 the champion received one too.
- 7
Which of the four men's majors is played on the same course every single year?
- AThe Open Championship
- BThe U.S. Open
- CThe Masters
- DThe PGA Championship
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C — The Masters
The Masters is the only major run by a single private club, Augusta National, while the other three rotate among many venues.
- 8
What is the famous trophy awarded to the winner of The Open Championship?
- AThe Walker Cup
- BThe Wanamaker Trophy
- CThe Ryder Cup
- DThe Claret Jug
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D — The Claret Jug
Officially called the Golf Champion Trophy, the silver claret jug was made in 1872 to replace the original Challenge Belt that Young Tom Morris won outright.
- 9
The Ryder Cup is a team competition contested between the United States and which other side?
- AThe Rest of the World
- BEurope
- CGreat Britain only
- DAsia
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B — Europe
The match was USA vs. Great Britain (later Great Britain & Ireland) until 1979, when continental European players were added to make the contest more competitive.
- 10
Which legendary golfer was nicknamed "The Golden Bear"?
- AGary Player
- BArnold Palmer
- CJack Nicklaus
- DSam Snead
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C — Jack Nicklaus
The nickname came from Nicklaus's blond hair and powerful build, and a golden bear logo still appears on his clothing and course-design brand.
- 11
In 1997, which 21-year-old won the Masters by a record 12 strokes?
- ATiger Woods
- BPhil Mickelson
- CErnie Els
- DJustin Leonard
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A — Tiger Woods
Woods's 18-under-par 270 made him the youngest Masters champion ever and his 12-shot margin remains the tournament's largest.
- 12
Which three holes at Augusta National make up the stretch known as "Amen Corner"?
- AHoles 13, 14 and 15
- BHoles 16, 17 and 18
- CHoles 9, 10 and 11
- DHoles 11, 12 and 13
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D — Holes 11, 12 and 13
Writer Herbert Warren Wind coined the name in 1958, borrowing it from the jazz tune "Shoutin' in That Amen Corner" to describe the 11th, 12th and 13th.
Round 2 · Majors, Traditions & The Old Course
- 13
What is the usual name for a score of three strokes under par on one hole?
- AFalcon
- BAlbatross
- CCondor
- DOstrich
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B — Albatross
Continuing the bird theme, the rare three-under score is called an albatross in Britain and a "double eagle" in the United States.
- 14
What is the standard diameter of a golf hole?
- A6 inches (152 mm)
- B3.25 inches (83 mm)
- C4.25 inches (108 mm)
- D5.25 inches (133 mm)
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C — 4.25 inches (108 mm)
The size traces back to a hole-cutting tool made at Musselburgh in 1829, and the R&A wrote the 4.25-inch measurement into the rules in 1891.
- 15
Which trophy is presented to the champion of the PGA Championship?
- AThe Claret Jug
- BThe Vardon Trophy
- CThe FedEx Cup
- DThe Wanamaker Trophy
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D — The Wanamaker Trophy
Department-store magnate Rodman Wanamaker helped found the PGA of America in 1916 and donated the huge silver trophy that still bears his name.
- 16
Augusta National Golf Club was co-founded by Clifford Roberts and which famous amateur golfer?
- ABobby Jones
- BHarry Vardon
- CFrancis Ouimet
- DWalter Hagen
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A — Bobby Jones
Jones retired in 1930 after winning that year's Grand Slam and channelled his energy into building his dream course in Augusta, which opened in 1932.
- 17
At the Masters Champions Dinner, who chooses the menu?
- AThe club chairman
- BThe Augusta National head chef
- CA vote of all past champions
- DThe defending champion
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D — The defending champion
The reigning champion hosts and picks the food, which is why menus have ranged from haggis to cheeseburgers depending on the winner's nationality and taste.
- 18
On the Old Course at St Andrews, which hole is famously known as the "Road Hole"?
- AThe 17th
- BThe 11th
- CThe 18th
- DThe 1st
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A — The 17th
The 17th is named for the road and stone wall running hard against the back of the green, punishing anyone who flies the putting surface.
- 19
In the Ryder Cup format known as "foursomes", how do the two partners play?
- AEach plays their own ball and the better score counts
- BThey alternate shots using a single ball
- CThey add both scores together on every hole
- DAll four players play one ball in rotation
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B — They alternate shots using a single ball
Foursomes is alternate shot — one ball per team with players taking turns, which is why partners must agree on who tees off on odd and even holes.
- 20
The first Masters Tournament was played in 1934. Who won it?
- AGene Sarazen
- BBobby Jones
- CHorton Smith
- DByron Nelson
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C — Horton Smith
Smith won the inaugural event, which was then called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament and did not officially become "the Masters" until 1939.
- 21
Which golfer is credited with developing the modern sand wedge in the early 1930s?
- ATommy Armour
- BBen Hogan
- CWalter Hagen
- DGene Sarazen
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D — Gene Sarazen
Inspired by how an aeroplane's wing flaps created lift, Sarazen soldered a flange onto a niblick so the club would bounce through sand instead of digging.
- 22
In 1986, who won the Masters at the age of 46 to become the tournament's oldest champion?
- AGreg Norman
- BTom Watson
- CJack Nicklaus
- DSeve Ballesteros
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C — Jack Nicklaus
Nicklaus closed with a back-nine 30, including a famous birdie putt at 17, to claim his sixth green jacket at 46 years old.
- 23
Every hole at Augusta National is named after a plant. What is the name of the par-3 12th hole?
- AFlowering Peach
- BGolden Bell
- CWhite Dogwood
- DAzalea
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B — Golden Bell
The 12th is called Golden Bell after the forsythia shrub, while the 11th is White Dogwood and the 13th is Azalea.
- 24
Which creek runs directly in front of the green at Augusta National's 12th hole?
- ARae's Creek
- BMagnolia Creek
- CHogan's Burn
- DBerckmans Brook
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A — Rae's Creek
Rae's Creek guards the 12th green and curls along the 13th, making it the most famous — and most watery — hazard at Amen Corner.
- 25
Which organisation conducts the U.S. Open championship?
- AThe PGA of America
- BThe R&A
- CThe PGA Tour
- DThe USGA
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D — The USGA
The United States Golf Association, founded in 1894, runs the U.S. Open and also writes the Rules of Golf jointly with the R&A.
Round 3 · For the Experts
- 26
Who, in 2003, became the first left-handed golfer to win the Masters?
- ABubba Watson
- BPhil Mickelson
- CMike Weir
- DBob Charles
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C — Mike Weir
Canada's Mike Weir beat Len Mattiace in a playoff in 2003, a year before Phil Mickelson became the second lefty champion.
- 27
In 1975, who became the first African American golfer to play in the Masters?
- ALee Elder
- BTed Rhodes
- CCalvin Peete
- DCharlie Sifford
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A — Lee Elder
Elder earned his invitation by winning the 1974 Monsanto Open, and in 2021 he was honoured as an Honorary Starter at Augusta.
- 28
In golf slang, what is a "Texas wedge"?
- AA wedge with no bounce for hardpan lies
- BA putter used from off the green
- CA low, wind-cheating punch shot
- DA 64-degree lob wedge
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B — A putter used from off the green
On the firm, windy courses of Texas, players found that putting from off the green was safer than lofting the ball, so the putter earned the nickname.
- 29
The stone bridge crossing Rae's Creek at Augusta National's 12th hole is named after which golfer?
- AGene Sarazen
- BBen Hogan
- CBobby Jones
- DByron Nelson
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B — Ben Hogan
The Hogan Bridge was dedicated in 1958 to honour Ben Hogan's then-record 274 total in 1953; Sarazen's bridge is at 15 and Nelson's at 13.
- 30
Where was the first official Ryder Cup match played in 1927?
- APinehurst No. 2, North Carolina
- BRoyal Birkdale, England
- CMoortown Golf Club, England
- DWorcester Country Club, Massachusetts
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D — Worcester Country Club, Massachusetts
The United States won the inaugural match 9½–2½ at Worcester Country Club, with the trophy donated by English seed merchant Samuel Ryder.
- 31
Before Augusta National was built, what business occupied the land?
- AA tobacco farm
- BA cotton mill
- CA plant nursery
- DA horse-racing stable
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C — A plant nursery
The site was Fruitland (later Fruitlands) Nurseries, run by the Berckmans family, which is why the course is lined with azaleas, magnolias and dogwoods and each hole bears a plant's name.
Cletica
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