The first Practice round for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) begins this morning, marking the beginning of Metro Augusta’s busiest travel season.
Traffic will start to increase, and activity levels are high at Augusta Regional Airport (AGS). In addition to the regularly scheduled destinations of Washington D.C., Dallas, Charlotte, and Atlanta, Delta and American Airlines will offer additional direct flights to accommodate increased travel demand.
From April 5th through April 13th, Delta Air Lines will offer direct flights to Austin (AUS), Detroit (DTW), New York (JFK) and (LGA), Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), Minneapolis-Saint Paul (MSP), Nashville (BNA), New Jersey (EWR), Raleigh Durham (RDU), and Washington D.C. (DCA). American Airlines will provide direct service to Phoenix (PHX), Austin (AUS), Boston (BOS), New York (LGA), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), and Philadelphia (PHL).
“The airport staff, we love Masters Week,” Deputy Executive Director Lauren Smith told ABD. “It’s organized chaos for us, but we are prepared. We make sure we have enough staff to support everybody. We are talking closely with all of our tenants, the airlines, and the rental cars, to make sure we have enough of everything to accommodate. So, we are ready.”
Elizabeth Giles, Senior Construction Project Manager, said checkpoints remain the same, except for some additional queuing.
“We don’t expect it to change the wait times at all. We are fully staffed, and we’ve never had longer than 45 minutes to an hour’s wait during Masters on our busiest day,” she explained. “I would expect to still have 30 to 40 minute wait times at the most. But we want people to plan and not assume and get here as early as they can.”
One major addition this year is the airport’s capacity to park aircraft. The ramp and apron for the new private hangar under construction are complete, creating an additional parking area covering 500,000 square feet. It will hold between 40 and 50 aircraft, depending on the size.
Kenneth Hinkle, the airport’s Director of Aviation Services, said the East Operations Area is ready to receive passengers and crews arriving aboard private aircraft.
“We have a structured tent, has a glass front, so we have our FBO (fixed base operator) on one side, and then we have the hospitality on the other side,” he said. “It’s going to be a good partnership. All the equipment is arriving, so we’re good. We’re ready.”
East Operations is at 3006 Lock and Dam Road. Aircraft parked in the area should direct passenger pick-ups, drop-offs, and rental car returns to this address. Ground transportation and ride-share providers will be permitted to stage in this area.
Passenger Assistant Liaisons (PALs) will also be available at the airport to help travelers with luggage and information. Also on hand will be the teams from the Paws for Pax Program, providing therapy dogs to greet passengers.
The City of Augusta has instituted its Masters Traffic plan to facilitate ingress and egress to the golf course.
The temporary traffic signal and crosswalk have been installed on Washington Road at River Ridge Drive. The Ride Share lot will again be at the former TGI Fridays on Washington Road at Berckmans Road. People using Lyft, Uber, or another ride-sharing app will be dropped off and picked up there.
Working in collaboration with Augusta National Golf Club, the city is again offering a QR code that can be used to direct golf traffic to the patron parking lots. Visitors are advised to download Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze apps to their mobile device and scan the QR code.
Closures will go into effect in the morning starting at 7 a.m. for the Washington Road exits off Interstate 20 will be closed starting at 7 a.m. Traffic will be directed to exit 200 for River Watch Parkway, then to Alexander Drive. The traffic pattern will return to normal by 10 a.m., with restrictions returning from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
New for 2026:
- South Gate will be open for the Women’s Amateur Tournament on Sat., April 4
- All patron lots will be closed to vehicle and foot traffic between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Deputies will enforce no stopping or standing of vehicles near the gates prior to opening.
Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is also taking steps to ease the flow of traffic.
Construction-related lane closures on Interstate 20 will be suspended from April 1st through April 13th. This will stretch from Covington to Augusta. Additionally, GDOT projects on major state routes leading to Augusta in Burke, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, and McDuffie Counties will be affected.
GDOT is activating additional CHAMP units and will send HERO units to metro Augusta. Motorists will be able to request assistance for stranded drivers, change tires, and identify maintenance issues. CHAMP and HERO assistance is provided at no cost. Drivers can dial 511 to request a HERO or CHAMP unit.
For up-to-date information on interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before heading out. It is a free service that provides real-time statewide information on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, including traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
