The best way to spend your money on Masters food, according to a Michelin-star chef

There are some things money can’t buy, but food at the Masters isn’t one of them. In fact, with concession prices rolled back farther than any golf-ball proposal, three square meals at the tournament will cost you little more than a sleeve of golf balls.

But what should you order?

That’s a tough decision, the patron’s equivalent of a player trying to pull the right club in blustery conditions on the par-3 12th.

Good thing we’ve got a culinary caddie. James Syhabout, the chef and owner of two-Michelin star Commis, in Oakland, Calif., is also a golf junky, with a putting stroke as fine-tuned as his palate. How should you spend your meal money in a day at the Masters? We asked Syhabout for his read.

Breakfast

The most important meal of the day isn’t a meal without a cup of Joe. With your fresh-brewed coffee ($1.50), Syhabout suggests asking for a cup of ice to combat any potential humidity: a caffeinated jolt with something to cool you off, just in case. For your main dish, Syhabout says it’s gotta be the sausage biscuit ($2), “because when you’re in the South, you can’t pass up pork between some biscuits.”  

Lunch

On the concession menu, two sandwiches — egg salad and pimento cheese ($1.50 each) — are listed alongside the Masters logo. That’s the club’s way of telling you that they’re classics. To Syhabout, it’s also the sign of an easy decision: stick with tradition, he says.

Early dinner

Every club puts its own twist on the club sandwich. And since there’s no club quite like Augusta National, Syhabout says he’d go for the Masters club ($3), “to see what makes it special.” Spoiler alert: this version is not a toasted triple-decker, cut into quarters and secured by toothpicks. It’s a more conventional-looking sandwich, with turkey, ham and cheese on a hamburger-style bun. As a backup, Syhabout suggests tacking on another Southern staple: the BBQ sandwich ($3).

Dessert

After going MIA in 2022, the Georgia peach ice cream sandwich ($2.50) is back on the menu in 2023. “I’ll take three,” Syhabout says. Plus two packs of Advil (.50 cents each) “to help with the hangover the next morning.” That’s right, the beer is just as good of a deal as the food.

Josh Sens

Golf.com Contributor

A golf, food and travel writer, Josh Sens has been a GOLF Magazine contributor since 2004 and now contributes across all of GOLF’s platforms. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sportswriting. He is also the co-author, with Sammy Hagar, of Are We Having Any Fun Yet: the Cooking and Partying Handbook.