Aiken ready for Masters tournament
AIKEN, S.C. (WJBF) — Aiken is rolling out the carpet ahead of the Masters. “We just decided to take an extra day, pre-day of the tournament, and enjoy the downtown of Aiken,” Ron Glame said. Ron Glame, hailing from Foley, Alabama, is a seasoned Masters attendee, having visited Aiken for the tournament six or seven times. “We were here when Tiger first won in 2000. That was our first Masters,” he recalled.
“It’s really a great location 25 minutes from Augusta, so we’re a great place for visitors come to come throughout the week,” Visit Aiken Tourism Supervisor Casey Lozon added.
Aiken city leaders are ready for visitors during Masters week, offering discounts and special deals at restaurants and hotels. “Our hotels sell out. Everybody’s trying to get a room. We’ve also got Airbnbs, bed and breakfast, anywhere there’s a place to stay. People are trying to stay close to the Masters,” she said.
“It’s always fun to, you can always tell when people aren’t from here. They have a little confused with our roads downtown,” Karl Odenthal added.
People come together to clean up public places like parks and streets, with increased staff at the airport to greet visitors. “So we have a booth out there where we greet visitors and we offer them refreshments, grocers and any information they might need when they’re coming in to visit,” Lozon shared.
She mentioned the challenges of managing people and supplies during events but praised the community’s preparation. Leaders are also stepping up marketing efforts outside of Aiken. “So we’ve got a few social media ads out right now, digital media ads out in the surrounding areas,” Lozon shared. “We really focus on that drive time for visitors coming two, three hours away. And then for masters we always advertise in the Masters Magazine,” she added.
“I think Aiken’s a great town to come and visit and it’s always fun to see people from other parts of the country and other parts of the world and have a chance just to welcome that Aiken and just interact with them,” Odenthal added.
Aiken is one of many surrounding communities to benefit from Masters traffic each April.
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