What broadcasters are banned from saying during The Masters at Augusta READ MORE: How YouTube golfers became more rich and famous than pros By DANIEL MATTHEWS Published: 17:53 BST, 9 April 2025 | Updated: 18:04 BST, 9 April 2025 The Masters is a golf tournament like no other and the unique traditions and rules apply even in the broadcast booths of Augusta National. There are several familiar words and phrases that are de facto banned from the broadcasts during Masters week. 'If you go to the live telecast, it very much has that front porch, sweet tea, talking-to-your-grandmother feel to it,' analyst Brandel Chamblee once said. 'And that is by design.... there are things you shouldn't say.' Some Masters vocabulary will be well-known to golf fans. Take 'patrons', which is used to describe those in the galleries. 'Fan is a big one - in their eyes, it's short for fanatical and they don't want to refer to the people out there as being fanatical,' Chamblee told Barstool. Broadcasters covering the Masters at Augusta are bound by certain special restrictions Legendary sportscaster Jim Nantz of CBS Sports has become synonymous with the Masters 'That's why you hear people say "patron". You could probably say spectator.' But back in 1966, the late Jack Whitaker was taken off commentary duties after referring to the crowd as a 'mob'. Another phrase that is frowned upon is 'back nine', referring to holes 10 through 18. It is used on courses throughout the world - except Augusta. 'The saying is: "The Masters doesn't begin until the back nine on Sunday",' Chamblee explained. 'But if you said "back nine" on the air, you would get reprimanded... because it's the "second nine". 'You don't want somebody to say: "He's playing the backside really well". Because "back nine" is close to "backside" and "backside" is far too colloquial.' Other common words that are rarely heard at Augusta include 'rough' and 'sand trap'. Golfers who miss the fairway are said to end up in the 'second cut' and those who find the sand have landed in a 'bunker'. The driving range, meanwhile, is known as the 'tournament practice facility'. Broadcasters are also reportedly instructed not to mention the corporate sponsors that attach their names to PGA Tour events when referencing a player's previous victories. At Augusta, the 'sand traps' are known as 'bunkers' and the 'rough' is called the 'second cut' During the Masters, players warm up on the 'tournament practice facility' - not the 'range' The Valero Texas Open, for example, would be referred to only as a the 'Texas Open'. These particular customs extend all the way to the winning putt, when announcers tend to restrain themselves - despite the drama. 'You get these great calls by Jim Nantz and Verne Lundquist, back then it was Ben Wright,' Chamblee continued. 'They're judicious in their word choice. It's softer, slower, it's more reverent and I think that's a big part of the reason it's the best tournament of the year.' Share or comment on this article: What broadcasters are banned from saying during The Masters at Augusta Add comment