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If you can’t make it to Augusta, New York is getting the next best thing—minus the azaleas, plus a ShackBurger.
For four days this month, IBM will turn Madison Square Park into an immersive viewing hub for the Masters Tournament, complete with live broadcasts, an AI-powered golf simulator and a menu centered around golf’s most tradition-bound events.
Dubbed “Masters at Madison Square Park,” the pop-up will run from Thursday, April 9, through Sunday, April 12. Coverage will start as early as 7:30 am on opening day, with the space staying active through the final round on Sunday evening.
The biggest draw (beyond the obvious appeal of watching one of golf’s most iconic tournaments outdoors) is a simulator that lets visitors take a swing at a recreated hole from the Masters. The experience is powered by IBM’s WatsonX platform and will include “Hole Insights,” a data-heavy breakdown that mimics the analytics pros (and broadcasters) use during the tournament itself.
Even if your golf game is more putt-putt than Augusta, there’s still plenty to do. The park will host continuous live screenings of the tournament, along with limited-edition merchandise and themed food and drink offerings designed to channel the Masters’ famously specific food culture.
IBM has partnered with Shake Shack to serve a trio of Masters-inspired items you won’t find anywhere else: a Clubhouse Pimento Cheese Sandwich, a Clubhouse Egg Salad Sandwich and a Peach 50/50, a twist on the tournament’s signature Arnold Palmer. All three are nods to Augusta’s famously low-key (and oddly beloved) snack lineup, where items like pimento cheese sandwiches have reached near-mythical status among golf fans. Here, they’ll get a slightly more polished treatment.
The activation is part of IBM’s long-running partnership with the tournament, which has lasted for more than 30 years and has increasingly focused on integrating AI into the fan experience. This year’s tournament includes new features, like enhanced Hole Insights and a searchable Masters archive, along with existing tools like AI-generated highlights and rapid round recaps.
Whether you’re there to analyze swing data or just eat a nostalgic sandwich in the park, this will be a full-on golf weekend, no flight to Georgia required.