New Survey: 1 in 4 Golf Fans Would Quit Social Media for a Year to Play Augusta National

On The Box launches fantasy golf league platform alongside first-of-its-kind Masters fan survey of 546 respondents

We built On The Box because every golf group we know runs some version of a fantasy league — on spreadsheets, in group chats, or on whiteboards in the office. We just made it easier.”

— Mike Theodore

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, April 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- On The Box (ontheboxgolf.com), a new fantasy golf platform that lets friends and coworkers create and compete in private leagues around PGA Tour events, today released the results of its inaugural Masters Fan Survey. The survey of 546 U.S. adults reveals the surprising lengths fans would go to for a round at Augusta National, how they’d actually perform on the course, and which golfers hold the most sway with the public heading into the 2026
Masters Tournament.

Key Survey Findings
- 27.5% would give up social media for a year in exchange for a single round at Augusta National. While 42% of fans said they wouldn’t sacrifice anything, the willingness to trade a year of digital life for 18 holes speaks to the almost mythical hold the course has on the golfing public.
- 5.7% would give up sex for a year to play Augusta National. Another 7.5% would hand over a full month’s salary. The data suggests that for a dedicated minority, Augusta National occupies a tier of desire that goes well beyond sport.
- 1 in 3 fans would whiff or freeze on the first tee. 21.6% of respondents admitted they would miss the ball entirely, and another 11.9% said they would be too nervous to even swing with a gallery watching. Only 4.4% claimed they could hit it 250+ yards.
- 32% would “lose count” of their score — the single most popular response when asked what they’d shoot at Augusta National. Another 20.5% predicted they’d card 120 or higher.
- 38% would choose The Masters over the Super Bowl. When forced to pick between the two, more than a third of fans chose a golf tournament over America’s most-watched sporting event — a remarkable testament to The Masters’ cultural status.
- Phil Mickelson (28.6%) outpolled world #1 Scottie Scheffler (28.0%) as fans’ dream caddie pick, suggesting that Mickelson’s controversial move to LIV Golf has not hurt his popularity with the general golfing public. Rory McIlroy led all players at 36.3%, cementing his status as the people’s favorite.
- 38% of fans watch The Masters at work during the Thursday and Friday rounds, confirming what every golf fan’s boss has long suspected.

Introducing On The Box: Fantasy Golf Leagues for Real Fans

The survey release coincides with the launch of On The Box, a new fantasy golf platform designed to make competing with friends as simple as picking a few golfers and following along. On The Box allows users to create private or public fantasy golf leagues around any PGA Tour event. Players build a roster each week using OWGR-based pricing, set a salary cap, and earn points based on actual Tour prize money payouts. Live leaderboards update automatically, and
a unique “Pair Your Round with a PGA Tour Pro” feature lets players compete head-to-head with friends using a combination of their own scores and a Tour pro’s performance.

Importantly, On The Box is not a daily fantasy sports (DFS) site. The platform does not act as the bank, hold player funds, or facilitate wagering. Instead, On The Box provides the league infrastructure, scoring engine, and real-time leaderboard — how leagues choose to compete, whether for bragging rights, a dinner tab, or a group pot managed among friends, is entirely up to the players. Think of it as the digital version of the office golf pool: On The Box runs the league, not the money. The platform is free to use and available now at ontheboxgolf.com.

“We built On The Box because every golf group we know runs some version of a fantasy league — on spreadsheets, in group chats, or on whiteboards in the office. We just made it easier,” said Mike Theodore, co-founder of On The Box. “The Masters is the perfect week to start a league. Everyone’s already watching.”

Survey Methodology
546 U.S. adults were surveyed online in March 2026. Responses were collected via an open survey form. Results have not been weighted and are presented as collected. The full dataset and an embeddable infographic are available upon request.

Mike Theodore
On the Box
mike@ontheboxgolf.com
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