What Will Augusta National Do With Hooters Site? Where Will John Daly Go Next? OutKick Investigates
With the Augusta Hooters flattened and the club quietly expanding its footprint on Washington Road, OutKick examines what could rise there—and where Masters folk hero John Daly will plant his flag next.
A day after bulldozers flattened the Augusta Hooters, two questions linger on Washington Road: What will Augusta National do with the site - and where will John Daly take his Masters-week circus?
On Monday, OutKick reported that excavators moved in and tore down the vacant building where the world-famous Augusta Hooters operated until July after running into financial problems.
Local conservative radio host Austin Rhodes tells OutKick that Augusta National - owner of the site - typically honors existing leases, letting businesses stay until they expire.
With the Hooters in financial ruins, Augusta National brought in the excavators and an era was brought to an end. In other words, don't blame the guys from The Masters for this.
READ: Masters Week Just Lost Its Wings: Augusta Hooters Torn Down
Email: joe.kinsey@outkick.com
Hooters in Augusta on Friday, June 28, 2024. © Miguel Legoas / USA TODAY NETWORK
(The recently closed Augusta, Georgia Hooters was torn down on Monday. /via anonymous source)
"The club has been buying up parcels for the last 30 years, moving gradually up Washington Road. They’re not in a hurry to do anything," Rhodes, a 33-year Augusta radio vet who grew up across the street from Augusta National explained. "I don’t think I’ve missed a tournament since 1971—I was six years old."
Rhodes says the march east toward I-20 along Washington Rd. serves two purposes.
"Their first goal, years ago, was to have enough parking to eliminate the need for parking off their own property—which they’ve basically done. That meant buying the old neighborhood across Berckmans Road," Rhodes told OutKick.
(Long-time Augusta radio host Austin Rhodes tells OutKick that Augusta National is in no hurry to develop land currently occupied by a Publix grocery store and a few remaining stores in a shopping center where Hooters was located. "They’re not in a hurry to do anything. As you’ve heard them say, they plan 20 years ahead of time," he says. )
"Then it became clear they were going toward more corporate entertainment and hospitality and needed more space. They never loved being separated by islands of property ownership. They wanted one big, contiguous footprint. They had one direction to move: Washington Road.
"It’s been a slow process. They’ve owned that property for quite some time and told tenants they would honor existing leases, but if anyone wanted to leave early, they could without penalty."
(After tearing down the former Hooters location along Washington Rd. in Augusta, GA, on Monday, the Augusta National excavators moved next door to the Masters Cinema which had been closed since 2020. / via Austin Rhodes )
Now what?
Parking?
Rhodes doesn't think so. He believes the club has all it needs along Berckmans Rd. More hospitality? The club is loaded in that department. What about administrative and technical support facilities? Rhodes says the club just added a massive facility across from the main entrance that even includes an underground tunnel where workers never have to cross Washington Rd. to do their jobs.
Golf Digest reported in 2023 that there are rumors the club would eventually build "on-site housing for all Masters competitors and media, a tournament-only exit off I-20 that goes straight to Augusta National’s parking lot, a reimagined fan village and a new golf course that presumably would host the opening rounds of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur."
Does the Hooters land figure into those plans? Again, time will tell. These guys are in no rush. They're not desperate to turn that land into profit. The club has owned the Hooters property since 2018.
What's next for John Daly and his Masters-week traveling circus?
OutKick reached out to a member of Daly's team Tuesday. We have not heard back on any 2026 plans.
In May, JD's sponsorship deal with Hooters was extended for two years. But, now with the Augusta location gone, what now? Rhodes says JD's team has indicated they'd love to stay on Washington Rd., but if that doesn't work, keep an eye on Surrey Center on Berckmans Rd. south of Augusta National. It's "a nice shopping area with a couple of famous Augusta restaurants popular with golfers and out-of-towners," Rhodes notes.
That brings us to an intriguing question that needs to be asked: Would Hooters sublease JD to Twin Peaks just for Masters week?
Or would Hooters consider creating a pop-up Hooters just for one week?
We'll reach out to Team Hooters in Florida to see if they can work some magic for 2026.
(Would Hooters loan John Daly to Twin Peaks in Augusta as a breastaurant olive branch just for Masters week? It's crazy to even ask such a question, right? / via Hooters)