Jim Nantz Explains His Creative Process Behind His Many Iconic Masters Calls
Authenticity always wins.
The Masters is most synonymous with Augusta National, but ranked just behind the golf course itself is the longtime voice of the Masters, Jim Nantz.
The 2026 Masters will mark Nantz's 41st consecutive year covering golf's first major championship for CBS Sports. After a three-year stint that began in 1986 covering the Par 3 16th hole for the network, Nantz took over as the lead anchor for CBS's Masters broadcast in 1989, and hasn't left his post since.
While Nantz's introductory ‘Hello Friends’ may be the most recognizable phrase in the history of sports broadcasting, he's also had to carry the weight of describing the winning, life-changing moment at Augusta National for nearly four consecutive decades.
Jim Nantz has long been the voice of the Masters. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images and Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
During a recent appearance on the ‘New Heights’ podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Nantz peeled back the curtain on what exactly his process looks like in the lead-up to closing out the most iconic golf tournament in the world.
After explaining that he visualizes the final moment and his final call just like professional athletes tend to do on the eve of big games, Nantz explained that his broadcast calls aren't scripted.
"It's not scripting, but I think of scenarios," Nantz said. "I think of ‘what happens if Tiger Wins, what is that going to feel like, what are the stories I'm going to want to get into?'"
"Those taglines, particularly at Augusta, most of them are on the moment, organic, this is what I feel. I don't have notes in front of me. A couple of times, I'll have some background stories I had written down, but unlike a football game, in golf, I like to say I'm calling it from my heart, and what I see is what I feel, and I'm going to let my heart speak."
Most would agree that Nantz's authenticity and emotion bleed into his many taglines and closing calls of the Masters, which is exactly what makes them so memorable far more often than not.
It can't be an easy task to avoid scripting the final call of the Masters. It's a golf tournament played at the same time every year, on the same golf course, and something Nantz has seen play out with his own eyes more than 40 times.