The Masters have stepped up efforts to stop fans sneaking in AI glasses that allow them to circumvent Augusta’s strict no-phone and no-camera policy, the Daily Mail understands.
Over recent years, brands such as Oakley and Ray-Ban have released Meta AI glasses that allow users to send and receive messages, listen to music and capture photos and video.
The technology can be difficult to detect to the untrained eye and in recent years, some fans have brought the glasses into the Masters before posting videos online.
There have also been reports of a number of fans wearing the gadgets this week, prompting calls for the club to add them to the banned list.
Fans are allowed to bring cameras inside Augusta for practice rounds but as soon as the tournament starts on Thursday, the club bans electronic devices such as ‘cell phones, laptops, tablets, beepers, drones and other electronics… including devices capable of transmitting photo/video.’
Earlier this week, former Open champion Mark Calcavecchia was reportedly thrown out of the Masters after he was caught on his phone, while Kai Trump sparked allegations that she had broken the club’s golden rule after the president’s granddaughter posted pictures from behind the scenes at Augusta.
The Masters have stepped up efforts to stop fans sneaking AI glasses into Augusta National
Meta AI glasses allow users to send and receive messages as well as capture photos and video
During the Masters there is a strict ban on cameras and phones at Augusta National
A source told the Daily Mail that after smart glasses first emerged, security staff sometimes struggled to detect them, given how similar they look to regular sunglasses.
But now the gadgets are said to be among the club’s top priorities when briefing security staff, with officials learning how to spot the hidden cameras.
On one recent occasion, a source revealed, a fan was caught trying to bring the glasses in to the first round of the Masters.
They had used them for a practice round and were shown some mercy – the club confiscated the gadget but the fan was able to collect them as they left.
But should anyone attempt to sneak them in for Sunday’s final round, they would risk being kicked out and banned from the tournament, the source added.
It is also claimed that officials keep an eye out online for fans posting content using the glasses. At the time of writing, Augusta National had not responded to a request for comment.
