Some Masters patrons are finding a way around Augusta National Golf Club’s ban on phones and video cameras by wearing Meta sunglasses that can record video from a first-person point of view. The issue surfaced on Apr. 9, 2026, after a discussion online about whether the glasses amount to a wearable workaround for a rule that is supposed to keep cameras out of the tournament.
Dan Rapaport flagged the problem on his podcast, saying, “There’s a rule that says, no cellphones. Just make the rule, no wearable technology,” and a fan shot back, “We call this ‘dry snitching’ Dan 😂.” The exchange put a fresh spotlight on a rule that already bars electronic devices, including devices capable of transmitting photo or video, as well as radios, TVs, noise and music-producing devices, knives and weapons of any kind, chairs and seats with pointed ends, folding armchairs and rigid-type chairs, ladders, periscopes, tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, and backpacks, bags and purses larger than 10” x10” x12”.
Augusta National calls spectators patrons, and the club’s restrictions are part of what makes The Masters different from other sporting events. Phones and video cameras are strictly prohibited, and technically that should extend to sunglasses capable of transmitting video as well. The gap between the written rule and what some patrons can now wear into the grounds is the problem: a ban built for hand-held devices is being tested by hardware that sits on a face instead.
That leaves Augusta with a familiar choice at its most controlled event: enforce the rule as written, or decide that a new kind of camera requires a new kind of ban. Either way, the sunglasses are turning a long-standing no-device policy into a live test of how far the Masters can go in keeping its biggest secrets off video.
