{"id":600515,"date":"2026-04-11T18:08:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:08:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/600515\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T18:08:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T18:08:10","slug":"those-masters-ads-featuring-kid-recreating-memorable-augusta-moments-arent-just-adorable-theyre-raising-money-for-a-great-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/600515\/","title":{"rendered":"Those Masters ads featuring kid recreating memorable Augusta moments aren\u2019t just adorable. They\u2019re raising money for a great cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those Masters commercials that have youngsters acting out great moments at Augusta National to voiceovers from the original broadcast? Simple, pure, memorable. And, as it turns out, simply authentic to the kids themselves.<\/p>\n

The campaign is part of Bank of America\u2019s Golf With Us program, which last year made it possible for more than 100,000 kids to play golf at thousands of courses nationwide for green fees of $5 or less. The corporation partnered with Youth on Course to offer free membership to the program that seeks to make golf more accessible and affordable to kids ages 6-18.<\/p>\n

Several kids who are members of the Youth on Course program steal the show by starring in the latest Bank of America commercials on regular rotation during the 2026 Masters broadcasts. The three spots have kids recreating Jack Nicklaus\u2019 legendary 17th hole birdie putt at the 1986 Masters, Bubba Watson\u2019s escape on the 10th hole in his playoff win in 2012 and Rory McIlroy\u2019s majestic second-shot approach to the 15th hole in last year\u2019s final round. The youngsters not only match the fashion, fist pumps and facial expressions of the Masters champions, they do it to the iconic backing vocals of the original Masters broadcasts of those moments.<\/p>\n

You hear Verne Lundquist\u2019s \u201cMaybe \u2026 Yes, sir!\u201d behind Cora A. with her putter raised high after holing a downhill slider, dressed in vintage plaid pants and Nicklaus\u2019 famous yellow Sunday shirt. On the shot from the trees, 9-year-old Priam V., wearing a Watson-esque visor and dressed in white long pants and white polo, lashes the same hooking wedge and jumps out of the trees with a double fist pump to Nick Faldo\u2019s \u201cAbsolutely incredible \u2026 Oh my goodness!\u201d And McIlroy\u2019s shot from 2025 is recreated by Payton B., 8, who finished off the performance with the champion\u2019s joyful collapse and roar on the 18th green, all while Jim Nantz\u2019s voice echoes, \u201cHis masterpiece!\u201d<\/p>\n

This @BankofAmerica<\/a> ad campaign with the kids recreating memorable @TheMasters<\/a> moments aren’t just adorable. They’re helping raise money for a good cause. pic.twitter.com\/o19ohQ1Br5<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ryan Herrington (@RHerringtonGD) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Kids imagining themselves hitting a shot to win the Masters is almost as old as the Masters itself. But bringing the idea to life required more than imagination. You needed youngsters who not only were believable as golfers, but also those who could find themselves becoming uniquely authentic to these moments, said Michele Barlow, Bank of America\u2019s head of enterprise marketing. <\/p>\n

Having award-winning director Lance Acord cajole the kids through the shoots also was vital, she said. Acord is famous for his VW \u201cForce\u201d Super Bowl commercial involving a youngster pretending to be Darth Vader, and another Emmy winning iPhone spot, \u201cMisunderstood,\u201d all about a youngster alone at a holiday gathering. Acord understands how kids work, Barlow said. It\u2019s also having youngsters fully invested. Those are real shots, not green screens and special effects, and the reactions are just as real as rehearsed.<\/p>\n

\u201cLance was so amazing throughout in getting the kids to continually try one more shot, one more shot, and the young woman who was hitting Jack Nicklaus\u2019 putt ended up making it five times in a row,\u201d Barlow said. \u201cSo, some of what happened is just as you see it on the screen. She\u2019s paying attention, she\u2019s excited and after a while she\u2019s not even shooting a TV commercial. They\u2019re just connecting to some of the greatest moments ever. It\u2019s hard to fake that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/www.golfdigest.com\/content\/dam\/images\/golfdigest\/fullset\/2026\/4\/bank-of-america-bubba-wedge-ad-screen-shot.jpg\"\/ <\/p>\n

While the spots were not shot on site at Augusta National, a generic venue just similar enough worked to make the action seem more believable because it wasn\u2019t exactly the same. In other words, it was the way the scene might have played out in a young person\u2019s head late in the day with the course all to herself.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had what we thought was a really great idea, but a great idea on paper does doesn\u2019t always translate into the kind of emotional storytelling and tug at the heartstrings that we wanted to get,\u201d Barlow said. \u201cBeing able to work with shots that even if you didn\u2019t see the original one, you\u2019re immediately trying to test yourself to remember it. But then having kids who became super passionate about these shots took it to another level.\u201d<\/p>\n

What seems no less compelling about the commercials is Bank of America\u2019s commitment to getting young people into the game. The company\u2019s goal is to increase the participation in the $5 green fee \u201cGolf With Us\u201d\/Youth on Course from 100,000 to 150,000 sign-ups in 2026. According to the company, McIlroy also has pledged an additional $500,000 donation to fund an additional 70,000 rounds for Youth on Course members.<\/p>\n

Among many initiatives, the effort has brought loads of new golfers to the game in recent years. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of junior golfers has increased by nearly 1 million players since 2019, a 40 percent jump. Off-course participation by youngsters is up 82 percent to nearly 4 million players. The Golf With Us program included more than 20 percent girls, and NGF figures say females under 18 are the fastest-growing demographic in golf, comprising 38 percent of all junior golfers. Seems fitting that the scene of Nicklaus\u2019s famous putt was recreated by someone named Cora.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting more young girls into golf is very important to us,\u201d said Barlow, noting that Bank of America has been an original sponsor of the Augusta National Women\u2019s Amateur. \u201cWe wanted to demonstrate that commitment in one of the spots. We presented the idea to Jack, and he loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Masters 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions<\/p>\n

How to watch the 2026 Masters<\/p>\n

The prize money payout for each golfer at the 2026 Masters<\/p>\n

50 defining Masters Moments, ranked<\/p>\n

The most memorable Rules issues in Masters history<\/p>\n

Has the Masters begun to lose a bit of its identity?<\/p>\n

Every course change ever made at Augusta National<\/p>\n

A brief history of Masters prize money payouts<\/p>\n

15 people who ended up in the Masters penalty box<\/p>\n

The Champions Dinner Tell-All, from those inside the room<\/p>\n

This article was originally published on golfdigest.com<\/p>\n