Get In. Jim is Driving Us to Augusta (With a Pit Stop at TPC Sawgrass).
Hello friends, and welcome back to the Masters Pool Unlike Any Other.
This year, the M4Max Challenge is taking a slight detour. Our ultimate destination is still Amen Corner, but if you’ve ever dreamed of dunking a Pro V1 into the water at the famed island green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass, this year’s tournament will give you that chance.
Now, if you’re a rookie stumbling onto this page and currently thinking, “Wait, why is Jim Nantz driving a school bus, and what exactly did I just click on?” — allow me to explain.
M4Max is a sprawling, chaotic, and wildly unusual Masters golf pool. You pick a team of players, risk a few bucks, and spend four days letting a stranger’s short game completely ruin your weekend as you compete against thousands of others for a massive prize purse (which could easily top $200,000 this year).
But the real magic? Over the last 15 years, this beautiful circus has raised more than $1.1 million for Camp Ho Mita Koda, an incredible summer camp for kids with Type 1 Diabetes.
Which brings us back to the Sawgrass field trip. This year, anyone who generously adds an extra $25 donation to their entry fee is automatically entered into our mega-raffle. We are giving away TWO bucket-list marquee prizes this year: the ultimate “Tour Player Experience” at TPC Sawgrass for you and three friends, AND a 3-night getaway at a stunning private home on Pebble Beach’s legendary 17-Mile Drive. (More details on both below).
If you’re new here, I encourage you to keep reading – this site contains lots of great information about our cause, our prizes, and how this whole thing works. However, if you’re a M4Max veteran who has been there / done that (and wishes I understood how to use bullet points), go ahead and make your picks now.
The clock is ticking: the deadline to enter is Midnight Eastern this Wednesday, April 8th.
More Than a Pool. More Than $1.1 Million and Counting.
Every dollar you spend entering M4Max does double duty: it puts you in the running for some extraordinary cash and prizes and it goes directly toward something we’re genuinely proud of. One third of every team entry fee, plus 100% of all additional donations, goes to Camp Ho Mita Koda, a life-changing summer camp for kids living with Type 1 Diabetes (like my son and our tournament namesake, Max).
A Tale of Two 17s
We have a slight obsession with the number 17 this year. Our two major raffle prizes give you a choice between West Coast serenity and East Coast anxiety. One winner will spend three nights soaking up the views from a stunning private home on Pebble Beach’s 17-Mile Drive, and the other better pack some water balls for the famed 17th island green at TPC Sawgrass.
Prize #1: The Tour Player Experience at TPC Sawgrass
One winner and three lucky friends will get the ultimate VIP treatment in Ponte Vedra Beach. This package includes three nights at the Marriott Sawgrass, a round on Dye’s Valley Course, and a round on the iconic Stadium Course (yes, the one with the island green). You’ll get Tour-player-only locker room access, caddies with your name on the bib, and $5,000 in spending money for the trip. Learn more about the Tour Player Experience here.
Prize #2: Please Pack Your Pretentious Sweaters, We’re Going to Pebble Beach
We’re once again giving away a 3-night stay for six people at a stunning private home on Pebble Beach’s legendary 17-Mile Drive. Cypress Point is basically your backyard, and you can practically touch the Lone Cypress from the kitchen. This prize also includes $5,000 in spending money to use during your time on the Monterey Peninsula.
(A massive thank you to Blumaka performance insoles for sponsoring this Pebble Beach prize. Use discount code “M4Max” for 20% off insoles that are actually scientifically proven to increase your swing speed. Put them in your golf shoes and thank me later). Check out the 17 Mile Drive home here.
How to Win the Mega-Raffle:
Donate $25 extra beyond your entry fee for one chance to win, or $100 extra for 5 chances to win.
(Note: Some date restrictions apply for both trips, but we will work with you to find a great time to go).
You’re Contractually Obligated to Attend My Masters Viewing Party
Sorry to break it to you this way, but once you enter the 2026 M4Max Challenge you are now required to attend our big Masters viewing party this Friday, April 10th from 12 – 6 pm at the Rosewood Grill in Hudson, OH (you really should have read the fine print). In all seriousness, there will be awesome Masters themed food and some fantastic raffle prizes for those who are able to stop in.
The menu includes pulled pork sliders, burgers with pimento cheese, egg salad sandwiches, peach cobbler, Azalea cocktails and Augusta Peach beer from Sibling Revelry Brewing Co. The best part? ALL sales from Masters menu items will be donated to our cause.
I’ll be there, my Mom will be there, and lots of other M4Max and Masters enthusiasts will be there this Friday. Hope to see you in person soon!
Stay tuned for more details on how to win our Masters Viewing party raffle prizes, even if you’re unable to attend the Masters Viewing party.
Raffle tickets are 4 for $20 or 15 for $50, and you can win one of 10 great prizes.
These Prizes Make Other Raffles Jealous
- A foursome in the 2026 Kaulig Companies Championship Monday Pro-Am. You and 3 friends will tee it up with a Champions Tour professional at Firestone South during tournament conditions.
- A private 1 hour golf lesson with 2003 British Open champ Ben Curtis at Club 283, Ben’s new private indoor golf club
- A bourbon basket filled with several high end bourbons, including a bottle of Blanton’s Single Barrel
- $200 gift card to the Rosewood Grill
- Walk inside the ropes with a Champions Tour superstar at the Kaulig Championship at Firestone Country Club
- A custom M4Max fairway wood cover by Little Prince Customs, as well as a M4Max polo and hoodie
- 4 lower level seats (approximately 10 rows back on the third base side) to a regular season Cleveland Guardians game
- A round of golf for 4 at the Country Club of Hudson, in Hudson, OH
- A swag bag of great golf gear and apparel worth $250 from Birdie & Co. golf
- One 45 minute sports psychology session with renowned sports psychologist Sam Maniar of Peak Performance Counseling and Peak Performance swag worth $600 in total value.
You Would Look Really Cute in a M4Max Hoodie. Just sayin’.
The M4Max Pro Shop just got a refresh, and this year’s lineup includes exclusive new designs celebrating golf’s most elite sandwich (which M4Max enthusiast John Daly is modeling below). Pick up a hoodie or a t-shirt and show your support at the M4Max Pro Shop.
Our Instagram: Lowering the Bar for Masters Coverage Since 2015
In addition to the live drawing to determine the winners of the Pebble Beach and TPC Sawgrass experiences during the final round of the Masters on Sunday, April 12th, our Instagram site is your one-stop-shop for all the goofy memes/videos, impromptu contests and other shenanigans that has made the M4Max Challenge legendary. Make sure you’re following along at M4Max26.
Lucky @$&%$! Past Champions
| YEAR | M4MAX CHAMPION(S) | 1ST PLACE PAYOUT |
| 2025 | JASON SERRANO, Brooklyn, NY | $30,000 |
| 2024 | SCOTT CAYO, Brookfield, WI | PAUL ERDMAN, Eloy, AZ | $40,000 |
| 2023 | PETER FIORETTI, Huntington, NY | ROB FISHER, Arlington, VA | $28,500 |
| 2022 | PHIL STEVENSON, Tallahassee, FL | $20,000 |
| 2021 | MIKE MCGUIGAN, Pepper Pike, OH | $15,000 |
| 2020 | KEN JENNEJAHN, Elmhurst, IL | $10,000 |
| 2019 | ANDREW RADEL, Springboro, OH | $18,750 |
| 2018 | ANTHONY FREDA, Ewing, NJ | $12,325 |
| 2016 | TRACY HICKS, Brecksville, OH | $8,000 |
| 2015 | BEN WEISS, Chicago, IL | $4,400 |
| 2014 | DOUG PYATT, Las Vegas, NV | $3,250 |
| 2013 | GARY TUREK, St. Louis, MO | $2,500 |
| 2012 | ED SOGAN, Hudson, OH | $1,100 |
| 2011 | KATIE CLOUGH, Hudson, OH | $240 |
What Started as an Office Golf Pool Is Now a Medium-Sized Sovereign Nation
Last year we shattered every record, with the largest prize pool and biggest donation to charity in our history:
- Nearly 5,000 participants from 49 states, 12 countries and 4 continents
- Almost 12,000 teams entered
- ~200 winners and ~$170,000 in payouts
- 2025 Champion Jason Serrano of Brooklyn, NY, took home $30,000 (plus an additional $5,000 for leading after Round 3)
- Over $341,000 donated to Camp Ho Mita Koda
The M4Max Challenge has quietly become something genuinely unlike anything else in the world of golf. What started as a small Masters pool with a big heart has grown into a mighty community of thousands worldwide that makes a huge positive impact in the lives of kids with Type 1 Diabetes.
I believe M4Max 2026 will be our largest and most exciting edition yet. If all goes as planned, we’ll have more than $200,000 in cash prizes awarded to hundreds of participants, including one lucky soul who walks away with a 1st place prize worth north of $30,000. Of course, there will also be “contests within the contest”, unusual ways to win, and memes. So many memes.
The fun starts soon. Just make sure you…
Don’t Miss the Bus: Deadline to enter is Midnight Eastern this Wednesday, April 8th.
Please spread the word, and see you soon!
Chris Mikolay
M4Max Creator and Max’ Proud Father
P.S. – I visited Camp Ho Mita Koda this summer to present a “golf check” representing the $340,000+ the 2025 M4Max Challenge generated. The kids are awesome, and participating in this pool makes a tangible difference in the lives of so many. Thank you for being a part of it!
