This weekend marks what, for many golf fans as the best weekend of the year — The Masters.

There’s nothing in sports quite as breathtaking as the iconic Augusta National Golf Club and the revered history of the best tournament in golf.

And it wouldn’t be The Masters without the longtime voice of the Masters, Jim Nantz.

The 2026 Masters will mark Nantz’s 41st consecutive year covering The Masters for CBS Sports. After a three-year gig 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.

Nantz’s famous ‘Hello Friends’ introductory line may be the most recognizable phrase in the history of sports broadcasting.

Nanta has also been a part of describing on-air many winning, life-changing moments at Augusta National for nearly four consecutive decades.

But how exactly did Nantz come up with some of his best on-camera Masters moments?

Are they sporadic? On the fly? Or has he thoughtfully planned them?

During a recent appearance on the ‘New Heights’ podcast with Jason and Travis Kelce, Nantz pulled 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 said 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.”

Ironically, Nantz recently described his most famous down-the-stretch memory at Augusta National in 2019 when Tiger Woods triumphantly won. However, it was a moment where Nantz said nothing that lives in most people’s memories.

Take a listen —

2026 Masters tournament coverage starts with featured groups on Thursday, April 9, at 9:15 a.m. ET on Masters.com and the ESPN App, followed by TV coverage on ESPN from 3–7:30 p.m. ET.

Early streaming coverage is available via Prime Video from 1–3 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday.

And of course, you can hear Nantz all weekend (with hopefully a famous call).