Need a Masters Week Pick-Me-Up? This Local Augusta Coffee Bar is a Must-Try

If my good friend Ian Gilley (the man behind Sugarloaf Social Club) says to check a place out—you don't hesitate or ask questions, you just go. The man is an expert in finding hidden gems and putting people on—connecting them with things they didn't even know they needed.

When I told him I was headed down to Augusta a week before the Masters for the Augusta National Women's Amateur, he immediately said to hit up the one and only Trellis Coffee Bar, a beloved local spot that has become a staple during golf's biggest week.

This place is talked about with such fervor, I couldn't have been happier to find myself tucked into the back corner of the old bike shop garage turned coffee shop some three miles from where the first major of he year (and the final round of the ANWA championship) is about to be held.

What's better, I had the privilege of sitting down with the trio that took Trellis from a mere concept to a concrete pillar of the Augusta community in a little over two years, co-owners Danielle Whiting, Ross McDaniel, and Brent Skelley. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with warm smiles and a true southern hospitality that makes you feel like the strangers you just met has been your best friends for years.

We each ordered our drinks (I of course ordered a lavender matcha) and baked goods and broke bread—literally.

The Foundation: Curating a Space Where Coffee can be an Experience

Despite people chatting about this place, making it seem as if its been here for ages, Trellis has only had its doors open for 18 months. Whiting, McDaniel, and Skelley all grew up locally and they know Augusta like the backs of their hands.

And like many millennials, they had thoughts of packing up and leaving—maybe moving on to a bigger micro-city like Greenville, Charlotte, Savannah, or Atlanta. But then a thought struck Skelley and McDaniel: What if instead of leaving a trying to find places to go and grow, they helped grow the community around them? Thus kicked off the dream of curating a place for the folks of Augusta to have a shared communal space to enjoy, with coffee at the heart of it all.

A friend had introduced them to what they call "elevated versions" of coffee. A category of coffee beyond Folgers and the cup you drink for a quick caffeine burst, but rather a brew that takes time and a little bit of dressing. For the Trellis team, coffee making is a process, an experience (much like golf), and that's reflected in the physical space of the shop they would go on to build.

The building itself dates back to the 40s and 50s and was once a bike shop that had been converted into storage space. From the big garage doors to the rounded off front of the building, this space had the perfect bones to become the unofficial, official spot of Augusta.

Trellis Coffee Bar sits at the heart of five different neighborhoods, where anesthesiologists and students at the local university alike intersect, and come and hang to enjoy quality coffee and baked goods.

Trellis Treats: The Famous Focaccia

Georgia Miller Photography

Speaking of baked goods...the focaccia just might be the best, most delectable thing I've ever tasted. Dense, yet airy, perfectly salted, with the right amount of olive oil that will have you questioning if you just teleported to Italy.

The secret to the formidable and legendary focaccia? Sourdough. The team has perfected the ratio, where its bouncy and slightly tangy that needs absolutely nothing to make it exceptional.

The team dropped a hint about a few of the special Masters week menu items...needless to say, I'll be returning...several times.

The Main Characters of Augusta

Trellis is a great people-watching spot.

The locals, man, they are such characters. You have your local run club folks who meet up in the parking lot, hit their two miles, grab a coffee and go on with their days. Then you have the families who bring their kids (there’s a little kids corner where the kiddos can get in their barista practices early), mixed in with the older crowd who hang out and enjoy a good morning brew. The college kids who come together and study—every type of person you can imagine walks through those doors and the team behind the counter greets each and everyone just the same.

This community is tight-knit.

Georgia Miller Photography

The Sugarloaf Connection

And the folks who come during Masters week are just as essential to the community—enter SSC. It all started in the DMs. Gilley is an Augusta frequent flyer, so of course he had to find a great spot for a little pick me up. The search began and ended at Trellis.

Like so many, he was lured in by the focaccia and kept coming back, sending his friends to check it out. One by one, every golfer, caddie, and golf industry person in Gilley's spiderweb network came through and enjoyed it just the same.

And from there a relationship was born. Whiting, Trellis’ resident golf sicko has been privy to Sugarloaf for quite some time now and was stoked on Gilley reaching out to do a merch collab. A limited edition capsule to commemorate a special place during a special week…golf’s most sacred week.

It’s a match made in heaven of perfect branding and elevated takes on simple pleasures—golf and coffee.

Shop the SSC X Trellis Collab

Georgia Miller Photography

*Every product across Skratch.Golf is independently selected by editors. We comprehensively stand behind every product we feature editorially, but want to disclose that Skratch and Sugarloaf Social Club are both owned by Pro Shop Inc.

Trellis feels so familiar to even on the first visit. It's a true local staple and if you're in town and don't stop by, you're missing out. The vibes are unmatched. The people are friendly, and it feels exactly like what the focaccia tastes like—a little slice of heaven.