Garden gnomes may seem more at home among nana's primrose than a prestigious golf tournament.
Yet those bearded little fellows were the most sought-after prize at last weekend’s Masters' Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, per Golf Digest.
(Besides that snazzy green jacket.)
The Masters' golf gnomes are so coveted that some resell for 200x the original price. But the Labubus of golf could face retirement.
Gnome Country for Old Men
Introduced in 2016, the first Masters Patron Gnome — a 13.5-inch tall, argyle-sweatered golfer — was only available at Berckmans Place, the club's VIP dining-and-merch destination.
Absent in 2017, the white-bearded gnomes returned every year since 2018 sporting Masters-related outfits from caddy to patron (don't dare call them fans), holding a chair or clubs and a beverage or sandwich like the famous $1.50 pimento cheese.
- The 2016 gnome (~$35 retail) is expected to sell at auction for $10K and on eBay from $9K to $18K.
- Recent gnomes retail for $50 and resell for hundreds, while the 2019 edition goes for thousands — anything from a year Tiger Woods won is more valuable.
- Gnome mania surged in 2020 when the pandemic drove the Masters merch shop online.
- A 2016-to-2025 set lists for $40K.
- The 2026 gnome — with working umbrella — listed even before the tournament started from $400 to $2,500.
Gnome man's land
Why the fuss over these little dudes? Well, apart from inherent charm, the frenzy is driven by scarcity:
- Only 500 gnomes were sold daily (likely fewer the first year), until 2025 when the number doubled.
- It's the only Masters merch limited to one-per-customer.
- Gnome-obsessed patrons line up 3 hours before gates open.
But the Masters is a classy place where even cell phones are banned.
To curb gnome enthusiasm, patron parking now opens at 6 a.m. and rumors suggest this will be the gnome's final year.
But considering Masters merchandise earns over $69M, it's hard to believe they'll ditch the cash cow gnome. And since holes are named after flowers, a gnome seems right at home.
Don't worry if you missed out, at those prices, you could probably hire someone to be a gnome on your property just like 18th-century England.
