For so many of the lucky patrons who attend Augusta National each year, the must-have item from The Masters shop has been - since its release in 2016 - the Masters gnome.
Standing at just 18 inches tall and baring an uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus with an outfit design that changes every year, the increasingly-iconic piece of merchandise retails for $49.50. But patrons have to be quick as it's only available to purchase through official channels for eight days during Masters week.
This year called 'Peaches', the Masters gnome has various foods made famous by Augusta National adorned on a mint-green polo shirt, such as the Georgia peach ice cream sandwich and the world-famous pimento cheese.
The outfit is completed by light grey slacks plus white and green golf shoes with a Masters green belt and a Masters cap. Peaches is also holding a sandwich in his left hand and carrying a Masters bag over his right shoulder.
As well as the full-size original version, there is a nine-inch Caddie gnome which cost $29.50 in the Masters shop, a mini caddie ornament, plus salt and pepper shakers if Peaches isn't to your taste.
What can I say……..💚💚💚 #TheMasters #MastersGnome 🌼🌺🌸 pic.twitter.com/OdT7FbZTBsApril 12, 2025
Patrons who show enough desire to queue up while the sun is still brushing its teeth and the patience to stand in line for over an hour while the pros begin tackling the course are rewarded with the opportunity to buy just one Peaches per customer.
The primary reason for a required early start is due to the fact that Augusta National limits the (unknown) quantity it sells each day, with the rare batch disappearing off the shelves in the blink of an eye - usually before 8:30am or so.
As a result of the incredibly short supply, the kinds of numbers Peaches has been listed for on sites like ebay has been nothing short of mind-blowing.
During the tournament itself, an unopened 2025 Masters gnome was fetching in the region of $500 - roughly 10 times higher than its recommended retail price.
That figure only continued to rise once the Masters shop had closed its doors for good, with a search three days after Rory McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam producing several options to buy one for upwards of $1,000 each. The most expensive listed price on ebay as of Wednesday, April 16 was $2,000 - a 3,900% increase on the gnome's original cost.
Elliott Heath - Golf Monthly's news editor who was in attendance at The Masters this year - revealed the gnomes were the talk of the fairways at Augusta National but believes officials will look into methods of ensuring the prized items does not fetch such an astronomical price online in the future.
He said: "I was at Augusta National all week and you simply can’t get away from the gnomes. Everywhere you turn you see a patron holding on to their prized item with a slightly smug look on their face...as the now-iconic garden statue is without doubt the most in-demand item in the Augusta National Golf Shop.
"There were a number of gnomes on my flight home, too, being taken onto the plane as hand luggage and safely stowed in the overhead bins. They’re far too prized to be wrapped up and put away into hold baggage.
"While walking the course, I regularly heard those without gnomes asking the lucky gnome possessors: “Hey, how did you manage to get that gnome?” The answer, according to one of the shop attendants, was to get in line as soon as you arrive on-site as the gnomes, both large and mini, sell out by 8:30am each morning.
"Their rarity has turned into a slight problem for The Masters, as seen by these ludicrous prices on the resale market. Augusta certainly isn’t inviting patrons to The Masters for them to profit off of rare items from inside the shop, and this will surely be addressed at some point.
"How they do it is difficult, though. Perhaps simply upping manufacturing by a large amount to ensure every single patron who wants a gnome can purchase one will help next year, as the items will become less and less rare. The Masters gnome is certainly a phenomenon."
