The rise of a lawn gnome as the most sought-after item at the Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ryan Carey is recognized as the leading authority on golf memorabilia worldwide. The Golfer’s Journal has referred to him as “golf’s treasure hunter.” His company, Golden Age Auctions, facilitates the buying and selling of the most coveted artifacts from the sport’s past. However, there is one priceless golf item that he chose not to pursue.
“I was skeptical about the gnome,” Carey admits.
The once-simple garden gnome has served as a quirky decorative piece for centuries, originating in nineteenth-century Germany. In 2016, the gnome appeared in the garden section of Augusta National’s golf shop, where the 13.5-inch bearded figure, adorned in golf-themed Masters attire, was priced at approximately $50. A decade later, it has emerged as the most coveted collectible among all items at the Masters. It is the sole item available on-site that is restricted to one purchase per customer.
“The level of interest in these gnomes, the affection for them, and the desire to collect them is unlike anything I can truly recall,” Carey stated. “We sold Tiger Woods’ irons from the Tiger Slam a few years back for over $5 million. I receive more inquiries about these gnomes than I do about those clubs. It’s astonishing.”
Augusta National could not have anticipated this phenomenon. In fact, it did not release a gnome in 2017. However, the gnomes returned in 2018 and have remained ever since. Each year brings new attire — always featuring the bearded gnome, sometimes holding a coffee cup or a sandwich. In 2016, it sported an argyle sweater. It has also donned a caddy’s outfit (2018), a Christmas sweater (2020, when the tournament was held in mid-November due to COVID-19), a shirt decorated with Masters badges (2021), and last year, it held one of the tournament’s Georgia peach ice cream sandwiches.
Patrons now queue for hours to acquire one, many eager to complete their collection. They dress similarly to the gnomes. They embody the spirit of the gnomes. In some instances, the gnomes become integral to their families. Yet, speculation continues that this may be the final year for the gnomes.
Augusta National rarely addresses such topics and previously declined to comment. However, during his annual address on Wednesday, Fred S. Ridley, the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, was asked about what a reporter hesitantly termed a somewhat trivial inquiry regarding the gnome’s future, and Ridley maintained the intrigue.
“First, the question is not trivial,” he remarked. “Second, I’ve been inquiring about that for several years, and they won’t disclose the answer. So I can’t assist you.”
It was unclear who might have such influence over Ridley in the merchandise department. Nevertheless, the Masters does not require interest or revenue to sell its products.
A Forbes report from 2022 estimated its annual merchandise revenue at $69 million, or roughly $10 million per day. Patrons frequently exit the golf shop with receipts resembling those from CVS, often exceeding $1,000, despite the moderate pricing of most items. Videos showcasing Masters hauls have become popular on TikTok.
This gnome craze might be precisely what leads to its discontinuation. Carey mentioned that Golden Age is finally auctioning the gnomes for the first time this week during its Masters Week auction. The original edition is anticipated to fetch over $10,000.
The overt consumerism, coupled with the lines of individuals waiting to purchase a gnome, raises concerns about its future, with a source indicating that the club was not pleased to see them flooding eBay shortly after their release for over $500 each.
Nothing at Augusta National should overshadow Augusta National itself — certainly not a mythical mischievous miniature figure.
KENNETH LOCKE HAS spent his entire life in Augusta. He grew up on Azalea Drive in National Hills, the neighborhood adjacent to Augusta National, and shares stories of walking up the street to the gates, purchasing a pass on the spot, and entering. As a teenager, he worked there, sweeping leaves to keep Magnolia Lane, the iconic driveway leading to the clubhouse, immaculate.
Locke cherishes the Masters, and unlike many locals, he does not rent out his home during the tournament. He remains because he relishes the week when the world converges on his town. He aims to be part of the welcoming committee. In 2019, Locke, a cheerful retiree with a beard, recognized how much he resembled the gnome. Thus, he decided to enhance the Masters experience by dressing as the collectible item from the gift shop. He just needed the right attire. That year, a bucket hat, a plain polo, and khakis were all it took.
In 2024, when the Masters released a video promoting the tournament featuring the gnome’s arrival a week prior, Locke set to work.
He had a cardigan that matched. He purchased a coordinating hat at an antique store. He borrowed an Augusta National tie from a neighbor. His wife, Tammy, whom he refers to as “the backbone of the operation,” found matching plaid pants from golfer John Daly’s website and then painted shoes to match. He unveiled his look at the Masters. “We went out there and it went wild,” he said. The official Masters account even shared a photo of him with the caption, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. #themasters pic.twitter.com/t2p1eO3yBX
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 6, 2024
Locke has successfully captured the essence in subsequent years, including last year, when the look was revealed just two days before he intended to attend the tournament. The gnome’s 2025 shirt featured illustrations of peaches and ice cream. So Tammy hand-painted a replica.
Locke is regarded as everyone’s gnomie in Augusta during the Masters. He and his son, Mitch, were driving through a neighborhood nearby when a police officer signaled for them to pull over. The officer asked, “Hey man, can I get a selfie with you?” Kenneth received an invitation to a book signing at a downtown bookstore and stood in the window, dressed as the gnome, and even signed autographs.
On Monday, during lunch at Oliviana, an Italian restaurant in Augusta, while discussing his alter ego, a customer exited, paused, and exclaimed, “Oh my god, he looks like the gnome.” Another person took photos of him standing with his umbrella open, just like this year’s gnome with a functional umbrella. He resembles a walking Where’s Waldo.
Regardless of whether the gnome returns next year, Locke will still be present. A little girl inquired if he is the real Masters gnome.
“Yes, I am,” he replied.
HANNA AND CHRIS Wallace of Augusta acquired a gnome each on Saturday, meaning they now possess every edition except the original. Years ago, they were offered the 2016 version for $500, but Hanna believed that was excessively high. Now, an original gnome is expected to sell for 20 times that amount.
John Reading, who operates Crazy Johnny’s Golf Haberdashery inside the Five Fathoms Antiques and Curiosities market just down the road from Augusta National, had several gnomes available for sale, including one from 2019 — “a Tiger year” when Woods won another Masters, which increases its value — priced at $3,000. He noted that the original gnome is challenging to find because it was used as intended. People purchased them, placed them in their yards, and subjected them to a decade of weathering.
“People put them in their yard or garden, because why would you think it would be worth $10,000?” Carey remarked. “Consider whoever was ordering for Augusta National for the 2016 Masters. You would not have placed a large order. You would never have anticipated that this would become a massive bestseller. There’s no way. They probably thought, ‘Cool, the garden section doesn’t sell much, but let’s order some of these because they’re quirky and cute.’
Carey likened the rise of the gnomes as collectibles to Mickey Mantle rookie cards. They were items our grandparents purchased, but they were inexpensive, and no one preserved them or kept them in good condition because they were not expected to be valuable.
However, now that their future is uncertain, they have become even more intriguing. Reading mentioned that he had several customers this week come in after failing to secure one. It requires some effort.
Jackson Logan participated in the Drive, Chip and Putt national finals last year at Augusta National, and his father Rick brought him to support his friend and rival, Texas Terry, who ultimately won this year’s 12-13 age division.
Jackson, 12, was free from the pressures of the course this year, but gnome duty demanded its own discipline. Jackson and his sister Madison, 15, arrived from Florida late on Sunday and got less than five hours of sleep to be there before the gates opened to get in line.
No one seemed to grasp the dynamics at play better than Madison, who compared the gnome frenzy to other viral trends. It’s a luxury Labubu. “It’s like levels of overconsumption,” she stated.
Still, she secured her second gnome, expressing her intention to place this one next to “Mr. Peaches,” her name for last year’s gnome. “These are just better,” Madison remarked.
Robert Young III can understand why the Masters would be hesitant about the hype surrounding the little figures. He arrived at Augusta National on Sunday shortly after 7 a.m. and observed people departing with their gnomes, just minutes after the course and the golf shop opened.
Nevertheless, he humorously admitted that he got swept up in the excitement himself. He inquired why everyone had gnomes and was informed they were the item to acquire.
“So I need one of those now,” he said.
However, he stated he was there for the golf. And he had no intention of flipping his gnome for a quick profit.
“I’m going to place it in my house,” he stated. “In a safe.”
IF THIS IS indeed the end for the gnome, Hanna Wallace expressed that she would be surprised and perhaps a bit saddened. She picked up several of this year’s new offerings, including a gnome sweatshirt, and mentioned there is also a gnome watch. She noted that she has heard for the past couple of years that the gnomes were on the verge of extinction. Yet here she was again, carrying one around in its box. Thus, she is uncertain if it’s all just rumors, part of the mystery and allure of Augusta National.
For the Wallaces, the gnomes are family. They are prominently displayed in their home and are part of the morning routine for their 3-year-old daughter, A.J.
Every morning, Hanna shared, A.J. asks the gnomes if she can have coffee with them. She sits and pretends they have theirs in their tiny cups. “She has grown up with the gnomes,” her mother noted. Chris remarked that he could never have imagined that his family would want to have a garden gnome in their home, but the niche appeal drew them in, and now the figurines are part of their home decor. They are not alone in this sentiment.
“If you could go in there and buy a hundred, someone would go in there and try to buy two hundred,” he said. “The rules they implemented just to purchase one reflect how crazy people are about them.”
Carey stated he is no longer a skeptic, acknowledging that these are significant items in the collecting world, and he hopes this trend will continue. He desires for families to be able to collect them for years to come.
Locke envisions a future where the gnome wears the iconic Masters green jacket, compelling him to elevate his game to maintain his newfound tradition. “I think I could get one,” he remarked.
Carey’s Golden Age Masters auction is currently active. There are several putters crafted by the renowned club designer Scotty Cameron, including one made for President Donald Trump. There are personal items belonging to Tiger Woods, including his autographed driver and some of his earliest golf trophies from the 1980s, along with various items signed by 2025 Masters champion Rory McIlroy. Among the items receiving the most bids is the 2016 Masters gnome.
“I know there will be many of our customers, especially those who are older, thinking ‘Wait, what the hell’s going on?'” Carey remarked.
But Madison Logan understands the appeal. “Feel the power of the gnome,” she stated. “It’s magnificent.”
Robert Young played along with Augusta National’s enigma surrounding the gnomes, telling everyone that his score was significant.
“I got the last one,” he claimed. “Whether it’s true or not, everyone believes it is right now.”
