AUGUSTA, Ga. — Sorry, Rory. Step aside, Scottie. Back up, Bryson. With all due respect to the greats of the game gathered at Augusta National this week, the figure most Masters patrons apparently want to meet stands about 13 inches tall. ‘
Once again, a tiny gnome is the hit of the Masters, and once again, Masters patrons are spending significant portions of their precious day at Augusta National chasing said gnome. Patrons gather at the gates at 6 a.m. every day, and only because Augusta National won’t let them gather any earlier. Lines for the merch buildings stretch for as much as 90 minutes. Every available gnome gets snapped up as soon as it’s placed on a shelf, and many end up in antique shops or on eBay within the hour.
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Yes, seriously.
First introduced in 2016, the gnome became a surprise collectible hit a few years later during COVID. Priced at around $50, with a strict limit of one per customer, the gnomes are a precious commodity, with some estimates suggesting that Augusta National releases only about 1,000 per day. (When an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 patrons are on site, you can see that the gnome hunt quickly becomes a math problem.)
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 06: A view of a Masters Gnome being carried by a patron during a practice round prior to the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 06, 2026 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
(Andrew Redington via Getty Images)
The markups are significant. One Augusta collectibles dealer told Yahoo Sports he will pay $250 for any 2026 gnome, a 5x return on investment before the sun goes down. At Trends & Traditions, an antique store located a solid 5-iron from Magnolia Lane, a 2019 gnome is listed for $3,000 and a 2021 version for $1,500. One major auction house, Goldenage Auctions, has an original 2016 gnome listed for the first time, and it’s already got a bid near $6,000.
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All of this speculation, plus the Black Friday-esque frenzy of patrons queuing up for the (probably vain) hope of snaring a prized gnome, is very un-Masters-like. It’s part of a growing trend of consumerism and spectacle at Augusta National that’s drawing the attention of the patrons away from the golf.
For that reason, rumors abound that this year will be the gnomes’ last year. When asked directly about the fate of the gnomes, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley didn’t exactly offer a life-saving call from the governor. “I’ve been asking that question for several years, and they won’t tell me the answer,” Ridley said Wednesday morning. “So I can’t help you.”
Should this be the gnomes’ last run as standalone, new-every-year collectibles, it’s likely they’ll persist in other, less investment-worthy forms. You can already buy gnome t-shirts, key rings, salt shakers and cheese spreaders, and none of those runs are limited. And chances are you won’t be offered $300, $500 or $700 on the spot for your gnome, which one patron was on Tuesday.
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Until then, the gnomes will pop up in the Masters’ merch shops and shelves, and vanish as quickly as they arrive. And patrons are welcome to wait in massive lines for them … if that’s what they really want to do with their one precious day at the Masters.