The Saviors of Augusta National

If you read last weeks SOCIETY Newsletter you read the story of ANGC’s rocky financial start and how out of that financial crisis came the Masters.

Despite the kickoff of the Augusta National Invitational Tournament, which later changed its name to the Masters Tournament, ANGC could not pay its bills. In 1935, just a mere 2 years after officially opening its doors, and only 8 months after Gene Sarazen won the second ever Masters, the club’s creditors moved to foreclose on the land. The grand experiment known as Augusta National seemed to be doomed to fail.

The image below is of the Foreclosure Sale of Augusta National dated August 19, 1935. The date it should be noted that could have ended Bobby Jones’ dream. Instead 5 men stepped up and saved Augusta National.

In perhaps their greatest moment of need, five members stepped up to save the club from being a lost forever.

Those heroes of Augusta National were:

Jerome Franklin

Alfred S Bourne

Jay Monroe

William Wallace

Henry B Garrett

For a mere $30,000 (roughly $700,000 in 2024) these five men won the foreclosure sale and saved ANGC from being relegated to a famous list of golf courses lost to time. In short they bought ANGC for only $30,000!

Thanks to these heroes of Augusta, the club and its newly crowned 4th Major lived on. From this moment on, ANGC grew in both membership and prestige. By 1940 their membership finally eclipsed 100 and the club never struggled financially again.

(One wonders: Had the club shuttered its doors- would Tom Doak be recreating Augusta National at Sand Valley?)

The History of the Masters Gnome

By Greg Lamb, Golf Historian

It is that time of year again, when golfers dream of the pristine greens and vibrant azaleas of Augusta National. For some, it is seeing the greatest golfers on one of the best courses in the world. For others attending the tournament, it is trying the famous concession items for the first time or enjoying their favorite pimento cheese or egg salad sandwiches from past tournaments. For regulars and newbies alike, this is your one opportunity a year to get your hands on exclusive merchandise--everything from ball markers, hats, polos, and replica pin flagsto more unusual items. It is well known that the only way to get your own piece of Augusta is through the gates of Augusta National Golf Club. However, there is one item that has brought on its own strange demand over the years. That item is the Masters Gnome.

The Masters Gnome is about 13.5 inches tall and retails for $49.50 in the Golf Shop/ merchandise area of Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters. The gnome has been a Caucasian man with a white beard, rosy cheeks, white shoes with a green accent, and blue eyes for all the years up to this point. The accessories and items change each year. The Masters Gnome was first offered in 2016. The 2016 Masters Gnome was a golfer with a green and yellow argyle sweater over a polo, khaki shorts, a golf bag labeled “Masters” carrying clubs and a green Masters hat. This author likes to refer to this gnome as the “O.G.” or original gnome. In 2017, a Masters Gnome was not sold in the Pro Shop. It is unclear whether there were problems with the production or if the decision not to offer the gnome in 2017 due to lackluster sales in 2016 of the O.G. gnome, which was not the must have item it is today. This has always come up in questions, but like many things only Augusta National will know the answer.

The gnome returned in 2018 with the traditional Augusta National white caddie uniform, green caddie hat, and a set of clubs over its shoulder. This gnome can be identified by the number 18 on the chest pocket. The 2019 Masters Gnome was a Patron Gnome with a green polo, khaki shorts, clear cup in left hand, Masters folding chair in bag, a green bucket hat with replica Masters badges on the bucket hat, and a badge/ticket on a lanyard around the neck. Also, this gnome is in high demand due to the aspect that it was a Tiger Woods win in 2019. With the change in the tournament in 2020 from April to November due to the Covid-19 pandemic brought a change to the gnome for the season. The 2020 Masters Gnome was available to patrons only through an online purchasing website for Patrons and ticket holders for that year. The gnome had a red sweater with the map and pin logos on the front, green plaid pants, set of clubs, and a toboggan. A few of these were damaged during the shipping process and were not replaced due to the limited availability thus further limiting the supply. For many people this was labeled the Christmas/Holiday Gnome due to the time of year and traditional colors of the holiday season. In 2021,with limited capacity to the tournament in April due to the Covid-19 pandemic, availability was made for Patrons and ticket holders not drawn for the actual tournament days to purchase merchandise (including the Masters Gnome) via the online website. The 2021 Masters Gnome was a Patron gnome with a badge print shirt, green shorts, straw hat, lanyard around neck,sandwich in left hand, and a Masters foldable chair bag on shoulder. It is not clear whether the sandwich is a pimento cheese or egg salad, but my preference is the pimento cheese.

There was also introduction of the Mini Masters Gnome in 2021. This smaller version of the Masters Gnome stands at about 6 inches tall. It is a smaller version of the 2018 Masters white caddie uniform with clubs. The big difference is the size and it has a number 1 on the caddie bib chest number. The 2022 Masters Gnome was the Gallery Guard gnome. This version features a green and white stiped shirt, khaki pants, foldable chair bag on shoulder, and yellow gallery guard hat. This gnome was also different in the fact it included the green stakes with rope for the display. The 2023 Masters Gnome went back to the Patrons gnome theme with a light blue polo with Masters icons, navy shorts, white hat, foldable chair bag on the shoulder, badge/ticket on pants, and a stack of cups in the left hand. This author likes to call this one “Cup Stacker” due to the tradition of keeping the cups purchased at the concession areas stacked in your hand to serve as a cheap koozie and a quick reference to know how many beverages a person has consumed for the day.Images of the 2024 Masters Gnome have recently been released through the Masters social media accounts and a video featuring this “special guest of the club.” The 2024 Gnome has a white bucket hat, green and white striped tie, blue cardigan, green plaid pants, and a set of clubs with green and yellow headcover. Pricing is yet unknown; however, the gnome is already making a big impact with many likes and shares on social media weeks before the tournament.

The Masters Gnome has become the “it” item for patrons attending the Masters in recent years. For many, it has been the question of why the gnome? Why are they so popular to drive aperson to purchase a ticket to the tournament, stand in line at 5 a.m., and never see the course just to get one? The answer is basic economics, supply and demand. The Masters Gnomes have seen a surge in demand due to the limited supply factor. Only a limited number are available each day and are normally sold out early each day before noon. (These are the larger ones;the smaller ones are almost always available.) The Masters is one of the most exclusive golf tournaments in the world. People want items to be associated with going to the Masters and the tournament experience which only increases the demand. With the strong demand comes increased prices on the secondary market. The recent retail of $49.50 grows to an average of almost $300 for the 2023 Masters gnome in the marketplace. The 2016 Gnomes are going for as much as $5,000 on the secondary market. During the development of this story there are actually whole sets of these gnomes listed on eBay for the Buy it Now of $15,000. Driven by the use of social media by the Masters Tournament using the gnomes in some of their videos,interactive experiences during the tournament, patron demand,and what is known as behavioral economics, or the cute factor.(The cute factor is not a scientific factor; it can much be much like a person that says I just want that item or a person that purchases something due to its likeability.) But the biggest factor is still the limited access to the tournament (and the merchandise) via a lottery system and series badge list, which is the reason for such a large markup on the secondary market.

As a historian, it is hard not to look back to some of the other times in history to other items that were had a huge demand that caused a huge spike increase of price. One event was known as Tulipmania in Holland in 1864. Tulip bulbs were in such demand and prices increased in the fact that people got in on the trade since they were trading at high prices. Some bulbs were traded at $50,000 to $150,000 in today’s dollars. The market was a bubble that eventually busted and prices fell back to normal prices. It did not crash Holland’s economy but it did create examples of extreme buying. Other items that are examples of extreme buying include Beanie Babies, baseball cards, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and more recently, Stanley Cups.

It is not known if prices of Masters Gnomes will fall over time due to the supply and the demand of the secondary market. It was quoted in an Associated Press article that all businesses wish that they could understand how to bundle and market the demand for such an item for their business. Augusta National has used the Masters Gnomes to help provide interest for the tournament, including using them in their social media posts and other media. It is certain the gnomes remind us all of the characters and players that make the Masters one of the greatest tournaments in the world. It may not be for everybody, but regardless of whether you display it in your outdoor garden or keep it mint in package, the Masters Gnome helps remind us of those spring days and some of the greatest golf moments in the history of the sport.

Greg Lamb, Golf Historian

When Did the Masters Become a Major?

Want to know more about the early years of the Masters? When did the Masters become a major?

Listen to this podcast.

Auction Spotlight: Sam Snead’s Masters Trophy

In March 2018, Golden Age Golf Auctions held an auction for an unparalleled piece of golf history.

While the winner’s Green Jacket gets all the glory, the sterling silver replica of the Augusta National Clubhouse is one of the most beautiful trophies of all-time. Six years ago one of these iconic trophies hit the auction block- Sam Snead’s 1954 Masters Trophy came up for auction and was the talk of all golfdom.

The previous three Masters Tournaments had been won by Hogan, Snead and then Hogan again. Ben Hogan was attempting to win his 10th major championship and technically “his” 4th major in a row. Sam and Ben tied after 72 holes of play and went into an 18 hole playoff. In the end of that 18 hole play-off only one stroke seperated the two and Snead came out on top. It is worth noting that Ben Hogan, while he would contend, would never again win another major championship. Sam Snead at the age of 41 was at that time the oldest winner of the Masters Tournament. That record was eclipsed years later by Gary Player and of course the oldest today is Jack Nicklaus who won the Masters at the age of 46.

This magnificent piece of history sold for in 2018 for $333,601.20.

A note from the Society of Golf Historians: Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this newsletter. If you enjoyed it, please let me know and make sure to let your friends know.

Yours in Golf History,

Connor T.