This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
As the Masters golf tournament began this Thursday, television viewers were treated to the usual variety of images: lush green grass, immaculate flowerbeds and the best players in the world putting on a show.
But behind the scenes there is an even tougher competition: the battle for authentic Masters merch.
Of course it’s cool to see superstars like Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler in person. But so does gear emblazoned with the famous yellow Masters logo, which has become a cult-like status symbol.
I was lucky enough to attend a Monday practice round for the Masters and was able to witness the excitement for the merch first hand.
When I arrived at Augusta National Golf Club with my family (a big thank you to my dad for securing the tickets after more than a decade of lottery attempts), I quickly noticed how many people were already heading for the exit. They each had six to eight bags full of shirts, hats and towels, and many had the most sought-after item of all: the Masters garden gnome.
A close-up of the sought-after garden gnome. Christian Petersen about BI
The tournament allows one re-entry per day, so it’s possible these people dropped off their merchandise in their car. But it wasn’t lost on me that they could be part of a legion of resellers making thousands from tagging and flipping authentic items. To get an idea of how lucrative that can be, check out this 2023 Masters midget listed on eBay for $1,200. (Original price: $50.)
As we continued up the entrance path we saw the beginning of the line. It stretched 15 meters from the main entrance, followed by a series of winding metal gates reminiscent of a TSA checkpoint. Right outside the entrance there was a sea of people trudging shoulder to shoulder trying to get to the actual course. It reminded me of moving between stages at a music festival. I would have liked to photograph the hustle and bustle, but the Masters’ phone ban made it difficult to document the trip.
Standing in the main line feels like waiting for a ride at Disney. As soon as you enter the building, you will find a huge room and a corridor with gates snaking along it. The line seems to lengthen with every turn. What are 20 minutes left when the sweet merchandise is within your grasp?
After about 45 minutes we reached the actual store. The final step is to wait in the entrance area for about five minutes before letting in a new stream of shoppers.
Once you’re inside, the mania is overwhelming. There are separate alcove areas for men, women and children. In the middle of the store is a huge display of household goods. Countless shirts and hats hang on the wall and busy workers rush to retrieve items of various sizes from containers stacked high.
There are multiple checkout lines with at least five checkout lines on both sides. Cashiers sift through stacks of merchandise, swipe through credit cards, then move on to the next one. It is an impressive conveyor belt of capitalism.
I ended up buying a polo shirt, a t-shirt, a hat and a mug. It felt like meager pickings compared to almost everyone else around me, and I ended up only having to lug around a single bag for the rest of the day.
A sea of people on Tuesday in front of the entrance to the Masters golf shop. Ben Jared on BI
The whole experience left me feeling like the Masters had become a retail giant that just happened to be hosting a golf tournament. And the numbers back it up: The 2022 tournament brought in $69 million in merch revenue, far more than it earned from tickets and concessions, according to Forbes.
Attendance numbers are not published, but it is understood that around 40,000 people attend the tournament daily, meaning each visitor spends an average of $246 in the merchandise shop.
But that assumes an endless supply. A man I met at my hotel said that last year the store had to stop selling goods until Friday because of depleted inventory. It’s also possible that people are less obsessed with merchandise on Thursday through Sunday, when the actual golf tournament is taking place, so the amount of practice rounds Monday through Wednesday could drive that average up.
It seems more likely that the typical customer will pony up even more than $246 – the people carrying six bags were certainly carrying five figures worth of loot.
What is it all for in the end? The answer is pretty simple: credibility and status on the street. Golf is already an expensive sport that is played primarily by the wealthy. In order to stand out from the already elite crowd, extreme measures must be taken. There are queues to wait and hundreds (thousands?) to pay out.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go to the store with my new Masters hat.