The year my sister finally got her golden ticket to Augusta National for the Women’s Amateur, she considered herself gift-sorted for the next calendar year or so. At Christmas and birthdays, merchandise sporting the coveted yellow map with a red flag popped up: a Tervis tumbler, green baseball caps, golf shirts, pajamas, a coffee mug, a sleek athletic jacket, a pair of socks dotted green with a tiny logo on the ankle.
After all, attending a famous and exclusive tournament at a shrouded-in-mystery golf course you might well never set foot on again merits a memento or two. Or three, or four—or fifty, if the “Masters haul” trend peppering a scroll through TikTok is any indication.
Here’s how the trend works: Masters-goers, fresh from Augusta National, sit on their couches or stand in their living rooms and display to the camera, one by painstaking one, their purchases from the two main pro shops that are open for a sales-busting fraction of the year.
They are the proud owners of caps, golf shirts, wine glasses (stemless and stemmed), dog collars, collectable putters, straw hats, more golf shirts, children’s clothing (“you don’t even know to appreciate this,” one mom tells her baby, “but one day you will”), totes, makeup bags, teddy bears, lawn chairs, ball markers, umbrellas, and still more golf shirts. Plus the famous, if bizarre, bearded gnome figurine that inspires crack-of-dawn arrivals at the course because he always sells out. (This year’s iteration is clad in a blue sweater and plaid pants and topped with a bucket hat, in case you were wondering.)
@physicianassistant Merch haul from the Augusta National! Welcome to the Masters! #mastershaul #themasters2024 #augustanational #mastersbadges ♬ original sound – Savanna Perry, PA-C
They offer helpful tips: The green fanny packs are in the men’s section, not near the jewelry with the other black fanny packs; the crewneck sweater runs true to size; the Azalea hat fits women’s heads just fine. They happily share pricing, some in the main video, some in the comments. “I know it’s none of our business how much you paid,” writes one viewer. “But we need a price on the putter.” The hauler obliges.
@ashleyfarmers It all arrived yesterday! The blisters were worth it ⛳️. Hes monotone always. I swear hes happy.
♬ original sound – Ashley Farmer
Some might share my very-much-not-on-TikTok father’s reaction to the trend: Who the hell cares? That was my initial reaction, too. But after you watch enough of the things, there’s something ASMR-ish about the crackling plastic encasing a new polo shirt, an element of satisfaction in seeing a straw hat from every angle, something that scratches a nosy itch of knowing exactly what people bought, and a dose of silly happiness at seeing them show off what they carefully selected to remember their trip by and give to friends and family.
And I certainly never before appreciated the sheer volume of choices at Augusta National. I may never get to the Masters myself, and I certainly won’t be recording a video of my purchases if I do, but to the degree I wield any influence: Of all the merch that trickled my way from my sister, my favorite thing is the socks.
