The Masters isn’t just one of the most anticipated tournaments in all of golf. It’s the platform for one of the most exciting events in the world of branded merchandise.

Just so we’re all on the same page: The Masters is one of the four major championships of professional golf, scheduled for the first week of April, always at the same location: Augusta National Golf Club, a private club in Augusta, GA.

This year’s tournament tees off Thursday. In anticipation, Augusta debuted its new line of Masters-branded merchandise this week. The merch launch is an annual event that sparks a buying frenzy – in part because of its exclusivity. Masters merchandise can only be purchased from one of the merchandise stands/shops at Augusta National Golf Club. No internet sales or retail at other brick-and-mortar shops.

Sure, stuff later ends up for sale online and otherwise on the secondhand market, but the official new merch is only available at Augusta. That triggers huge demand. As Teddy Greenstein of the Chicago Tribune detailed in his column, the customer line at Augusta’s golf shop on Monday started outdoors. “It was the length of a United Airlines TSA line at O’Hare but moved much quicker, less than 10 minutes to get inside,” wrote Greenstein.

And once inside – a paradise for golf lovers.

Just in time for the 2018 Masters, Augusta launched a new and expanded Main Golf Shop – a high-end space that appears to exude an exclusivity similar to the merch it holds.

The new Main Golf Shop at Augusta National opened this week, just in time for The Masters, which tees off Thursday. Source: Rob Brown/Augusta National.

Featuring 64 cash registers and 385 mannequins, including one of a dog, the new shop is reportedly twice the size of the one it replaces. Hats are the biggest seller, and there are 125 headwear styles on offer, Augusta says. Masters quarter-zips, vests, polos and T-shirts – of course they help fill the space in abundance. There are also items you might not expect – gnomes dressed in caddie jumpsuits, infant caddie onesies, Masters playing cards, pajama pants, hoodies, vintage signs, coasters, beach bags and temperature-controlled cups.

Geoff Shackelford of Golfweek wrote a fun piece, full of pics, about Masters merch. This Garden Gnome is just one of the pictures he took of his favorite Masters-branded items on offer at Augusta this year.

Apparel options are abundant at Augusta National’s new Main Golf Shop. Source: Rob Brown/Augusta National.

The profusion of Masters swag, available in such a limited manner, compels some to a spending bacchanal. “Many Masters attendees spend thousands on merchandise and ship the merchandise home,” says Mike Buteau in writing for Forbes. “For convenience, an expanded shipping facility is attached” to the main shop. Greenstein, of the Chicago Tribune, admits he’s among those who splurge. His average spend per tournament is about $1,000. He couldn’t help himself this year either.

Some Masters swag Chicago Tribune sportswriter Teddy Greenstein bought this year. Source: Teddy Greenstein/Chicago Tribune.

Hats, some of which can be glimpsed here, are the most popular selling product category at Augusta during The Masters. Source: Rob Brown/Augusta National.

While merchandise for The Masters holds inherent interest for many golf aficionados, it also has relevance for professionals in the promotional products industry who don’t know – or even care to know – the difference between a putter and a pitching wedge.

Golf events, with their need of logoed apparel and other branded products, help generate significant sales for promo distributors. As importantly, golf-style apparel pieces translate as popular sellers in the corporate world. Given all that, fashion-forward apparel and unique new hard good items on sale at The Masters could foreshadow coming trends your clients will want to tap into. There, you’re welcome: You now have an excuse to put work aside this week and focus on the Augusta greens. You’ll be doing “work-related research.”

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