Fore Rent: Augusta’s $20M Masters Short-Term Home Market

AUGUSTA, Ga. — When Masters week arrives in Augusta, locals can either welcome the golf world that descends upon the city—or leave town and cash in.

The short-term rental market spikes heavily around the first major of the year. The long-running joke in town is that a family can rent their home during Masters week and pay for that year’s mortgage.

Heading into the week, more than 16,400 nights at companies like Airbnb and Vrbo had been booked for April 7 to 13, according to data provided to Front Office Sports by rental analytics company AirDNA. 

That’s 11% higher than Masters week in 2024 and represents roughly $8.5 million in booked revenue for those seven days. For comparison, a typical month in Augusta, which has a population of roughly 200,000 people, generates between $3 million and $4 million. 

The Masters bump in Augusta extends throughout April, with additional events like the Augusta National Women’s Amateur the weekend before The Masters. Augusta schools districts, and many others in other areas of Georgia, schedule their spring breaks for Masters week, making it even easier for families to skip town, if they want. From tournament visitors to players and golf agencies, short-term rentals are an increasingly popular accommodation alternative to rising hotel costs.

Once final booking numbers are in, AirDNA expects this month’s short-term revenue to surpass the $19.2 million generated in April 2024 and come close to, if not pass, $20 million.

The on-the-books average daily rate for Augusta rentals this week is currently at $514, which is well more than double the typical rates in the past 12 months, which are generally around $200 per night. While that’s lower than last year’s final figure of $575, AirDNA anticipates this year’s number increasing with high-priced last-minute bookings.