Housing rentals for Master’s Week is a decades-long phenomenon in Augusta; and tournament week in 2023 is gearing up to be as lucrative as ever.
“Looks like we will rent more houses this year than we did in 2019, which is a great sign that our homeowners still continue to benefit from patrons coming to the tournament,” said Sue Parr, president of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, about the Masters Housing Bureau’s 2023 bookings.
The Masters Housing Bureau is the only home rental agency sanctioned by Augusta National Golf Club. The Metro Chamber and the ANGC partnered to create the bureau 50 years ago to be a trusted means for golf tournament patrons to secure rentals during their visits to Augusta.
Its automated booking system competes with the likes of Airbnb and online travel company Vrbo. Homeowners can set up accounts, list their properties, upload photos and select their rental rates on the bureau’s website, where the listings are placed in a larger database that prospective renters can search through. The bureau also works with homeowners to help set their rates if they’ve never rented before; and assist renters in seeking out properties.
Stacey Hayden, vice president of Tournament Housing & Events, got into the business of booking homes for tournament week when her mother, owner and former Housing Bureau director Jane Fuhrmann, branched out on her own in 2002.
Tournament Housing is also web-based, though a lot of business comes either via its website, word of mouth, or its visible location on 607 Furys Ferry Rd.
“Homeowners start registering when the kids go back to school,” said Hayden about the usual booking cycle. “That’s kind of the rule of thumb. I always tell them when the kids start going back to school, it’s time to start thinking Masters.”
Hayden notes, however, that companies have begun registering for bookings earlier and earlier each year.
“We actually start booking homes right after the tournament ends because people, especially if they really like the house, just want to get it locked down,” said Parr, noting that the bureau is usually booking homes starting in May. “If we’re working with a large company, in the fall they may want to come here and actually tour the homes and get a sense of how they want, and how it would work logistically if they have multiple homes.”
Both Parr and Hayden acknowledge areas such as Summerville, the Rhodes Farm neighborhood and the West Lake subdivision in Martinez tend to prove popular for golf visitors.
“We have some clients that acquire housing for purposes of their staff and their workers, and those tend to be more in the National Hills area, areas that are smaller homes, closer to the actual tournament,” said Parr.
Many of those companies booking early are looking to secure hospitality homes where groups will gather as hubs and host dinners and events. Sleeper homes, on the other hand, are spaces where guests actually lodge.
“The sleeper homes are kind of rented throughout the whole year,” said Hayden. “A lot of the host homes are rented first because companies need to find where they’re going to have their main hub, and then they build their sleeper homes around that.”
Even with so many early reservations, last minute stragglers are not uncommon. Hayden said January through March are “absolutely insane” with rentals; and Parr notes that sometimes visitors have been known to book rooms on the first week of practice rounds.
As to be expected, the COVID pandemic saw a dip in bookings, with 2019 usually marked as one of the last profitable years for rentals. The local industry has made its full recovery: Hayden said that 2022 was “huge” for Tournament Housing, and this year poised to be particularly successful for the Housing Bureau.
“The ability for a homeowner to rent their home is a great economic boon for the community, because most of those homeowners are either maybe going out and doing remodeling or landscaping or buying new furniture, whatever that might look like even their if that’s tuition for their children,” said Parr. “A lot of it we know is really felt here locally to support our local business community and in our economy.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
