Market Data 
subscribers. Become an Insider
and start reading now.
Have an account? .
- Photographer Whitney Boykin rents out her home each year for the Masters golf tournament.
- Boykin, her husband, and their two kids pile into an RV while guests stay in their home.
- They spend $5,000 getting the house ready, but the eight-day booking pays their mortgage for a year.
This week, golf’s greatest stars descend on the tiny city of Augusta, Georgia, in pursuit of the famous green jacket awarded to winners of the Masters Tournament.
It’s also time for photographer Whitney Boykin and her family to pile into their camper to make way for the guests renting their home in North Augusta, South Carolina.
“I’m one of the rare locals who says I love Masters week. I just want visitors to see how amazing it is here,” Boykin told Business Insider.
Boykin and other locals rent out their properties to golfers and visitors directly, on Airbnb, or via other platforms. In the city of Augusta alone, the number of rentals jumped from 725 in March 2024 to 1,700 in April 2024, data from short-term-rental analytics site AirDNA shows. The average revenue for rentals in the city jumped from $2,700 in March 2024 to $5,300 in April 2024, AirDNA found.
While Boykin declined to share exactly how much she makes, she said it’s enough to cover the family’s mortgage payments for a year. This is the seventh year the family is renting out their house for the Masters.
As of April 4, homes similar to Boykin’s listed on Airbnb were available to rent from about $9,000 a week to $28,000 a week.
For Boykin, one week of sleeping in a camper with her husband, their two kids, their cat, and their dog is more than worth it. Take a look inside the home they rent out during the Masters.
Whitney Boykin and her family moved into their North Augusta, South Carolina home in December 2020.
The house, just over the state line from Georgia, has five bedrooms, three full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, and a large outdoor space designed for entertaining.
The home is a 12-minute drive to Augusta National Golf Course. But during Masters week, traffic adds up to about 30 minutes.
Boykin said she passes the Augusta National Golf Club when she drives her kids to school.
“The rest of the year, it’s just not that big of a deal,” she said.
Boykin said many North Augusta locals rent out their homes for the Masters and use the money to go on vacation for a week.
Area schools typically schedule spring break to sync up with the tournament.
“Everyone looks forward to this because it’s great money,” Boykin told Business Insider.
In the past, Boykin has used Airbnb and Vrbo to rent out the home. There is even a local rental agency dedicated to the event called the Masters Housing Bureau.
For the past two years, Boykin’s family has rented their house to a Texas company that brings its employees to the tournament.
Boykin was connected with the company through a local friend.
In January each year, Boykin starts to think about getting the house ready for the Masters. The family spends about $5,000 to prepare it for renters.
“Once the Christmas lights get put away, it’s time to get ready,” she said.
Preparations include pressure-washing the facade, adding new landscaping, and getting the home professionally deep-cleaned.
Boykin stores all her seasonal Masters gear in a section of the attic that’s off-limits to the rest of the family.
She keeps paraphernalia including flags, pillows, and golf supplies with the Masters logo locked away for most the year, along with special sets of crisp, white linens for the bedrooms.
“My kids know which sheets are Masters ones. We don’t touch them,” she said.
Guests arrive the Sunday before the tournament begins and pay for an eight-day stay that includes the Monday after the finals.
Local schools have extended spring break, Boykin added, with kids returning to the classroom on the Tuesday after the tournament.
Boykin likes to check on the home twice during the week to clean and make sure everything is OK.
Boykin said cleaning visits are more for her peace of mind because they’ve rarely had issues. Visitors in town for the Masters often try to maximize their time at the golf course.
“They’re not spending a lot of time in our home,” Boykin said. “They take care of our things better than we do.”
Other families renting out their homes travel, but Boykin’s family stays in an RV for Masters week.
Boykin’s husband, who works in the car industry, is especially busy in early April.
This year, the family will park the RV at a local equestrian facility that has dozens of walking trails.
Boykin’s family first stayed in a camper one year when their home was still accidentally listed for rent in July.
Out-of-towners rented their house for a youth basketball tournament called Peach Jam.
Even though the family had no plans to rent out their house for any time other than the Masters, Boykin said her husband felt it was worth it.
He drove to Myrtle Beach to pick up an RV he found online so the family could honor the booking.
Boykin added that he told her it would allow them to take “an extra vacation.”
Axel Springer, Insider Inc.’s parent company, is an investor in Airbnb.
