A family spends months and thousands of dollars prepping their home to rent it out for the Masters Tournament

Ashley Jernigan, 47, lives in Evans, Georgia, a suburb of Augusta, with her husband, their three daughters, and their three golden retrievers.

Jernigan has lived in the Augusta area for over 20 years. She said she didn't know it was common for locals to rent out their homes during the Masters until she became a resident.

"When I moved here 20-something years ago, my husband was like, 'Everybody rents their houses,'" she said. "I had no idea."

Though it might sound surprising, the practice is a no-brainer once you're in the know. Golfers, the countless people who make the Masters happen, and fans of the sport descend on Augusta for the event each year, and they are willing to shell out big bucks for a rental property in the area for their stay.

Plus, thanks to the Augusta Rule, residents can rent their homes for up to two weeks without it being considered taxable income, making renting for the Masters more financially appealing.

Some homeowners have told Business Insider they make over $100,000 from their homes during the Masters, while others say a weeklong stay can cover their mortgage for a year.

The Jernigans started renting their previous home through the Champions Retreat Golf Club, which hosts the Augusta National Women's Amateur tournament each year, as it sat near the club.

Then, when they bought their current home in 2020, they listed it with Patron Properties, a high-end rental housing platform designed specifically for the Masters, and signed a multi-year contract with their current renters. Jernigan couldn't say who the renters are, but she said they have already stayed at the home multiple times and will continue to do so for years to come.

Their five-bedroom, six-bathroom home is just under 10,000 square feet and sits on 6 acres.

Jernigan also could not share how much her home rents for because of the terms of her contract, but similar homes are listed for the 2027 Masters at nearly $120,000 for a week on platforms like Vrbo and Airbnb.

The Masters Tournament only takes up one week of the year, but because it's such a big event and renting can be so lucrative, Jernigan said her family updated their home with the competition in mind.

"One of the things that we did when we moved to this house, and I feel most people in Augusta do, is you're always thinking about Masters, right?" Jernigan said. "So if you're buying furniture for a bedroom, you're thinking about putting a king-size bed. My daughter is 16, and she sleeps in a king-size bed."

They also have three sets of washers and dryers, in part because a cleaning service turns over the linens in the bedrooms and bathrooms at the house daily during the Masters stay. The multiple sets of machines speed up the process.

They also have entertaining spaces like a whiskey room and home theater, but the biggest investment the Jernigans made in their home for the Masters is in their backyard. They built a large pool, complete with fountains and fire features, and a high-end pool house alongside it.

The pool house has a built-in kitchen with appliances including a grill, refrigerator, and wine fridge, as well as a fireplace, a large television, and ample seating.

It also offers views of the Jernigans' property, which includes a large pond and plenty of greenery.

It's a great space for the Jernigans, but it was built with their renters in mind.

"Of course, we enjoy it ourselves, but it is one of the biggest things that our renters really like because they can entertain there," Jernigan said of their pool and pool house. "It's a really big, good space to have the tournament on, and it's just magical."

Jernigan said she doesn't need to put out specific Masters decor, since there are areas of her home with golf nods year-round.

"My husband collects Masters memorabilia, so his office is covered in it," she said of the office, photographed on the left above.

Likewise, when they redecorated their basement three years ago, they created a golf-themed space.

"We did an entire wall that's golf memorabilia," she said. "There's shuffleboard down there, we have Golden Tee, which is a golf game. We have a whiskey room, so it's very Masters vibe down there."

The basement also leads out to the backyard for indoor-outdoor entertaining.

Because they only rent their home out once a year, Jernigan said a lot of prep goes into making it Masters-ready. Since her family lives in their home for 99% of the year, they need to not only clean it but also depersonalize it to get it ready for guests.

For Jernigan, that means scheduling services to ensure her home is ready a year in advance, including exterior pressure washing and professional cleaning for carpets, rugs, and upholstery. She also schedules her dogs' stay at doggy day care a year in advance.

Then, Jernigan starts preparing for the Masters in earnest three months before her guests arrive.

"January 1, I go hard for decluttering and organizing," she said. "That's my first step, and that's what I focus on in January."

By donating and getting rid of items her family isn't using, it's easier for Jernigan to put the items she doesn't want out for guests into storage when the time comes.

The daily cleaning service plays a big role in the luxury experience the Jernigans offer their guests, which functions much as housekeeping would in a hotel.

"I have an entire closet filled with Masters toiletries, just like a hotel where you would have toiletries," she said. "I have those for every bathroom because those get replaced every day."

In February, she starts stocking up on toiletries and taking stock of her towel supply. She needs 20 sets, which include a large towel, a hand towel, and a washcloth, available for guests.

"I go through, and I take out the ones that are stained," she said. "I want you to feel like you're at a luxury hotel, so I always go and replenish those towels."

Although their house has five bedrooms, Jernigan brings in additional beds for the Masters to accommodate more guests. She ends up with nine beds, some of which are twin-sized.

She also has specific bedding she puts out for the Masters, removing the items her family uses.

"I have an entire closet full of just Masters bedding, and I keep it all white, neutral colors," Jernigan said.

She also makes room for her guests' clothing in any bedroom they use.

"We do have to clean out our closets," she said. "We don't remove everything from our closets, but we have to have dedicated space for each guest. So I will go through the closets, we will donate, and we will make room."

Jernigan spends much of the lead-up to the Masters putting her family's more personal items into storage.

"In every bedroom that a person is sleeping in, you have to depersonalize," she said. "That means removing personal items, removing pictures. They don't want to sleep with my kid's picture looking at them."

Jernigan said she leaves family photos or personal artwork in rooms like her office, but she removes them from common spaces like the living room, basement, and bedrooms. She uses her primary closet and attic to store most of the items. Jernigan said the depersonalization is why she starts decluttering at the start of the year.

"You've got to get rid of the stuff that you don't need so that when you get to March, you're not overwhelmed," she said.

Jernigan has a housekeeping team that cleans the house daily during her renters' stay, and they also come the day before they arrive to clean it. Outside, her home is beautifully landscaped, and the pool is professionally cleaned.

However, as anyone who follows Jernigan on TikTok will know, she spends weeks deep cleaning her home herself before the Masters. She's not just vacuuming and wiping down the counters, either. Jernigan scrubs showerheads, cleans the inside of her dishwasher and washing machine and their filters, washes the walls, and organizes any cabinet her guests might open.

"Nobody's going to clean my house like me, right?" she said. "I want people to be able to sit back and relax. I want them to feel how clean and comfortable the house is. So I'm into the details."

Although she's cleaning for her guests, Jernigan said she ends up being grateful she did it for her own family when they return after the tournament.

"Every battery in every remote control, every light bulb, every filter for your air conditioner, everything is changed," she said. "So when you do come back, it's really nice, because you're like, 'Oh, everything's done.'"

Jernigan said the money locals get from renting their properties helps a lot of people with that annual upkeep, which is part of the draw of doing it in the first place.

"For anybody who's renting, it's something that financially can help them with the maintenance of their house," she said.

Jernigan said in the weeks leading up to the Masters, many people in Augusta are in host-prep mode.

"The only thing I can equate it to is everybody is acting like their parents are coming to visit," she said. "We really do take it seriously."

"Yes, it is a really good money maker, and it's very lucrative, but I think there's a big hospitality part to it, where people really like to host people from all around the world in their house," she added.

Jernigan takes that mentality to another level, not only in her cleaning but also in the touches she adds to her home to create a luxury experience for her guests.

She created a guide to her home, which guests can read in a laminated packet or online via a QR code, and she always has a welcome basket waiting for them, made by Augusta Gift Baskets. It contains Augusta-themed treats, including Masters-themed cookies, and Jernigan also gives guests custom Masters cups from Madhouse. A personal note is the finishing touch.

The Masters Tournament typically aligns with spring break for schools in the Augusta area, so kids can leave town with their parents during the event. The Jernigans leave on Friday before the Masters and return on Monday after. They spend the week on vacation, using the rental income to help finance it.

"One of the greatest things we've been able to do is have memorable vacations with our kids and take them to some really great places," Jernigan said. In past years, her family has traveled to places like Italy, Greece, and Costa Rica during the Masters.

Jernigan's family leaves in phases. Her dogs head to doggy day care a few days before the rest of them, as they need to be out of the house when the rugs and furniture are steamcleaned.

Then, her family does final prep, like cleaning out the refrigerator, and leaves a day or two before the guests arrive, vacating before the housekeeping staff does their final cleaning session before guests descend on the house.

Jernigan said prep costs vary each year, but her family typically spends thousands. Some years, they paint their home ahead of the Masters; this year, they didn't. They also often run into unexpected costs right before the rental starts. As Jernigan put it: "Something always breaks right before the Masters."

In 2025, it was their dishwasher. In 2026, it was one of their air conditioners, which they found out was broken only four days before they left their home for the tournament.

Preparing for the Masters can be chaotic and stressful for Jernigan, but 10 years into hosting for the tournament, she knows it's par for the course (ha).

"Every year, right about today or tomorrow, I question my sanity," she told Business Insider a few days before her guests arrived for 2026. "And then the second that I leave my house, I feel like it's all worth it, because I know the experience that they're about to have."

Jernigan said the stress often comes from balancing her day-to-day life with the prep, such as getting her daughter to soccer games or keeping up with work as a content creator and small-business owner.

In 2026, their eldest daughter is getting married a few weeks after the Masters, so the Jernigans will be just as busy when they return to their home this year.

"You have regular life on top of the undertaking of getting your house ready, but I think it's 100% worth it," Jernigan said.