Apr 17, 2026
You don't get very many chances to turn down a major payday, but for one Georgia homeowner living on the rough outskirts of a famous set of links, saying no to a Masters-sized offer was par for the course.
Elizabeth Thacker and her husband, Herman, lived in a single-story, three-bedroom house on a 0.67-acre lot at 1112 Stanley Drive in Augusta, Georgia. They raised their two kids in that house they built, and even their grandson, Scott Brown (1), became a professional golfer. But they still faced the task of overcoming their neighbor with deep pockets, the Augusta National Golf Club (2).
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Looking to expand its greens, Augusta National made multiple offers on the house, built in 1959. All of those offers were above the home's estimated value of $338,733 (3), as of 2025. The Thackers did sell another property, across the street from their home, to the club for $1.2 million, but 1112 Stanley was their last bastion against development.
"We really don't want to go," Elizabeth Thacker told NJ.com in a 2016 interview.
"Money ain't everything," Herman Thacker added.
He died in 2019. Elizabeth died in July 2025, and the home is still in her name. It hasn't been sold either, as their daughter, Robin Thacker Rinder, confirmed in an interview with Fox Business (4).
Making it a wedge issue
The Thackers quickly became the bunker to Augusta National's long game. Augusta National demolished an entire neigborhood that sat across from its Gate 6-A entrance. They spent $40 million to turn it into a free parking lot. In total, Augusta has spent $280 million buying up homes around the course, with the only albatross being the residence on Stanley Drive.
A representative from the organization would meet regularly with the Thackers. With a healthy dose of southern hospitality, they invited him in, even if he was sizing up their property like a major-winning putt on the 18th hole.
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"He'll come by here every so often and he'll say, 'Just want to let you know we're still interested in your property,'" Herman Thacker said. "And we'll tell him the same thing again."
Herman's brother, Jerry, was not so resolute. He owned a two-story white colonial home (5) that sat on two acres of land. Augusta National had it in its sights, as it wanted to redirect Berckmans Road to improve traffic flow during every tournament week, held in April. Augusta bought it for $3.6 million.
"We didn't have a choice," Jerry Thacker said. "We had lived there for 22 years and hoped to be there for 22 more."
Another former resident, William Hatcher, eventually folded like Greg Norman at the 1996 Masters. He reluctantly sold his 2704 Hillsdale Lane home for $960,000.
"When they tore the house down, my kids were here and they went up to watch the demolition," he told NJ.com. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't watch. We can still sort of tell where it used to be, but no one else can.
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No green jackets here
Like the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Thacker residence is the last wonder surviving in the shadow of development.
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Rinder admitted that even though the home is not for sale, there is still an opportunity for Augusta to get a hole in one.
"If the price is right," she told Fox Business with a laugh.
Across the United States, many people are experiencing organizations with deep pockets or governments using eminent domain to grab land. What options do homeowners have to counter these threats?
- Organize the community: Build a community group and engage local politicians with emails, letters and other means of communication.
- Legal challenges: Hire a lawyer experienced with land-use law, zoning ordinances and conservation easements.
- Protect personal property: Have your property surveyed and, if possible, build a fence within your boundaries to prevent encroachment.
- Long-term civic engagement: Research your local representatives' stance on development, and vote for those who prioritize community over developers' interests. If you're really engaged, run for office.
The Thackers are an example, in golf terms, of grit in the face of a storied professional organization.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
PGA Tour (1); NJ.com (2),(5); Fortune (3); Fox Business (4)
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Brian Baker is an Associate Editor with Moneywise. He has been a media professional for over 20 years.
