Staff | Augusta Chronicle
Masters Green Jacket: Why Wear It and What Are the Rules?
Learn about the green jackets worn by Augusta National Golf Club members and Masters champions, and the champion who broke the rules by taking home the jacket.
Augusta Chronicle
The Green Jacket is the ultimate symbol of success in golf.
A golfer wearing the single-breasted, single-vented outfit achieved the extraordinary feat of winning the Masters Tournament.
Members of the Augusta National Golf Club began wearing the jackets in 1937 so that they could be easily identified and answer questions from patrons.
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Brooks Uniform Co. of New York manufactured the original jacket out of a heavy wool material, but it was soon replaced by a lighter version that could be custom-ordered at the club’s pro shop.
Here’s what you need to know about the Masters Green Jacket.
Does the Masters winner get to keep his green jacket?
Green jackets are reserved for Augusta National members and Masters winners only. Jackets are kept on club grounds and may not be taken off the grounds.
The exception is the winner, who can take it home and return it to the club the following year.
In 1962, Gary Player reportedly got into a heated argument with Cliff Roberts after accidentally bringing the jacket back to South Africa.
“I didn’t know I had to leave it there,” Player said. “The next thing I knew, I got a call from Mr. Roberts.”
According to Player, the exchange went like this:
“‘Gary, do you have a jacket?
“I said, ‘Yes, I am.’
“He said, ‘Well, no one’s going to take my jacket away from here.’
“And I said, ‘Well, Mr. Roberts, if you want it, come and get it.’
Roberts, who rarely lost an argument, agreed to a compromise.
“He kind of laughed and said not to wear it in public,” Player said.
So you can’t take it with you?
The champion is allowed to play for one year, and in recent years, former members’ jackets have been auctioned off, with Augusta National suing to stop the jackets being sold at auction.
But the ultimate story belongs to the Masters champion of 1970. Billy Casper never lost his appreciation for the Masters Tournament and Augusta National Golf Club.
The 1970 champion was buried wearing his green jacket after his wife, Shirley, asked Augusta National for permission, which was granted.
Beginning of wearing the Masters Green Jacket
Augusta National members began wearing the jackets in 1937. Created by Cliff Roberts, the green jacket’s original purpose was to identify club members as a “trusted source of information” to visiting non-members and to let waiters know who paid the bill at dinner.
Who will wear the green jacket at the Masters?
Golfers who have worn this three-button, single-breasted, center-vented garment have done something special: won at Augusta National Golf Club. The first Green Jacket was awarded as an honorary membership to Sam Snead when he first won the tournament in 1949. It has since been retroactively awarded to all past winners.
Who presents the green jacket to the Masters winner?
Traditionally, at the end of the tournament, the previous year’s winner presents the jacket to the new champion, or, in the case of a repeat champion, the Chairman of the Masters presents the jacket to the winner.
This has happened three times before: first in 1966 when Jack Nicklaus won back-to-back titles for the first time, then when Nick Faldo repeated the feat in 1990, and lastly in 2002 when Tiger Woods won back-to-back Masters titles.
Who makes the Masters green jacket?
For 30 years, Cincinnati-based Hamilton Tailoring has been making the traditional blazer worn by the winner of the Masters Tournament. The blazer is made from wool produced at the Victor Forstmann factory in Dublin, Georgia. Each blazer takes the company about a month to make and includes custom brass buttons bearing the Augusta National logo. The owner’s name is sewn onto an inside label.
What color are the Masters green jackets?
That vibrant rye green is Pantone 342.
