The history of the famous Masters green jacket

Golf’s iconic blazer will come with some rigid regulations for people who don it and even has its have Pantone shade, fittingly called Masters Green.

Elite-stage sporting activities actually nailed their symbols of triumph: The Stanley Cup. The Heisman Trophy. The enormous pewter plate at women’s Wimbledon.

Each individual 1 is right away recognizable for what it is, a token that marks the greatest achievements in activity. But you just can’t exactly tote them all over city, now, can you?

The Masters golf tournament, held each individual spring at Augusta Countrywide Golfing Club in Augusta, Ga, boasts a wearable trophy — the well-known environmentally friendly jacket awarded to the winner. It is an legendary trophy and a trend statement. But if you feel winners can just instrument about town, bragging about their wins permanently, it’s not really that straightforward. With this year’s tourney going on ideal now, read through on for a small additional on the background — and the demanding protocol — driving that lovely blazer.

Augusta Countrywide was started in 1932 by financier Clifford Roberts and golf hero Bobby Jones (pictured earlier mentioned in 1929). Later that ten years, the club commenced presenting members with the special inexperienced jacket.

In accordance to Augusta National’s Masters 101, each and every jacket is designed to the very same technical specs: 3 buttons, a notched lapel, a single vent, manufactured of tropical-weight wool in its very own Pantone shade, Masters Environmentally friendly. The Masters emblem seems on the remaining breast pocket and each individual button. While a several tailoring modifications have come and long gone — lapels growing and shrinking, for instance — it’s stayed mainly the identical since the ’30s. All of the jacket factors are designed in the United States.

In 1949, golfing legend Sam Snead was the first Masters winner to be awarded a inexperienced jacket. Just about every calendar year given that, the Masters winner gets a stand-in jacket in a ceremony following the match. Afterwards, the winner gets a customized-designed environmentally friendly jacket as their prize.

AP

The listing of Masters winners is a listing of all-time greats which include Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and masses of other luminaries. But because the Masters is a men’s-only event, no gals champions have donned the jacket. (Augusta Countrywide only began admitting ladies to the club in 2012, creating eco-friendly jackets in women’s dimensions pretty exceptional.)

In truth, turning out to be a member at Augusta National is a mysterious system. There is no application kind. No one’s completely positive how substantially it expenses, although some estimate the initiation rate to be about $40,000 plus regular monthly dues and other expenses.

Non-members could only go to the club with an invitation from a member, who need to accompany them at all times. The only way to develop into a member is to be invited by a present-day member, endure a arduous vetting procedure and pony up the funds (or earn the Masters event).

But even Masters champions have to abide by the principles of the jacket. The huge 1: You may possibly not don your green jacket exterior of the club. At any time. It stays at Augusta Nationwide in your private locker.

Adobe

The a person exception? The present Masters winner might dress in their coat in public, but only for the calendar year after they get. Just after that, the normal procedures apply — sort of. Masters winners, when they’ve been deposed by the future champ, will have to store their jacket at the club in a exclusive “Champions Locker Room” right until their future visit to the event.

Almost certainly for the finest as Masters Eco-friendly doesn’t glimpse as good with globs of mustard dried on a lapel.

We’re staying foolish, but it’s real — all that pomp and exclusivity is what will make the Masters so specific. Whoever wears the jacket future will go down in background as a single of golf’s greatest. And that person will be topped this weekend — this year’s Masters match started off April 8 with 3 times of pre-match participate in, and commences in earnest April 11 with Round 1, concluding on April 14 with Spherical 4. You can enjoy live coverage on ESPN from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EST, catch the replays on ESPN from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST and view highlights from the match on CBS from 11:35 p.m. to 11:50 p.m. EST. Or, you can listen to the action on the radio through SiriusXM from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Where ever you check out, retain an eye out for this year’s winner — they’ll be sporting eco-friendly!