The Masters Green Jacket

If you asked, what is the ultimate and highest success in golf? Without any hesitation, it’s The Masters Green Jacket. Like football has the Vince Lombardi Trophy, hockey has the Stanley Cup, and in golf, it’s the Green Jacket. The Jacket has become an iconic symbol in golf, representing the champions of champions.

There are so many traditions, manners, and stories surrounding the Green Jacket. So, fans have so many curiosity and questions in their mind about the Jacket. Here we will talk about all the facts, traditions, rules, history, and everything you need to know about the Green Jacket.

So, let’s start.

History of the Green Jacket

Traditions of The Masters Green Jacket don’t appear out of now where just in a day. Augusta National Club has histories behind it. Let’s see.

Where did the Green Jacket idea come from?

The idea of awarding The Masters winner with a Green Jacket came from a dinner party. Bob Jones, one of the founders of the Augusta National Club and the Masters Tournament, was invited to join in a dinner party at the Royal Liverpool in England.

There Jones noticed that all the club captains were wearing the same jacket to denote their position. Jones took that idea, and since 1937 all the members of the club started wearing the Green Jacket.

Members of the club first made their Green Jacket from Brooks Uniform Company. Unfortunately, they didn’t find it comfortable and too warm to wear in summer. Augusta National changed the switch their Jacket company a few times and finally settled with Hamilton Tailoring Co. in 1967.

The First Masters Green Jacket

In the beginning, only members of the Agusta National club used to wear the Jacket. It distinguishes them from the general public, indicating they are a reliable source of information. During the tournament, they provided the public with needing guidance or assistance. The tradition went on from 1937 to 1948.

After that, in 1949, Sam Snead, winner of The Masters was awarded the Green Jacket. Since then, every winner of The Masters gets Green Jacket and becomes a member of the club.

Details of the Jacket

The true making and production process of The Masters Green Jacket is hidden in history and traditions. Only a selective member of the club knows about it, and they have to intention to reveal it. So, nobody actually knows for sure what is the Green Jacket made of.

However, two Green Jacket experts Ryan Carey, and partner Bob Zafian, launched Green Jacket Auctions in 2006. They get to see and examine the Jacket very closely. In the discussion of what Jacket is made of, Carey’s and Zafian’s opinion has been taken accurately by all. Let’s see.

The color of the Jacket is a shade of brilliant rye green known as the “Pantone 342” or “Masters Green”. The Jacket has a three-button, notch lapel with a single vent, like the traditional American Jackets. In the left chest pocket, there is the logo of the Augusta National Club, and the logo also appears on the brass buttons.

To make the Jacket, they use tropical-weight wool, roughly 2 1/2 yards per jacket. The wool of the Jacket comes from Forstmann Co. mill in Dublin, Ga.

The buttons of the Green Jackets are made of gold, Waterbury Co. of Connecticut made the logo-stamped brass buttons. And Weaverville, N.C.’s A&B Emblem Co. made the breast-pocket patch.

Each Jackets owner has their name pitched in the inside level of the Jacket. Making the Green Jacket from start to finish takes almost 30 days.

The Green Jacket Price

The traditions, respect, prestige, honor, and opportunity the Jacket holds, it’s just simply impossible to put a price on that. However, you will be shocked after learning the actual manufacturing cost of the Jacket.

The Masters Green Jacket costs less than $500 to make. But if you take $500 to the auction thinking of buying a Green Jacket, you will be disappointed. In 2013, in an auction, Horton Smith’s Green Jacket was sold for $682,000.

Augusta National Club Masters Green Jacket traditions

A Masters winner gets to keep the Green Jacket for only one year, and then he has to return the Jacket to the Club. The winner can wear the Jacket only when he is on the club site.

Exception-

But there is an exceptional event that took place back in The Master 1961. That year a South African International player “Gary Player” won the Masters for the first time. He took the Jacket home but forgot to bring it back in 1962 Masters.

Gary told the Augusta National Director Clifford Roberts, “Well, you can come and fetch it”. However, they let Gary keep the Jacket, and Gary promised that he wouldn’t wear the Jacket in public, but he sold it in 2003.

When someone wins the tournament, the previous year’s champions help the current champions to wear the Jacket. But what if someone won the game twice in a row?

It happened with Jack Nicklaus for the first time in 1966. Jones jokingly said that Nicklaus handled both roles and slipped it on himself. Later back to back winning happened with Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2002. In Faldo and Woods’s cases, the chairman of the club helped them with the Jacket.

Interesting facts about the Green Jacket

• After winning, a Jacket is borrowed from an Augusta member who has roughly the same figure as the winner, and the winner wears it. Later the club prepares a Green Jacket for the winner.

• Billy Casper is the person who never lost his appreciation for The Masters. He won the tournament in 1970. When Casper died, he was buried with the Green Jacket; his wife asked for permission from the Augusta National club.

• A player gets only one Jacket, no matter how many times he wins The Masters tournament.

• Besides the iconic Green Jacket, the winner of The Masters also gets a gold coin and obviously, a very big amount of money.

Conclusion

A Green Jacket is one of the most coveted awards in the whole sports arena. It’s such an achievement and a life-changing prize, considered to be the most prestigious award in golf. Now, you know where from the story of Green Jacket star and everything about how it works. If there is anything going on in your mind about the Jacket, let us know, and we will answer your question.

FAQs

Who got the first Green Jacket?

-Sam Snead, winner of the 13th edition of the Masters Tournaments, received the first ever Green Jacket. Later all the twelve previous winners of the tournament also got their Jackets.

Who won the Green Jacket most time?

Jack Nicklaus has the highest record of winning the Jacket six times. In 1963 he won the Jacket for the first time. After a year gap Nicklaus won the Jacket back to back in two years, in 1965 and 1966. And the three other times Nicklaus won the tournament were in 1972, 1975, and 1986.

How many Green Jackets are there?

Since 1934, The Masters has been played 85 times, but the number of jackets made for the winners is 54 because so many players manage to win the game several times.

What is the prize money for winning The Masters Green Jacket?

The total prize money of The Masters is $11.5, and the winner gets $2.07 million along with the Green Jacket.

Golam Muktadir is a passionate sports fan and a dedicated movie buff. He has been writing about both topics for over a decade and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with his readers. Muktadir has a degree in journalism and has written for several well-known publications, including Surprise Sports.