Masters Green Jacket
Scottie Scheffler is the current holder of the much celebrated Green Jacket following his Masters' triumph. But how did a simple blazer made from easily available wool polyester turned out to be the most coveted jacket?
In the realm of fashion, the jacket ranks alongside kipper ties flared trousers and batwing shirts. On the contrary, in golfing terms, nothing comes even close to the evocative Green Jacket dished each April to the champion of the Masters.
Table of Content
1. Masters Green Jacket History
Bobby Jones is the brainchild behind the members’ jacket. Jones was enthralled by the former club captains’ red hunting jacket while on an Open winning tour in 1927 in Royal Liverpool.
The jacket was not only smart but it oozed some form of gravitas American golf seemingly lacked, according to Jones.
So, in 1933 during the opening of Augusta National, Bobby floated the proposal to Clifford Roberts, his business partner. Color was the only contentious issue.
On his way out, the latter’s eye was immersed in the greens that underpinned the wonderful azalea thickets around the Fruitland Nursery. Verdant green, as known, was the choice, and lore was born.
2. Masters Green Jacket Rules
In 1937, four years later, Robert announced that each member planning to attend the Masters should don his “Green Jacket” to allow easy identification by visitors, who may need assistance with directions.
Because it meant donning a pure wool jacket in the scorching heat, the idea received a lukewarm reception. But a year later, they introduced a lighter version, and the idea stuck until this very day.
3. Masters Green Jacket Ceremony
Sam Snead was the first recipient of the Green Jacket in 1949. Receiving the iconic size 40 jacket from Bobby Jones himself meant mixed feelings for Snead. The bright outfit made from an easily available wool polyester blend left the Masters winner more overwhelmed.
Fast forward, seventy-one years later this inexpensive jacket continues to top the list of most wanted items on every PGA tour pro’s bucket list. Not members of Augusta National have had the honors to show off the green jacket.
4. The Masters Green Jacket Color
With as many rules as a Tea Party in Buckingham Palace, only the Masters’ winners are permitted to leave with the jacket from the club grounds but they can keep it for only twelve months.
Thereafter, it is returned and stored permanently within the Champions Locker room. Owners can only wear the outfit during Masters week and wearing it means strictly within Augusta National confines. But recent changes have seen the presentation of a replica jacket to winners, which they can keep.
5. Who Makes the Masters Green Jacket?
Taking into account the overhyped reputation, you may be tempted to think that the present-day Green Jackets are Gucci-made and ornamented with gold studded diamond buttons. Your thoughts are misplaced.
Cincinnati-based Hamilton Tailoring Company has been the supplier of the jacket since 1967. How much is a masters green jacket? Each center-vented, single-breasted jacket cost just $250 – a modest sum indeed.
Victor Forstmann Inc. Based in Dulin Georgia cut and stitch the jacket from a school uniform blend of polyester and wool. The coat is lined with Bemberg rayon, with buttons -three on the jacket and three on each cuff- developed from polished brass by Connecticut-based Waterbury Companies Inc.
The iconic Augusta National logo is stitched onto the breast pocket and delivered. The green color is unromantically dubbed ‘Pantone 342’. For years now, each new jacket has been a piece of a single five-hundred-yard roll of polyester and would blend bought in 1990 by the chairman of Hamilton Tailoring Inc.- Ed Heimann.
The roll is estimated to make two hundred jackets, but with the 2012 admission of female members, the reordering of the material has become more of a necessity.
An inquiry of whether female recipients got a more feminine version of the jacket was repulsed with a firm ‘No comment.’ You will get a similar answer if you try to inquire about manufacturing details.
6. Masters Green Jacket Protocol
The well-documented guideline infringement of the masters green jacket rules was by a three-time champion of the Masters, Sir Nick Faldo. He wore the jacket in a high-profile television interview following his 1989 victory.
Members were disturbed by his actions and Faldo committed to returning it immediately, which is unlike Seve Ballesteros. In 2012, the latter refused flatly to comply with the return policy when after pleas from Chairman Hootie Johnson.
They were not the first golfers to accidentally’ sneak the jacket out of the club either. In 1961, Gary Player, the maiden non-American champion of the Masters received a call while in South Africa from National Augusta.
Clifford Roberts admonished the Black Knight for leaving with the jacket. Ignorant of his unimaginable crime, Gary cheekily replied: “Come fetch it if you want it that much!”
Robert made an exception to Gary by having him promise that it will not see the eye of the public. He then went on to establish strict guidelines before the 1962 Masters to stop the endangerment of Green Jackets.
7. Masters Green Jacket Replica
Augusta National displayed indignation in 1994 when an original Green Jacket found its way into a thrift shop in Toronto.
A Canadian journalist discovered the jacket that to its distinctive logo and immediately bought it for $5, the asking price. Wondering how much is the masters green jacket worth. The journalist went and resold it for $139,000 in a Green Jacket Auctions in Florida.
The move piqued Augusta National’s concerns and it immediately trademarked the name “Green Jacket”. It filed a lawsuit that blocked the sale of the winner’s Green Jacket auctions.
At the time of the filling, three jackets were up for sale at Green Jacket Auctions, one of the three owned by Byron Nelson. In 2009, Augusta National decreed Devon-based Mullion GC from issuing its winners with a green jacket in its annual golf tournament as it infringed copyrights.
The more is understandable as a standard member jacket can fetch as much as $310,700 in action as t was the case for Bobby Jones’ jacket in 1937. Wondering about the asking price of the six Green Jackets that Jack Nicklaus won? We leave that for the auctions!
8. Bottomline
The iconic Green Jacket that the winners of the Masters don every year is replete with memories. Augusta National has worked tirelessly to safeguard the jacket’s heritage.
How much will the green jacket cost a decade from now? We leave the question to treasure hunters. For similar interesting stories, read more.
9. Infograph of Masters Green Jacket
10. FAQs
Was there Masters green jacket ceremony 2022?
Yes, there was, and the winner was Hideki. Hideki Matsuyama becomes first Japanese in Masters green jacket
Do you get to keep the masters green jacket?
Unlike the past where winners were keeping them, the jacket remains in the locker room in Augusta National. For instance, Hideki Matsuyama masters green jacket is now in the custodianship of Augusta National.
What is the significance of the masters green jacket?
The idea was to make members of Augusta National stand out from the audience for easy identification by those in need of help and direction.
How much is a masters green jacket worth?
A single jacket goes for just $250. However, in actions it can fetch hundreds of millions.
Where can I get masters green jacket for sale?
In the past, it was easy to find them in auctions but after they banned its trading, it seems impossible to get hold of them.