Now in its 88th year, The Masters has had to adapt its tournament to the demands of the modern game, but Augusta National has always been keen to retain a link to its storied past through a number of traditions.
Whether it be the honorary starters, the Green Jacket ceremony or the traditional white jumpsuits and green caps still worn by caddies at the event, which can be traced back to when Augusta National Golf Club was in its infancy.
The unique uniform was introduced in the late 1940s for the club’s caddies – predominantly poor black men drawn from the local community – following a proposal from tournament co-founder Cliff Roberts.
The local caddies and their unique attire became such an integral part of the Augusta National experience that it took until the 1983 edition of the Masters before players were allowed to have their own caddies on the bag.
However, in an attempt to retain a link with their past, the tournament committee still required those visiting caddies to wear the traditional attire. The tradition even extends to the par-3 contest, with player’s partners and children both required to wear the jumpsuits for Wednesday’s warm-up event.
Such traditions have also spread to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where the world’s best female amateurs play two rounds at Champions Retreat before the final round at Augusta National on the Saturday before The Masters.
Another part of the uniform is the unique number given to every caddie which is displayed on the front of their jumpsuit.
When players arrive at Augusta National on tournament week they have to officially register for the event at the club, with the number their caddies wear simply dictated by which order they registered in.
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There is a caveat to that though, as the defending champion’s caddie always takes number ‘1’. This year’s defending champion Jon Rahm and his bag man Adam Hayes get that honor.
At the end of the week, the winning caddie can send a letter requesting to keep their jumpsuit as a souvenir of a successful week’s work.
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