The Green Jacket is now synonymous with the Masters.  Slipping on the jacket is a moment any professional golfer will relish for a lifetime but how did a green jacket become a symbol for the most prestigious golf tournament in the world? 
The tradition of wearing the Green Jacket dates to the late 1930s.  back then the members would wear the jacket during the tourney so patrons could recognize them as members and ask them questions or directions on the course.

According to the tournament’s official website, Masters.com:

“Jackets were purchased from the Brooks Uniform Company, New York City … Members were not initially enthusiastic about wearing the warm, green coat. Within several years, a lightweight, made-to-order Jacket was available from the Club’s Golf Shop. … The single breasted, single vent Jacket’s color is ‘Masters Green’ and is adorned with an Augusta National Golf Club logo on the left chest pocket. The logo also appears on the brass buttons.”

Then in 1949 the Masters Champion began being awarded a Green Jacket as well as being an honorary member.  If you would like to see the 2011 champion try on his jacket, call me at 706-877-7783 and you can see it in person.

Doug 

One of the most frequently asked questions from customers is “Will my Wednesday ticket allow me to see the Par 3 contest?”  That answer is a resounding “Yes”.  The par 3 contest began in the 1960s and is located to the east of the larger course and is about 1,000 yards long.  There is a bit of a stigma associated with winning the par 3 since no one who has won the par 3 has gone on to win the Masters that year.  Thus, there have been several instances when a golfer would be leading the par 3 on the ninth green and intentionally putt into the lake as to not jeopardize his chances the next four days. 

If you will be attending the par 3 this year, I would suggest arriving to the par 3 course around 10:00, placing your chairs where you prefer in order to save that place, go look around the course for a few hours, grab a pimento cheese sandwich and a beer and go back to your chairs around 1:00.  Once the par 3 begins the golfers are no longer practicing since they all (except for Woods) will be playing the par 3 course.

Doug

As many of us know, the Masters is “unlike any other” and one thing that makes it different is the tradtion of the honroary starter.  Since 1963 the custom in most years has been to start the tournament with an honorary opening tee shot at the first hole, typically by one of golf’s legendary players. The original honorary starters were Jock Hutchison and Fred McLeod; this twosome led off every tournament from 1963 until 1973, when poor health prevented Hutchison from swinging a club. McLeod continued on until his death in 1976.  Byron Nelson and Gene Sarazen started in 1981, and were then joined by Sam Snead in 1984.  This trio continued until 1999 when Sarazen died, while Nelson discontinued in 2001.  Snead hit his final opening tee shot in 2001, a year before he too died.  In 2007, Arnold Palmer took over as the honorary starter.  Palmer also had the honor in 2008 and 2009.   At the 2010 Masters Tournament, Jack Nicklaus joined Palmer as a co-honorary starter for the event and it is widely expected that Gary Player will re-unite The Big Three in 2011.

If you would like to be there to see the first tee shot, contact me at lefebergroup@comcast.net or call me at 706-877-7783.

Doug

With the Masters Tournament coming up, I thought I would begin posting interesting facts about The National as well as the Tournament itself.  The first blog will let you know what you need to do in order to play in the Tournament!  All you need to do is one of the following 19 things. 

• Former winners of The Masters
• Winners of the last five U.S. Opens
• Winners of the last five British Opens
• Winners of the last five PGA Championships
• Winners of the last three Players Championships
• Winner and runner-up from the last U.S. Amateur Championship
• Winner of the last British Amateur Championship
• Winner of the last Asian Amateur Championship
• Winner of the last U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship
• Winner of the last U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship
• The top 16 finishers (including ties) from last year’s Masters tournament
• The top 8 finishers (including ties), from last year’s U.S. Open
• The top 4 finishers (including ties) from last year’s British Open
• The top 4 finishers (including ties) from last year’s PGA Championship
• The top 30 finishers on last year’s PGA Tour money list
• Winners of PGA Tour events from the previous Masters through this year’s Masters, providing those tournaments awarded full FedEx Cup points (no opposite-field tournaments qualify)
• All players who qualified for last year’s Tour Championship
• The Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of the previous year
• The Top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking published in the week prior to this year’s Masters

So fellow golfers, choose which one you would like to accomplish and we will see you playing the first week of April!

Doug

There’s no doubt about it:  Augusta, Georgia’s claim to fame has been and will always be the Masters tournament.  But as an Augusta resident for a number of years, I’ve had the privilege of learning firsthand that there is an unexpected charm about this city that goes far beyond golf.

Check out this article by Joe Posnanski, Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated, who tells us more.