Master's Green Jacket Holds Details Few Notice, Even After Decades of Tradition
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Bilder des Tages - SPORT Golf legends, left to right, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus walk together on the 11th green together during a practice round prior to the Masters golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, George, April 8, 2014. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY AUG20140408354 Images the Day Sports Golf Legends left to Right Arnold Palmer Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus Walk Together ON The 11th Green Together during A Practice Round Prior to The Masters Golf Tournament AT Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta George April 8 2014 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY
The Masters green jacket is one of the most recognizable prizes in sport, but winners do not actually own it.
Augusta National Golf Club keeps control of every green jacket. Winners can take it home for a year, then it goes back to the clubhouse.
That’s where it stays. Even past champions don’t get more than one, no matter how many times they win.
The ceremony doesn’t change much. The jacket slipped onto the winner in Butler Cabin usually isn’t even theirs. It’s pulled from a member who’s close enough in size, which is why it doesn’t always fit. The real one comes later.
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The Masters Rory McIlroy NIR celebrates with Scottie Scheffler USA after donning his green jacket after the final round of the The Masters , Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia, USA. 13/04/2025. Picture Fran Caffrey / Golffile.ie All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Fran Caffrey Copyright: xFranxCaffreyx *EDI*
It’s been done that way for decades. The jacket is presented as a prize, but the way it’s handled tells a different story.
When Tradition Enforces the Rules
That system hasn’t always gone unchallenged. Gary Player took his jacket back to South Africa after winning in 1961, before the rules were enforced the way they are now. It didn’t last. Augusta chairman Clifford Roberts called him directly and asked for it back.
That control hasn’t changed much since. Jack Nicklaus won six Masters titles, but he still has just one green jacket, the same one each time. Winning more didn’t change the terms.
It reaches beyond the course too. When Billy Casper passed in 2015, his family needed permission from Augusta National to bury him in it. The club said yes, but the decision still sat with them.
The value of the jacket has also been tested outside the club. A jacket once worn by Horton Smith sold at auction for more than $680,000. Augusta National has since taken legal steps to prevent jackets from being sold, keeping control over where they go and how they are used.
Only after understanding those rules do the physical details start to matter. The jackets have been made by Hamilton Tailoring Co. since 1967. Each one uses light wool, follows a strict design, and takes about a month to complete. Three brass buttons with the Augusta National logo are part of that identity.
The jacket is awarded in front of millions, but controlled long after the cameras are gone.
The green jacket is not just a prize. It is something Augusta National allows a champion to wear, without ever fully giving it away.
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Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Pulkit Prabhav