Augusta National does not talk much about its past, but you can see its history in everything on the course every April.

The Masters was started and founded in 1934, and by that time, Bobby Jones had already won 13 majors and stopped playing at 28. Clifford Roberts was the other man behind it, and he was not a golfer like Jones. He took care of the money and made sure things ran well. That's how everything started to take place.

The land they chose for it used to be a nursery near Augusta, Georgia. The course opened in 1933, but at the time, Jones did not like the name “The Masters” at first. He felt it sounded too much. But Roberts wanted the name and kept pushing for it, and after some time, Jones agreed.

The traditions of it did not come at the same time. They were added slowly over many years. Some were for simple use, and some were for special moments. A few happened by chance, but together, they made the tournament feel bigger than just a game.

The name stayed, and so did most of what they started and its tradition.

What Makes Masters Week Feel Unlike Anything Else in Sports

Green jackets showed up at Augusta in 1937 for the most boring reason imaginable. Members needed a way to stand out on the grounds so fans could find them easily. That's it. No ceremony, no symbolism, just a practical fix.

The champion to receive one of those came 12 years later. Sam Snead got the first one in 1949, and players who won before him were sent jackets after the fact.

And here's what most people don't know: winners don't actually get to keep them. Augusta wants the jacket back the following year. A lot of champions get copies made, quietly. One small rule, but it says a lot about how this place operates.

Ben Hogan pulled the Champions Dinner together in 1952. All past winners, one room, Tuesday night before the week kicks off. Whoever won the previous year picks the food. That's the whole format. Hasn't moved an inch since.

Wednesday is for the Par 3 Contest. Family on the bag, kids taking the occasional swing, players in a good mood. Nothing serious about it. Except for one thing that nobody can quite explain in the entire history of that contest, not one winner has gone on to win the Masters the same week.

Augusta runs on its own terms linguistically, too. Fans are patrons. Bunkers, not sand traps. The rough is the second cut. First-timers pick this up quickly, or they don't; either way, Augusta isn't changing the policy.

Six jackets belong to Jack Nicklaus. The last came in 1986 when he was 46; nobody older has won it since. Tiger Woods was 21 in 1997, the youngest champion the tournament has seen. Former champions get lifetime exemptions to keep competing, a policy that few other majors follow. Past winners keep showing up, which means the history of this place is always standing somewhere on the course.

Augusta doesn't leave things to chance. Every piece of this week has been thought through. The club just doesn't feel the need to tell you that.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Shraabona Sengupta