Every year it is the same—and that’s one of the great appeals of The Masters. The champion signs his card on Sunday and retreats to the Butler Cabin where the past champion sits ready to put the Green Jacket on that year’s winner. It is a ceremony that all golf fans recognize.
In Canada, the Masters is also the symbolic kick off for the golf season, coinciding for most places in the country with the greening of fairways and the return of the weekend golf game with friends. But beyond that, the Masters, is steeped in immediately recognizable traditions.
Honorary starters
Having past honorary starters hit the opening tee shot started in 1963, with the role eventually heading to legends like Gene Sarazen (of the famed Augusta Albatross) and Byron Nelson smacking drivers to signify the start of another Masters. Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Gary Player led the ritual for years, with Tom Watson replacing Palmer in the current configuration.
Past winners
If you win the Masters, you’re able to play the tournament for the rest of your life. Some of the past champions can even still use their experience to be competitive around Augusta. Take the case of Bernhard Langer, who will play his final year at Augusta as a past champion (his 41st Masters), but finished 29th as recently as 2020.
The Champions Dinner
One of the more secretive events at the Masters each year is the Champions Dinner. The previous year’s winner gets to pick what’s going to be served, and winners from decades previous show up to chat with old friends and rivals. While you might know what’s served at the Champions Dinner, no one knows exactly what’s discussed. In terms of what’s served, Scottie Scheffler offered up cheeseburger sliders, and Sandy Lyle famously had haggis on the menu.
Par-3 Contest
While Augusta and the Masters is known for its somewhat archaic policies—no running, no cell phones, etc.—the Par-3 contest is the one time each week when the tournament lets down its hair, at least somewhat. Participants can choose to tee it up for the shootout at Augusta’s short par-3 course, which is usually tricked up to ensure a handful of aces. Beyond that, increasingly you’ll see the game’s best players bring wives and children as caddies, always decked out in the legendary white jumpsuits.
Caddies
Speaking of those white caddie garb, the Masters remains committed to having the caddie play a visible role in the tournament. For a significant period of the tournament’s history, the world’s best players would use caddies who worked at Augusta National throughout the club’s season. These men had an unrivaled understanding of the nuances of Augusta’s fairways and greens, but by 1983 most players were bringing their full-time caddies. In recent decades, players have chosen to bring their regular caddies, but the white jumpsuits continue to make the loopers at the Masters immediately recognizable.
The Crow’s Nest
Augusta’s history of involving amateur golfers stems from its co-founder Bobby Jones. Jones famously played almost all of his golf career as an amateur, and the Masters has always invited key amateur winners as a way of honouring him. That means you’ll find the U.S. Amateur winner and runner-up, as well as the U.S. Mid-Am victor, the NCAA individual champ, the Latin America Amateur winner, the Asia-Pacific Am winner, and the British Amateur winner in the field. The amateurs are given the opportunity to stay in the Crow’s Nest, located on the third floor of the clubhouse at Augusta National.
The Green Jacket
While you might not want to wear it out to dinner, there’s no question the Masters’ green jacket is one of the most iconic items given to the winner of a major sporting event. Over the years, Augusta National has tightened its grip on the famed green jackets after a couple ended up at sports paraphernalia auctions and generated big money.