The opening men’s major of the year, The Masters, tees off every year at the start of April. To celebrate this years tournament, we’ve dug through the history books to pull out ten fascinating facts about this prestigious tournament.
From the green jacket that sold for $5 to the time the Augusta National was used to raise cows and turkeys, here are 10 interesting facts about the masters that you may or may not have known.
Course architect, Alister MacKenzie, died before his famous course was completed
Legendary Scottish golf architect Alister MacKenzie designed 50 golf courses in his time, but he never lived to see the completion of his final masterpiece. The Augusta National was completed 2 months after his death on 6th January, 1934.
MacKenzie’s other famous courses include Cypress Point Club and Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Interestingly, he attributed his experience designing military camouflage to his flair for golf course design: “There are many other attributes in common between the successful golf architect and the camoufleur,” he said when asked about his talent. “Both, if not actually artists, must have an artistic temperament, and must have had an education in science.”
It wasn’t always called The Masters
For five years the famous tournament had the far less alluring title ‘the Augusta National Invitational.’
Co-creators Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones had a difference of opinion over the name of the tournament – Jones disliked what he saw as the boastful title of ‘the Masters’ and preferred the more humble Augusta National Invitational. Roberts, on the other hand, thought the former was more in-keeping with their ambition for the future of the tournament.
In 1939, Roberts got his way – the course was renamed ‘the Masters’ and the rest is history.
The Augusta National almost had 19 holes
Bobby Jones originally wanted the course to have 19 holes, so that losing golfers could win back their money with a final hole of ‘double-or-nothing.’
This final twist in the tail would be an extremely short 90-yard uphill hole. Jones’s idea failed to come to fruition because a.) it was too expensive, b.) it would block the view of the 18th hole and c.) it was frankly ridiculous.
Each hole is named after a plant or shrub that lines it
It’s a nice tip of the cap to the colourful flora that adorns the course. From ‘the tea olive’ and ‘the yellow jasmine’ to ‘the firethorn’ and ‘the flowering crabapple’ each hole has a connection to its surroundings in a way that helps to bring with it a unique character.
Having said that, it’s a good job the Augusta gardeners didn’t plant any swamp lousewort, bastard toadflax or humped bladderwort. That’s a little too much character.
A Green Jacket was once bought for $5 in a Toronto thrift shop… then sold for nearly $140,000
Talk about a find! In 1994, an original 1950s Green Jacket found its way into a Toronto thrift store. The thrift store owner, thinking it was no more than a snazzy evening jacket, slapped a $5 price tag on it, much to the delight of a golf-loving bargain hunter, who later sold it at auction for an eye-watering $139,000.
Eye-watering indeed… especially for the thrift store owner, who has no doubt hated the game of golf ever since!
When the Masters stopped during WW2, the Augusta National was used to raise cows and turkeys
The owners tried to keep the club ticking over during WW2, but it proved impossible. Upon closing temporarily in 1943, Clifford Roberts came up with the idea of using the land to raise cows and turkeys.
Roberts reasoned that, not only could they do their bit for local agriculture, but that cows and turkeys were far cheaper than lawn mowers!
The first Green Jacket was awarded to Sam Snead in 1949
Since their arrival at Augusta in 1939, Green Jackets were originally worn by club members. The idea was that by making them stand out, they could help members of the public who needed assistance.
They were far too stylish to be worn for mere practical purposes however, and in 1949 the decision was made to award them to winners.
Sam Snead bagged the first Green Jacket in 1949. He wore it for a year before returning to Augusta, as is the tradition to this day. A tradition that one sneaky South African managed to avoid…
Gary Player ‘forgot’ to return his Green Jacket
Genuine memory lapse or pure mischief – whatever your stance, Gary Player certainly bucked a trend in 1962, when he claims he forgot to return his Green Jacket following his Augusta triumph the year before.
He was later reported to have told Clifford Roberts “Well, you can come and fetch it.” Player apparently still has the Green Jacket displayed in his home, although he’s promised not to wear it in public.
Amen corner is named after a jazz song
The famous stretch of Augusta – from the 11th to the 13th hole, is often referred to as ‘Amen corner.’
The term was coined by American sports writer and jazz enthusiast Herbert Warren Wind in 1958, naming it after the Mildred Bailey jazz song “Shouting at Amen Corner.”
It’s strictly forbidden to say the ‘F’ word or ‘S’ word
When it comes to keeping their traditions tight, Augusta doesn’t mess around. Commentators, broadcasters and anyone else lucky enough to set foot on the lush Augusta grass are strictly forbidden from calling attendees ‘fans’ or ‘spectators.’
The correct term is ‘patrons’ and it must be used at all times.
Patronizing? Maybe. But rules are rules, and Augusta is the greatest golf club in the world.
