The Masters green jacket history begins not in Georgia, but on the west coast of England. In 1930, while attending The Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Club, Augusta National co-founder Bobby Jones noticed that all of the club captains were dressed in matching red jackets. The story goes that Royal Liverpool club captain Kenneth Stoker was sitting beside Jones at the pre-tournament dinner, and told him that if he won the tournament that week, he would give him his jacket.
Jones did win and Stoker made good on his word. That gifted red jacket planted the seed for what would eventually become one of sport’s most revered garments.
When Augusta National opened its doors in 1933, Jones pitched the idea of members wearing distinctive jackets. Several colours were reportedly considered, including red, yellow and “Georgia peach”, before the club settled on the verdant green that echoed the azalea bushes surrounding the course. By 1937, every Augusta member attending the Masters wore a green jacket so that patrons could easily identify them and ask for directions around the grounds.