The history (and strict rules) of the Masters green jacket

The Masters green jacket is one of the most coveted items in all of sports. But it's not easy for just anyone to get their hands on.Getty Images

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Come Sunday night at Augusta National Golf Club, someone will win the Masters green jacket and their life will change forever.

It’s the most coveted jacket in all of sports, but it’s definitely not your ordinary coat. Let us explain.

First, the color. You know you were wondering. It’s Pantone 342, also known as Masters Green. (Your new basement hue? Smart choice.)

The club bought its first jackets from Brooks Uniform Company in 1937, but members, who were encouraged to buy them so patrons could identify reliable sources of information, were not thrilled about how warm they were. There have been a few different suppliers since then, but Hamilton Tailoring Co. has made them since 1967. (No, you can’t buy one.) Besides the club logo on the left chest pocket, it’s also on the brass buttons.

The jackets weren’t given to Masters champs until 1949, when Sam Snead won. They were awarded to all previous winners retroactively.

And you probably know this one, but Masters tradition is that the previous tournament’s winner puts the jacket on the new champ every Sunday night. But what about back-to-back winners? In 1966, when Jack Nicklaus repeated as champion, club co-founder Bobby Jones suggested, jokingly, that Nicklaus handle both roles and slip it on himself. The last two times there was a repeat champion, with Nick Faldo in 1990 and Tiger Woods in 2002, the club’s chairman assisted with the jacket. Although, with the 2026 tournament nearing its finish, there’s a chance we have our fourth repeat winner in tournament history.

Jackets are reserved for club members and Masters winners. That’s it. And don’t even think about taking them off the grounds. That right is reserved only for the reigning champ after their victory. But when their year is up and they return next April to defend their title, the jacket stays put as soon as the new champion puts theirs on. Three-time champ Gary Player forgot the rule one year and took his back to South Africa. When he heard from chairman Clifford Roberts, Player joked, “Well why don’t you come get it?”

There are certain times when Masters champions get to wear their jacket off grounds, but it’s only when they might be representing the tournament or club at a function or event, and of course, they’d need permission to do so.

As the Masters nears its finish every year, the club selects a few jackets that might fit the potential winner. The jacket the winner gets the night of their victory is not usually the one they keep. They are fitted immediately after their win and receive a new one.

These jackets aren’t found in the wild often, but when they are, the price tag is high. Back in 2013, Green Jacket Auctions sold inaugural Augusta National Invitational winner Horton Smith’s jacket for $682,229.

So while you likely won’t win the Masters to get your own green jacket, you could always just get asked to join the club. Although that might be even less likely. The LA Times published a story in 2023 that detailed an exclusive vault beneath the members’ pro shop that the club calls the “Green Jacket Experience” and “Green Jacket Vault,” where new club members are joined by chairman Fred Ridley and a tailor to get fitted for their own jackets.

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