The Masters tournament may have changed certain aspects since its inception back in the early part of the 20th century, but one tradition that has continued through the decades is the uniform, namely the white jumpsuits and green hats, worn by the caddies. But why exactly is this uniform used and when did it come about?
It used to be a widespread practice in Majors and at tour events that the players did not use their own caddies. Instead the host golf clubs provided all the caddies for the players. This practice mainly died out during the 1970s. The Masters became one of the last tournaments to change its policy on caddies.
Until the 1983 Masters tournament, all the caddies at The Masters were provided by Augusta National. Players were not allowed to bring their own caddie.
When it changed this policy, the Masters Tournament Committee still required all visiting caddies to wear the traditional uniform of the club’s own caddies. This uniform is white overalls and a green cap, and is worn there all year round by the caddies. Or we should say, for those months of the year that Augusta National is open to play because the course traditionally closes between the months of May and October.
The earliest caddies at Augusta National were poor black men drawn from the local community. The club had provided them with official uniforms to make them look smarter. The bright white also made the caddies stand out against the vibrant green of the lush Augusta National fairways.
The caddies starting wearing the white uniforms with green caps in the late 1940s after tournament co-founder Clifford Roberts wrote a letter suggesting that the caddies wore uniforms. This was likely because they used to dress in regular clothing like the patrons.
Carl Jackson, who holds the record for the most Masters appearances as a caddie with 54, once said of the iconic suit: “I wore it with pride. It was a uniform that showed you were a professional. Mr Roberts wanted everything to look the best that it could – the golf course, the players and that included the caddies. We wore those uniforms to look uniform.”
This uniform thus became a tradition - and Augusta National does like its traditions. The caddies also have numbers on their boiler suits, with these allocated in the order that the players check in to register during Masters week.
The only exception to this is the defending champion and his caddie, because they get the number one on their suit.
All the caddies in The Masters have the name of the player that they are caddying for on the back of their overalls in green block lettering. The original white jumpsuits were made of a heavy material but are now much lighter thanks to a polyester and cotton blend - that comes in handy during the hot Georgia spring.
Another interesting fact is the white uniform is not that different to the binmen of Augusta National, who wear green caps but their overalls are yellow, not white.
It's not just the professional caddies who wear the white jumpsuits either, as players can get them for their wives, girlfriends, children and friends to wear while caddying for them in the traditional Wednesday par 3 contest.
The professional caddies don't tend to keep their white jumpsuits from the week, although they are allowed to send a letter requesting that they keep it and Augusta National sends it out to them via mail.
