Why Do The Caddies Wear White Boiler Suits At The Masters?
Traditionally the caddies at Augusta wear the same uniform. But why?
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Why Do The Caddies Wear White Boiler Suits At The Masters?
The Masters (opens in new tab) tournament may have changed since its first inception back in the 20th century, but one tradition that has remained are the white boiler suits and green hats worn by the caddies. But why exactly is this uniform used and when did it come about? The video below explains all...
Well 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 the host club, Augusta National. Players were not allowed to bring their own caddie.
Jack Nicklaus and his caddie at the 1973 Masters
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 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.
As defending champion in 2021, Dustin Johnson's caddie got number one on his suit.
This uniform thus became a tradition - and Augusta National does like its traditions. The caddies also have numbers on their suits and these are allocated in the order that the caddies check in to register. The only exception to this is the defending champion and his caddie, because they get the number one on their suit as you can see above. All the caddies in The Masters also have the name of the player that they are caddying for on the back of their overalls in green lettering.
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.
More Augusta National Content
- Why Are The Augusta National Bunkers White? (opens in new tab)
- The Significance Of Pin Positions at Augusta (opens in new tab)
- The History Of The Masters Green Jacket (opens in new tab)
The Golf Monthly team will keep you updated on all things Masters related in 2022 so be sure to check back on the website for more content.
A golfer for most of his life, Sam is a Senior Staff Writer for Golf Monthly.
Working with golf gear and equipment over the last five years, Sam has quickly built outstanding knowledge and expertise on golf products ranging from drivers, to balls, to shoes.
He also loves to test golf apparel especially if it a piece that can be used just about anywhere!
As a result he has always been the one family and friends come to for buying advice and tips.
He is a graduate of Swansea University where he studied History and American Studies, and he has been a part of the Golf Monthly team since December 2017. He also previously worked for World Soccer and Rugby World magazines.
Sam now spends most of his time testing and looking after golf gear content for the website. He also oversees all Tour player content as well.
Unfortunately, Sam is not a member of any club at the moment but regularly gets out on the golf course to keep up the facade of having a handicap of five.
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