The Masters: 6 traditions that no longer exist

It is impossible to tell the story of The Masters and Augusta National Golf Club without speaking – and speaking frequently – of their many rituals.

Tradition awaits around every corner, from the presentation of the green jacket to the new champion, to the pimento cheese sandwiches that fill chilled cabinets within the concession stands.

And yet there used to be more of them. Many, many more. Since the first Masters Tournament was played in 1934, club officials – and industrious Augusta residents – have experimented and innovated with various different ideas and events, all designed to maximise the potential and the profit of the biggest week in the city’s calendar.

Alas, many of these ideas have fallen by the wayside. But though they might be gone, they are most certainly not forgotten.

Here are six of our favourite ‘Lost Traditions’…

1. The Masters Parade

Introduced in 1957, Bobby Jones led the first parade down Broad Street in Augusta on Tuesday of tournament week as a flight of blimps from Glyno Naval Base in nearby Brunswick flew overhead. Just two years later, a crowd of more than 25,000 lined the streets of the Masters’ hometown to catch a glimpse of the festivities.

Marine corps bands, beauty queens, golf club twirling majorettes, and 150-foot balloons – all became beloved fixtures of the parade, which was favourably compared with the Macy’s Christmas parade in New York City and the annual Rose Bowl Parade in California.

Unfortunately, the fun was short-lived, the parade taking place for the last time in 1964.

2. Competitor Clinics

In the early years of the tournament, competitors would deliver short instruction sessions to assembled patrons. Horton Smith, Claude Harmon, Herman Kaiser, Cary Middlecoff, and even Gene Sarazen and Ben Hogan all participated at various times.

It took place on the Wednesday of tournament week until it was replaced by the Par-3 Contest in 1960.

3. Long Drive Competition

In addition to the aforementioned clinics, Augusta National also hosted a long drive competition on the Wednesday of the tournament in a bid to encourage patrons to pay for a practice day ticket. The competition started when The Masters resumed following the Second World War and took place on the first tee.

Winners included Sam Snead (290 yards, 1948), Billy Joe Patton (338 yards, 1954), and Mike Fetchick (351 yards, 1957). The final contest, staged in 1959, was won by George ‘The Human Howitzer’ Bayer.

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4. The Masters Beauty Pageant

Between 1957 and 1967, Augusta staged a beauty pageant in the city’s Bell Auditorium at the start of Masters week.

In addition to her ‘Miss Golf’ sash, the winner received a cash prize, FootJoy shoes, and even had a role to play in the prize presentation for the tournament, helping to present the winner with the Masters trophy before posing alongside them for photographs.

An editorial in the Augusta Chronicle once observed: “Both the pageant and its winner add luster to the week and fully sustain their right to be regarded as the principal side attraction to the Masters Tournament itself.”

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5. The Masters Calcutta

For the uninitiated, a ‘calcutta’ is a type of betting pool or auction where participants bid on contestants in a competition. One such event used to take place at the once-lavish, formerly-swanky Bon Air hotel in Augusta.

Even those playing in – and running – the tournament would show up and participate, even after the USGA had formally ‘disapproved’ of gambling auctions in 1948.

The event fell by the wayside when players started staying in private residences during Masters week. Unable to secure a mortgage, the Bon Air was forced to close its doors in 1960.

6. Fishing Competitions

Ike’s Pond is more than just a water feature around which the Par-3 Course has been built. It was once, in fact, the scene of an unofficial Masters tournament: a bass fishing competition! For many years, a number of players opted to arrive early at Augusta National for Masters week specifically to fish in the iconic pond.

According to legend, Johnny Miller caught the largest large-mouth bass ever taken from the pond in 1976, interrupting a dinner held on Monday nights for international players by bursting into the clubhouse to show off his impressive catch.

Michael McEwan is bunkered's Head of Content and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Head of Content