Why Caddies Wear White Boiler Suits

Why do caddies wear white boiler suits

Transcript

00:00 One of the most visible differences between the Masters and other big golf tournaments is the

00:04 white boiler suits and the green hats that are worn by the caddies. This has been the case ever

00:09 since the first Masters tournament was played back in 1934. But what exactly is behind it?

00:14 Well until 1983 the players weren't actually allowed to bring their own caddies to the Masters.

00:20 Instead all of the competitors were allocated one of the local caddies who were employed by the

00:25 club. These were poor African-American men from the nearby community. The members insisted the

00:30 caddies were given the white boiler suits to help them look smarter. When the policy changed,

00:35 allowing players to bring their own caddies, the rules about the boiler suits remained in place.

00:40 And these boiler suits are also still worn throughout the year by the club's own caddies

00:44 today. Now you will also notice that each caddy has a number. The defending champion is automatically

00:50 allocated number one and then after that the numbers are in order of when the caddy checked

00:55 in to register for the event. So there you have it, that's the story of the white boiler suits

01:00 worn by the caddies at the Masters. Thanks for watching, we'll see you next time.