Why Caddies Wear White Boiler Suits?

Why do golf caddies wear white boiler suits?

Transcript

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

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

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

00:15Well, until 1983, the players weren't actually allowed to bring their own caddies to the Masters.

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

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

00:30insisted the caddies were given the white boiler suits to help them look smarter.

00:34When the policy changed, allowing players to bring their own caddies, the rules about the

00:38boiler suits remained in place. And these boiler suits are also still worn throughout the year by

00:43the club's own caddies today. Now, you will also notice that each caddy has a number.

00:48The defending champion is automatically allocated number one. And then after that,

00:53the numbers are in order of when the caddy checked in to register for the event.

00:58So there you have it. That's the story of the white boiler suits worn by the caddies at the

01:02Masters. Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.