Our Green Jacket was Red
A Red Jacket swaying over a green in Glyfada Golf Course has a story to tell
Jackets have long been more than an upper body garment to golfers.
The most renowned case being the iconic green jacket of Augusta National Golf Club that its Members along with Masters Champions wear each year during the official dinner and award ceremony. The idea to present a jacket as a reward to the Masters Champion of the year has been the brainchild of the great Bobby Jones.
Or has it? Well, almost.
Apparently, the tradition of hunting jackets worn by the Captains of a Golf Club, originates in Hoylake and The Royal Liverpool Golf Club. The wall in the Great Dining Room of the Clubhouse displays every captain since 1869 wearing the signature red jacket. On a 1930 trip to Royal Liverpool and during a player’s reception dinner, Bobby Jones sat next to Kenneth Stoker, who had been the club captain the year before. Jones was intrigued by the jacket and asked how he could possibly get one. Stoker assumedly replied to him that if he managed to win The Open, he would gratefully offer him his own.
Bobby Jones won, the red jacket was brought back to the US (where it’s still on display in The Hoylake Room of his original home club, Atlanta Athletic Club) and later on, when Jones created Augusta National, decided to offer a green jacket to the winners.
The Dining Room of the Royal Liverpool Golf Club (image courtesy of Royal Liverpool).
Down to our little corner of the Earth (Greece), the Organizing Committee of the 1979 World Cup that was held in Athens, followed the lead of the IGA (International Golfing Association) that rooted in the Hoylake tradition and adopted the red jacket attire during the World Cup award ceremony. Chairman A. Manouilidis, Vice President H. Capuano, D. Bailas and T. Aperghis along with the esteemed director of Glyfada Golf Course, M. Benakis. were dressed in red jackets as they delivered the trophy to Hale Irwin and John Mahaffey.
Recently, we were entrusted to bring the very coat of Mr. Benakis out of its closet, for yet another photograph 45 years later than the original. The location could only be the golf course he so dearly loved and cared with exemplary devotion. This story also serves as a debt to a Korean golfer that stood in awe in the middle of his round, while attempting to figure out a rational explanation of what could be going on during our setup of the shooting scene.-
The Award Ceremony of the 1979 World Cup, held in Glyfada Golf Club of Athens.