Augusta, a tradition to lose?

If some one said Augusta shouldn't be a major, then I would have a strong opinion ( it shouldn't), but to go out on a limb over what the caddies wear, seriously?
 
brendy, thanks..great vid.....7.34 "paul Runyan's boy" proves my point exactly.

I had noticed the Kraft championship caddies, I wonder where they pinched the idea from!!!
 
A few things have changed since 1960!

One of those 'boys' is now in The White House and another is a 4 time winner. And it took 5 years or so before they actually got voting rights! So those guys in the boiler suits were 2nd class citizens.

And you might consider it a misconception, but 'prejudice' seems the appropriate description to me .. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prejudice
 
Foxholer said:
A few things have changed since 1960!

One of those 'boys' is now in The White House and another is a 4 time winner. And it took 5 years or so before they actually got voting rights! So those guys in the boiler suits were 2nd class citizens.

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Thanks for agreeing with me Foxy, this exactly proves my point, caddies are not 2nd class citizens so lets lose the boiler suits.!!
 
goldenbare said:
As we are now being inundated by Sky’s advertising of next week’s Masters it reminds me that as much as we all love the excitement it brings to the start of the Summer golfing season I always feel it is marred each year by the poor caddies being dressed in white boiler suits, like a throwback to the days of black/white separation in the deep South of America.
I think is about time the Augusta authorities got in the modern world of equality and let the caddies look like people who have some worth, treat them with a more respect and not make them look like 2nd class citizens as if they would dirty their pristine course with a glimpse of an occasional pair of neatly pressed shorts and trainers.
I am sure after all the excitement the caddies must share in looking forward to such a great competition with the players they work with, it must be a real downside to their week to be treated like worthless bag carriers that had been picked up from the caddy shack.

Anybody else have similar feelings or do you think it is all part the Masters’ tradition?
Click to expand...

Augusta is an anachronism. It has elements of a pre-segregation old-white guy with old money plantation owner idea of the Confederate States.

It has some serious issues, but I don't think the caddie uniform is very high on the list.
 
Foxholer said:
A few things have changed since 1960!

One of those 'boys' is now in The White House and another is a 4 time winner. And it took 5 years or so before they actually got voting rights! So those guys in the boiler suits were 2nd class citizens.

And you might consider it a misconception, but 'prejudice' seems the appropriate description to me .. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/prejudice
Click to expand...

Actually, the fact that you can name the single people described in your message suggests that they are the exceptions rather than the rule. Race is still a huge issue in the US, and is a subtext of the 'Anyone But Obama' strategy the Republicans are pursuing right now.
 
Augusta is always going to be the most visually stunning Major venue and I always watch as much coverage of the Masters as I can. However, I've always had this nagging doubt in my mind that the place is not quite what it seems. As some of the other posts have alluded to it seems a place steeped in racism and bigotry and apparently not everyone was pleased when some black guy won the Masters back in 1997.
 
A really interesting and thought provoking thread.

I was in the " bit of tradition and look smart" camp but actually Brendy's bit of old film did make me think that the white suits were there to make sure no one had any doubt that the guys carrying the bags weren't on level terms with everyone else at the event.

Is there a compromise? Some sort of dress standard that would keep the caddies looking smart without the throw back to the bad old days?
 
MashieNiblick said:
A really interesting and thought provoking thread.

I was in the " bit of tradition and look smart" camp but actually Brendy's bit of old film did make me think that the white suits were there to make sure no one had any doubt that the guys carrying the bags weren't on level terms with everyone else at the event.

Is there a compromise? Some sort of dress standard that would keep the caddies looking smart without the throw back to the bad old days?
Click to expand...

What, like changing the colour?
 
Hadn't even noticed the caddy attire really, until I read this thread. And now I've thought it about it...keep it the same as I'm watching the golf ball not the bag carrier. ;)
 
Do you think it wrong that the waiters/waitresses wear uniform in the club house?
Or that greenkeepers have a uniform?
Or that the members have to wear those cheap looking Green Jackets?
 
In the latest GM I'm sure I read that the caddie of (I honestly can't remember who, possibly G Mac) was really excited to get his masters boiler suit and got his picture taken straight away.
 
Yes, the cadre of caddies was quite poignant

What also shocked me was the pros warming up in the beautiful fresh air, all drawing heavily on their cigarettes

The ladies all look very prim and proper. Althogh there is a very nice long haired redhead watching eth Par 3 comp - i bet she would have been a sight to see in those days...then again she might have been a man. No wait, it's Augusta
 
I can remember it when the caddies were all black (afro-american in case I upset or offend) and they were treated poorly. However Augusta is a place that time forgot and the members stil think of it as a cotton plantation and everyone is there to serve those in green jackets. It has many things wrong with it and refusing to let a lady journalist into the locker room, despite full accreditation, I think says more about the place than making the caddies where boiler suit. Whatever their shortcomings (and there are plenty) they do know how to put on a good tournament.

However, does it really deserve its status as a golf major when all said and done its an invitational event only and not an Open
 
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