An aerial view of Augusta National Golf Club, with the members' pro shop circled.
Sports Illustrated
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Augusta National Golf Club is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world and home to several equally exclusive spots. Berckmans Place. The wine cellar. Heck, even that members-only cottage we stumbled upon earlier this week in Amen Corner.
But turns out there’s one more.
The Los Angeles Times’ Sam Farmer published a story on Thursday that detailed an exclusive vault beneath the members’ pro shop, which is located just right of the first fairway and less than a hundred yards from the clubhouse. Only members and member guests are allowed.
According to Farmer, Augusta National provided The Times an exclusive look at the digs under the pro shop (photos or videos weren’t allowed), which the club created in 2021 out of what used to be an underground storage room. The club turned it into a “Green Jacket Experience” and “Green Jacket Vault,” where new club members are joined by chairman Fred Ridley and a tailor to get fitted for the most well-known jacket in sports.
It’s accessed through an unmarked door in the back of the pro shop, which leads down a set of stairs.
According to Farmer, the room is rigged with motion-sensitive lights and high-tech touches like monitors that explain the history of the green jacket. The other side of the room is a glass storefront (with fingerprint entry) where a mannequin is outfitted with a deconstructed green jacket. (This is not where they store jackets for current members, though.)
There are a ton of other great details about this room — like the secret panels for booze — so we recommend you read the entire feature here. And for more on the history of the green jacket, click here.
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.