The green jacket has become one of the most iconic trophies in sports. Since 1949, the jacket has been awarded each year to the winner of the Masters Golf Tournament.
The jacket has a rich history and has been produced and manufactured in the past by a slew of clothiers, from Brooks Brothers to Nordstrom. Since 1967, it has been made exclusively by Hamilton Tailoring of Cincinnati.
While a green jacket may not be on the horizon for many of us, one company had a unique idea. Create their own green jacket and make available to the masses — all the while adding a touch of style.
Lifelong friends Hobson Brown and Bill Nachman are co-founders of the golf clothing company Criquet Shirts, based in Austin, Texas. They started the company in 2010 because they wanted to make the old polo shirts of the past. But the company quickly went beyond shirts.
In collaboration with Bask Blazers, Criquet Shirts launched its own green toweling blazers just in time for the Masters, featuring piping on the lapels. With a price tag of $289, Brown said they've had to order more of the jackets after hundreds of sales in just the first week.
The Criquet green jackets are designed for what the founders call "the 19th hole." Translation: lounging by the pool or the bar ... or the pool bar.
"You can wear it when you wake up in the morning, at the pool and you can rock greenside at the Masters. It's a super versatile jacket," said Brown.
If it rains, they are water absorbent and you have a built-in towel. But if terry cloth isn't your thing, you could try bidding on the real thing.
Members began wearing green jackets well before it was awarded at the Masters. Augusta National members began wearing jackets in 1937 as a way to help fans better identify them. According to Augusta.com, the green jackets meant they were a more "reliable source of information," and it helped waiters know whom to give the check.
The rye green jacket is reported to cost around $250 to manufacture.
In the past, the Championship Green Jacket was not able to leave the club. Three-time Masters winner Gary Player accidentally brought his home to South Africa after his Masters win. "If you want it ... come fetch it," Player told Clifford Roberts, then-Augusta National chairman.
The jacket eventually made it back to the United States, but Player told CNBC it was stolen this year while being packed up and sent back to South Africa to be put on honorary display.
"It's sad but it is still an important jacket whether it was won years back or now," Player said. "It was always an honor to put that green jacket on."
While modern day stars like Jordan Spieth, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson may never auction off their green jackets, the jackets occasionally become available.
Bob Zafian,co-founder of Green Jacket Auctions, said championship jackets usually begin around $60,000.
In 2013, 1934 Masters Champion Horton Smith's championship jacket sold for $682,229.
Member jackets come cheaper. Green Jacket Auctions is currently listing a vintage green jacket — bidding was at $9,743 as of Tuesday.
"In terms of golf collectibles, a green jacket is the holy grail," said Zafian.