1934 Masters Program

        Offered here is the most famous golf program of them all - the 1934 Masters Tournament Program.

        Prior to the 1990s, programs were only produced for the 1934 and 1935 Masters Tournaments (then "officially" called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament). The existence of those 2 programs has become the subject of legend - very few examples of each are known to exist, with copies only changing hands for prices between $10,000-$18,000, depending on condition.

        The inaugural Augusta National Invitation Tournament was fortunate to gain some national exposure simply because Bobby Jones was attached to the golf course and the tournament. But no one, including Bobby Jones, could have envisioned the fame that the tournament would eventually receive. The first Masters Tournament actually lost money, and the purse was quickly assembled by a few of the first Augusta National members. But according to the 1999 book The Making of the Masters by David Owen, this 1934 program also was a way for the club to both make money and pitch potential members:

An additional source of revenue during the first tournament was an attractively printed program, which also served as an unofficial prospectus for potential members. The program was forty-four pages long and contained a map of the course, descriptions of the holes (written by MacKenzie), photographs of the clubhouse and other points of interest, historical information about the property, photographs of most of the members of the club, and several dozen advertisements. It sold for twenty-five cents. Overrepresented among the advertisers were the club's numerous creditors, who had been offered space in lieu of payment.

        The presented program is in very good condition and displays beautifully. Condition-wise this Program ranks in the top 1/3 of all 1934 Masters Programs that we have handled. The cover of the program is separating from the spine, though that is one condition issue that could be restored rather easily.

Letter of Authenticity from Green Jacket Auctions (GJA).