1934 Masters Program

        Presented here is certainly one of the most sought-after pieces of Masters memorabilia in existence - the fabled 1934 Masters Tournament Program. Prior to the 1990s, programs were only produced for the 1934 and 1935 Masters Tournaments (then-called the Augusta National Invitation Tournament). The existence of those 2 programs has become the stuff of legend - only a handful are known to exist and few ever change hands. By all accounts, approximately a dozen 1934 Masters Programs and half-dozen 1935 Masters Programs exist.

        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 Augusta National Invitation 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 was also 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.

        As previously mentioned, only approximately a dozen 1934 Augusta National Invitation Tournament Programs are known to exist. The one presented in this auction is surely one of the finest in existence.