Question: What is the Origin of the Champions Dinner?
What Augusta National officially calls the "Masters Club" is known to most golf fans as the "Champions Dinner." Each year, former Masters champs return to Augusta for the affair, which takes place on Tuesday night of tournament week. When did the Champions Dinner originate, and at whose suggestion?
Answer: The man behind the Champions Dinner is Ben Hogan, who in 1952 arranged a dinner for all previous Masters champions. That dinner was formalized the following year into the tradition we now know as the Champions Dinner.
The "Masters Club" - the group of men who get to attend the Champions Dinner - is limited in membership to past Masters champions (there have been a few exceptions over the years, among them Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts and ensuing Augusta National club presidents).
The previous year's champion gets to select the menu and serves as host for the dinner. At the dinner, he is presented with an incribed gold locket as his welcome into the Masters Club.
Also See: Sample Menus from Past Champions Dinners
