In England, the Queen's Guard keeps an eye on Buckingham Palace. In Augusta, the gallery guards keep watch over the fairways at Augusta National Golf Club.

Gallery guards James Keane and Jack Bradford close the ropes across the first fairway during the practice round. Augusta National has ditched the guards' hard hats but kept the yellow theme, giving them new caps with "gallery" on the side. (John Curry/Staff)

Both elite groups are known for their distinctive headgear -- and this year, the guards in Augusta have a brand-new look.

Absent from the 2009 Masters Tournament are the bright-yellow hard hats worn for decades by the cadre of volunteers who open and close the fairway crossings.

Guards this year were issued simple yellow caps with "Gallery" monogrammed on the side.

"It's not like they did a study or anything," said Steve Ethun, the club's communications director. "They just made a decision, for whatever reason, to make that change."