Program from first Masters up for auction

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Photo of a 1934 Masters Tournament program (File/Staff)

Programs from the first Augusta National Invitation Tournament are rare, but another one has found its way to the auction block.

Robert Edward Auctions has the program from 1934 listed on its site with a minimum bid of $5,000. The auction ends Sunday, and the auction site expects the item to go for more than $10,000.

Programs were produced by the club for the 1934 and 1935 Masters Tournaments. There is no record of other programs being produced until 1990, when Augusta National Golf Club launched the Masters Journal as its preview magazine.

One oddity is that more programs were printed after the 1934 tournament was played. They were kept at Augusta National for members and guests. An insert shows scores from the first event, which was won by Horton Smith.

The auction house said the program, which was purchased by its consignor at an auction in Great Britain, also contains the insert with the scores.

The 44-page reprint of the 1934 program is a fascinating look at the club.

With a light green cover, it features an Augusta National logo and the words “First Annual Invitation Tournament” in prominent type.

Inside, pictures of famous club members - including Grantland Rice, L.B. Maytag, Eugene Grace and Edward F. Hutton - are featured. A description of the layout’s holes by architect Alister MacKenzie offers insight on how he thought the course should be played.

Black-and-white photographs show the clubhouse, Magnolia Lane, flowers and various holes on the course.

In the early 1990s, Augusta National produced reprints of the 1934 program and sold them in its gift shops.