Professional Golfers' Association of America
A U.S. nonprofit membership organization that develops golf professionals, grows participation in golf, and conducts major championships and international team competitions.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Professional Golfers' Association of America, commonly known as the PGA of America, is a U.S. nonprofit membership organization representing golf professionals who work primarily in club operations, teaching, coaching, player development and golf administration. Founded in 1916, it was created to give American golf professionals a collective professional identity and a stronger voice in tournaments, employment matters and the development of the game. The association began with 78 elected members, including 35 charter members, and has grown into a national organization with more than 30,000 members and associates, 14 districts and 41 geographic PGA Sections. The association's work spans professional education, member services, tournament administration, charitable programming and public participation initiatives. Its membership pathway requires aspiring professionals and apprentices to complete education and assessment requirements, including written examinations, seminars, simulated performance testing and the PGA Playing Ability Test. Candidates may pursue the program through self-directed study, PGA-accredited university programs or accelerated education routes. Through this system, the organization supports the training of club professionals, instructors, coaches and golf-industry leaders rather than functioning solely as a tour-player body. The PGA of America is best known for conducting the PGA Championship, one of men's professional golf's major championships, as well as the Senior PGA Championship and the Women's PGA Championship. It also administers member-focused events such as the PGA Professional Championship and the Assistant PGA Professional Championship. In addition, it co-organizes biennial international team competitions including the Ryder Cup and PGA Cup, and has supported the development of the Women's PGA Cup. These events connect the association's club-professional membership base with elite competition and the broader public profile of golf. The organization was historically connected to touring professionals, but that relationship changed during the television-driven growth of professional golf in the 1960s. Disagreements over tournament purses, governance and the allocation of growing broadcast revenues led touring players to seek greater autonomy. In 1968, the touring division became institutionally separate from the PGA of America and later developed into the PGA Tour. The PGA of America retained responsibility for its own championships, professional membership structure and game-development programs. The association has also undergone important changes in inclusion and access. Its bylaws contained a Caucasian-only membership clause from 1934 until 1961. Pressure from civil-rights authorities and public criticism contributed to the clause's removal. Women became eligible for PGA membership in 1977. In the twenty-first century, the organization has emphasized participation and access through PGA Reach, its charitable foundation, and through programs serving youth, military communities and diverse populations. In 2018, the PGA of America announced that it would relocate its headquarters from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to PGA Frisco, a large mixed-use golf development in Frisco, Texas. The public-private project involved the PGA of America, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco and Frisco Independent School District. The campus opened in 2022 and includes the association's headquarters, the Northern Texas PGA, Fields Ranch's two championship courses, Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa and the PGA District retail and entertainment area. The PGA of America remains an active national professional association whose influence combines credentialing, golf instruction, championship administration, charitable work and public promotion of the sport.
History
The PGA of America emerged from efforts to organize U.S. golf professionals and improve their professional standing. On January 17, 1916, a luncheon at Wanamaker's department store in New York brought together leading professionals, amateurs, writers and golf-industry figures. The meeting was encouraged by professional Tom McNamara and supported by retailer Rodman Wanamaker, who saw both commercial and social value in creating a national professional body. The gathering discussed professional representation, tournament administration and the possibility of a national championship. A follow-up organizational meeting produced a seven-person committee charged with preparing a constitution and bylaws. The committee included James Hepburn, James Maiden, Robert White, Jack Mackie, Gilbert Nicholls, Jack Hobens and Herbert Strong. On April 10, 1916, the Professional Golfers' Association of America was formally established at the Hotel Martinique in New York. Seventy-eight members were elected, including 35 charter members. The association initially operated through seven regional sections; it later expanded to 41 sections organized within 14 districts. The new association quickly established a major tournament. Wanamaker provided a trophy and prize support for an all-professional match-play championship modeled partly on British professional competitions. The first PGA Championship took place in October 1916 at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville, New York, with Jim Barnes winning the inaugural title. The tournament became one of the central institutions of American professional golf and remains administered by the PGA of America. For much of its early history, the association represented a broad professional community that included club professionals, teachers and tournament players. As television revenues and professional tournament purses increased during the 1960s, touring players became dissatisfied with the PGA of America's control over the tournament structure and with the distribution of new commercial income. In 1968, touring professionals formed the American Professional Golfers, Inc., but later reached a compromise with the PGA of America. The result was a largely autonomous Tournament Players Division governed by a policy board and operating with its own commissioner. That division was later renamed the PGA Tour and became a separate organization, while the PGA of America continued to administer its championships, membership and educational functions. The association's civil-rights history includes a significant discriminatory provision. From 1934 until 1961, its bylaws contained a Caucasian-only membership clause. The clause was retained in an initial 1960 vote, but pressure from California Attorney General Stanley Mosk and the threat of state action helped lead to its removal in 1961. The 1962 PGA Championship was moved from California to Pennsylvania after the dispute over the event's host venue. Women became eligible for PGA membership in 1977, reflecting a later expansion of the professional membership base. In the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the PGA of America broadened its role beyond tournament administration. It developed structured education for apprentices and aspiring professionals, expanded continuing education and created programs designed to bring new and returning players into the sport. In 2003 it created a Player Development department, and in 2004 it launched Play Golf America with allied golf organizations. PGA Reach, the association's charitable foundation, focuses on youth, military and diverse communities by using PGA professionals, sections and facilities to make golf more accessible. The association also developed and operated golf properties connected with education, championship preparation and public participation. PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, remains a major public-access facility associated with PGA Village. The association formerly held ownership of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, a venue for Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship and PGA Championship events; the club was sold to local investors and members in 2022. In 2018, the PGA of America announced a headquarters move to Frisco, Texas. The PGA Frisco campus opened in 2022 through a partnership involving the association, Omni Hotels & Resorts, the City of Frisco and Frisco Independent School District. It combines headquarters, championship courses, hospitality, education and entertainment facilities. Today, the PGA of America remains a national nonprofit professional association focused on developing golf professionals, conducting major events and increasing participation in golf.
- 2022
PGA Frisco campus inaugurated
[1]The PGA Frisco campus opened with the association's headquarters, Fields Ranch courses, resort facilities and the PGA District.
- 2018
Frisco headquarters relocation announced
[1]The PGA of America announced plans to relocate its headquarters to the PGA Frisco development in Texas.
- 2015
Women's PGA Championship partnership
[1]The LPGA Championship was renamed the Women's PGA Championship after a partnership between the LPGA and the PGA of America.
- 2004
Play Golf America launched
[1]The PGA of America introduced Play Golf America with allied organizations to support participation and instructional activity.
- 2003
Player Development department created
[1]The association created a department focused on attracting new, returning and occasional adult golfers.
- 1977
Women admitted to PGA membership
[1]Women became eligible for membership in the PGA of America.
- 1968
Tournament division becomes autonomous
[1]A dispute with touring professionals resulted in the creation of an autonomous Tournament Players Division, the organizational predecessor of the PGA Tour.
- 1961
Racial membership clause removed
[1]The association amended its bylaws to remove the Caucasian-only membership provision that had been in force since 1934.
- 1916
Association established
[1]The Professional Golfers' Association of America was formally established on April 10, 1916, with 78 elected members and 35 charter members.
- 1916
First PGA Championship
[1]The inaugural PGA Championship was held at Siwanoy Country Club in New York and won by Jim Barnes.
Products and positioning
The PGA of America positions itself as the professional home and credentialing body for golf professionals in the United States, combining workforce development and member services with high-profile championship administration and initiatives designed to expand participation in golf.
Men's major championship · 1916
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is the PGA of America's principal men's championship and one of professional golf's four major tournaments. It brings together leading professional golfers while preserving places for qualified club professionals, linking elite competition with the association's membership mission.
Senior professional championship
Senior PGA Championship
The Senior PGA Championship is an annual senior professional event conducted by the PGA of America. It extends the association's championship portfolio to established older players and has been staged at prominent golf venues across the United States.
Women's professional championship · 2015
KPMG Women's PGA Championship
The Women's PGA Championship is conducted through a partnership between the PGA of America and the LPGA. Formerly known as the LPGA Championship, the event was renamed in 2015 to strengthen its connection with the PGA brand and the wider professional golf ecosystem.
Member championship
PGA Professional Championship
The PGA Professional Championship is a major competition for PGA members and club professionals. It provides a national competitive platform for professionals whose primary work is conducted at golf facilities rather than on a touring circuit.
Charitable foundation
PGA Reach
PGA Reach is the charitable foundation of the PGA of America. Its programs use PGA professionals, facilities and regional sections to expand access to golf and support youth, military communities and diverse populations.
Participation initiative · 2004
Play Golf America
Play Golf America is a participation and instructional initiative designed to introduce people to golf, encourage lapsed players to return and support family and adult programming at PGA member facilities.
Controversies
2026
Don Rea Jr. removed after Ryder Cup conduct controversy
The referenced material reports that the board removed Don Rea Jr. during his presidential term after he had previously downplayed vulgar fan behavior directed toward the European team at the 2025 Ryder Cup.
2014
Ted Bishop dismissed after gender-based insult
President Ted Bishop was removed after describing Ian Poulter in a gender-based insult while criticizing Poulter's comments about Ryder Cup captains. The association characterized Bishop's remarks as unacceptable and insensitive.
1961
Removal of Caucasian-only membership clause
The PGA of America removed a discriminatory membership provision that had excluded nonwhite professionals. The change followed public criticism and pressure from California Attorney General Stanley Mosk.
Marketing campaigns
- 2004Play Golf America
United States
The PGA of America worked with allied golf organizations to promote introductory, instructional and participation opportunities through PGA facilities and professionals.
Outcome. Established a national platform for player-development activities.
- 2003Player Development initiative
United States
The association created a dedicated Player Development department to reach new, sporadic and returning adult golfers and encourage participation through member facilities.
Outcome. Expanded the association's role in golf participation beyond championship administration.
- PGA Reach
United States
The PGA's charitable foundation supports access to golf for youth, military personnel and diverse communities through PGA professionals and regional sections.
Outcome. Ongoing charitable and inclusion program.
Brand decisions
2022
Sell Valhalla Golf ClubM&ABackground
The PGA of America had acquired full ownership of Valhalla Golf Club after earlier minority investments and used the venue for major championships and Ryder Cup competition.
Action taken
The association sold Valhalla Golf Club to a group of local investors and club members.
Aftermath
Valhalla ceased to be a PGA of America-owned property while remaining an important championship venue.
2018
Relocate headquarters to PGA FriscoStrategyBackground
The association pursued a larger integrated headquarters and golf-development campus to combine administration, championship facilities, hospitality and public-facing golf experiences.
Action taken
It announced plans to move from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to a 660-acre mixed-use development in Frisco, Texas.
Aftermath
The PGA Frisco campus opened in 2022 and became the association's headquarters and a major golf destination.
2015
Rename LPGA Championship as Women's PGA ChampionshipStrategyBackground
The LPGA and PGA of America sought to increase the event's profile and connect it more visibly with the PGA brand.
Action taken
The championship was renamed the Women's PGA Championship through a partnership between the two organizations.
Aftermath
The event became a prominent joint LPGA and PGA of America championship.
1968
Separate touring professionals into an autonomous divisionStrategyBackground
Television growth and disagreements over tournament purses and revenue allocation created tension between touring players and the broader PGA membership organization.
Action taken
The PGA of America and touring professionals created an autonomous Tournament Players Division governed by a mixed policy board and operating with its own commissioner.
Aftermath
The division was later renamed the PGA Tour and became a separate organization, while the PGA of America retained its membership and championship functions.
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