PGA of America
The PGA of America (Professional Golfers' Association) is the American association of professional golfers . It currently has around 28,000 members in 41 sections. It sees itself as the world's largest workers' organization in the field of sport.
history
Department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker invited a number of professional golfers and top amateurs to lunch in New York City on January 16, 1916, and suggested the formation of an association to promote the sale of golf equipment. On April 10th, the founding assembly of the PGA of America with 35 members took place. Shortly afterwards, from October 10th to 14th, the first PGA Championship took place, for which Wanamaker donated the trophy and the prize money of $ 2580.
In the following years, the PGA of America dealt mainly with the subject of equipment by issuing price recommendations and even official "approvals" for certain clubs. In particular, she campaigned for the legalization of steel shafts, which also succeeded in the course of the 1920s . From 1927, the Ryder Cup was added to the PGA Championship, the second important tournament, the PGA Seniors' Championship started in 1936.
In 1933, a three-year training period was introduced with the aim of making the “golf professional” a learnable and recognized profession. Another institution, the Golf Hall of Fame , was founded in 1941 and, as a result, the purchase and construction of PGA-owned golf courses began. The world's most important golf fair, the PGA Merchandise Show , first took place in 1954 in the parking lot of the PGA National Golf Club in Dunedin , Florida .
The tournament players, who had been acting completely autonomously since 1946, first founded their own organization in 1968, the Association of Professional Golfers , which was renamed the Tournament Players Division shortly afterwards and was finally given the still valid name PGA TOUR in 1975 .