NWO Golf Links December 2015

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NWO Golf Links
What Is The
USGA?
FRED ALTVATER
In 1894, golf was just getting started in the
United States with no single organization
to oversee the rules and national
tournaments. Local golf clubs established
their own set of rules, plus several
clubs declared their club champion the
National Amateur Champion.
The only other ruling body in golf, at that
time, was The R&A, which was originally
formed in 1754, but only affected golf in
the U.K.
In the autumn of 1894, representatives
from five clubs, St. Andrews Golf Club
(New York), Newport Country Club, The
Country Club, Shinnecock Hills Golf
Club and The Chicago Golf Club met to
discuss this problem. The Amateur Golf
Association was born from that initial
meeting, but the name was soon changed
to the United States Golf Association.
The USGA conducted its first U.S.
Amateur Championship the next summer
in 1895 at Newport Country Club and
C.B. MacDonald was crowned its first
official National Amateur Champion.
The USGA being originally formed to
serve amateur golf in the U.S. had not
given professional golf much thought.
However, the first U.S. Open, with both
amateurs and professionals, was held
immediately after that first U.S.Amateur in
1895, with Horace Rawlins from England
claiming the first U.S. Open Trophy.
By 1910, the USGA had grown to 267
member clubs across the country and
today over 9,500 clubs are members
nationwide. The USGA now hosts 13
National Championships and oversees
the rules of golf for the United States and
Mexico. The R&A is the overseer of golf
for the rest of the world, but the USGA
and The R&A work in concert to interpret,
revise and enforce the rules of golf.
The USGA’s stated mission,
“Promote and Conserve the True Spirit
of the Game of Golf as Embodied in its
Ancient and Honorable Traditions. To
Act in the Best Interest of the Game for
the Continued Enjoyment for those who
Love and Play it.”
In addition to administering the rules
of golf, the USGA provides a universal
handicapping system, which allows
players of all abilities to compete on
an equal basis. The USGA’s Green
Section provides research on the newest
technologies and practices to conserve
natural resources such as, land and water,
as well as, pesticides and fertilizer usage.
To become a member of the USGA or learn more about the organization visit: