World Golf Hall of Fame

Lore & Background

The World Golf Hall of Fame opened in September 1974 with an initial class of 13 members. It was originally privately operated by Diamondhead Corp., then owners of the Pinehurst Resort. The PGA of America took over management in 1983 and acquired full ownership in 1986. Two other halls of fame have been merged into it: the PGA of America's hall (established 1940) and the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame (originally the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, established 1951). In 1994 the World Golf Foundation was established, and construction at a new site in St. Johns County, Florida, began in 1996; the facility opened on May 19, 1998, and closed in September 2023. The new USGA Pinehurst Golf House now houses the Hall of Fame that opened in 2024.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the museum was cool and quiet, smelling faintly of polished wood and old leather. A young fan stood before a glass case housing a worn putter from the late 1950s. The plaque beside it bore the name of a champion long retired, his face frozen in a moment of triumph on a black-and-white photograph. For a second, the hum of the air conditioning faded, replaced by the imagined sound of a crowd roaring as that club struck the ball for a birdie.

Reader's Guide

The Hall of Fame Museum Building was designed by E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston. The museum features a permanent exhibition and a rolling program of temporary exhibitions, designed by Ralph Appelbaum Associates. Exhibits cover the game's history, heritage, techniques, major players and organizations, and golf-course design, equipment, and dress. Membership categories have changed over time: from 1996 to 2013 there were five categories (PGA Tour/Champions Tour, LPGA Tour, International, Lifetime Achievement, Veterans). Starting in 2014, categories were Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Veterans, and Lifetime Achievement. In 2020, the hall revised criteria to two categories: Competitor and Contributor. Elections are held every other year in odd-numbered years. The age requirement was raised to 50 in 2016 and lowered to 45 in 2020.

Did You Know?

• The Hall of Fame opened in September 1974 with an initial class of 13 members.
• The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf was established by the LPGA in 1951 with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias.
• The Hall of Fame moved from Florida back to Pinehurst, North Carolina in 2024.
• The museum building was designed by E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston.