International Golf Federation
Encyclopedia
The International Golf Federation is an organisation which, despite its grand title, occupies only a small place in the structure of golf
. The Federation changed its name from the "World Amateur Golf Council" in 2003. It was founded in 1958 for the purpose of arranging international amateur competitions and it organises two World Amateur Team Championships, the Eisenhower Trophy
for men and the Espirito Santo Trophy
for women.
Some things the International Golf Federation is not:
Despite its minor role in the sport, the International Golf Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee
as the representative body for golf, as the IOC will only deal with a global body, and there is no other global body in the sport. It applied unsuccessfully for golf to be included in the 2012 Olympic
s on behalf of the sport, although their bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games was successful, the International Olympic Committee's executive board passing the inclusion by 63 votes to 27. IGF executive director Antony Scanlon told Olympic news outlet Around the Rings that top players such as Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam would show their commitment to golf's Olympic involvement by their participation in the Olympic events.
IGF is hosted at USGA's buildings, Far Hills, New Jersey, and shares the email address' domain usga.org.
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. The Federation changed its name from the "World Amateur Golf Council" in 2003. It was founded in 1958 for the purpose of arranging international amateur competitions and it organises two World Amateur Team Championships, the Eisenhower Trophy
Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
for men and the Espirito Santo Trophy
Espirito Santo Trophy
The Espirito Santo Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964 and recent tournaments have featured teams from around forty countries. It is a strokeplay event, in which the best two...
for women.
Some things the International Golf Federation is not:
- The overall governing and rule setting body for golf. That role is shared by the R&A and the United States Golf AssociationUnited States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
(USGA), whose chairmen are joint chairmen of the International Golf Federation. - The governing body for amateur golf in the various countries of the world. This role is filled by numerous national golf associations, which are largely independent. Many of them are members of the International Golf Federation, but it does not supervise them.
- The organising body of professional golf. This is the role of the various Professional Golfers AssociationProfessional Golfers AssociationProfessional Golfers' Association, , is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA...
s (PGAs) and professional golf toursProfessional golf toursProfessional golf tours are the means by which otherwise unconnected professional golf tournaments are organised into a regular schedule. There are separate tours for men and women, with each tour being based in a specific geographical region, although some of their tournaments may be held in other...
.
Despite its minor role in the sport, the International Golf Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
as the representative body for golf, as the IOC will only deal with a global body, and there is no other global body in the sport. It applied unsuccessfully for golf to be included in the 2012 Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
s on behalf of the sport, although their bid for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games was successful, the International Olympic Committee's executive board passing the inclusion by 63 votes to 27. IGF executive director Antony Scanlon told Olympic news outlet Around the Rings that top players such as Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam would show their commitment to golf's Olympic involvement by their participation in the Olympic events.
IGF is hosted at USGA's buildings, Far Hills, New Jersey, and shares the email address' domain usga.org.