United States Golf Association Museum

Throughout its galleries, the USGA Museum features a world-class collection of more than 50,000 artifacts, including the clubs used by Francis Ouimet in the 1913 U.S. Open; Bob Jones’ famous putter, Calamity Jane II; Ben Hogan’s 1-iron from the 1950 U.S. Open; as well as Arnold Palmer’s visor from the 1960 U.S. Open. The Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History was named to honor the enduring connection between this great champion and the people who play and love the game. Visitors can trace the evolution of golf from its earliest antecedents to the present via a blend of historical displays and special audio-visual presentations.

The Hall of Champions celebrates every USGA champion and championship. The rotunda, illuminated by a clerestory, houses all 13 USGA championship trophies, while the name of each champion is inscribed on bronze panels that encircle the hall. The room’s quiet elegance allows visitors to reflect on the grandeur of USGA championship history.

The Research Center’s world-class holdings include a library, photographic collection, film and video collection, and artifact collection. The collections document golf history and the USGA’s role as the sport’s governing authority in the United States, its territories, and Mexico.

The Pynes Putting Course, located behind the Museum, offers visitors a unique opportunity to engage in an entertaining, participatory golf experience on a 16,000-square-foot putting green inspired by the Himalayas at St. Andrews, Scotland. Replica antique clubs and balls further enhance this educational and fun experience for all guests.

For more than 100 years the USGA has worked to ensure that skill, not technology, is the major factor in a player’s success. Visitors to the Museum can also take a guided tour of the Research and Test Center, where golf equipment is continually tested for conformance to the Rules of Golf. Similar to the Pynes Putting Course, visitors will enjoy another unique opportunity on the test range, where they are able to hit golf balls with hickory-shafted replicas of clubs from the 1880’s and 1920’s, as well as modern clubs provided by some of today’s leading manufacturers.

Equipment and artifacts have been donated since the Museum first began in 1934. The archives contain a multitude of personal items from golf’s greatest heroes, including Bob Jones, Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus. Museum displays trace developments of the game through thousands of interesting and historic artifacts. Some of the featured exhibitions include antique and vintage equipment, clubs of USGA champions, a replica clubmaker’s studio, and a Golf House Theater that shows vintage footage throughout the day. Golf House also features a library of books, manuscripts and periodicals, regarded as the most complete public collection in the world. This resource is available to researchers seeking information about all aspects of the game from pottery to poetry. In 2010, in recognition of the numerous contributions that African Americans have made to golf, the USGA and The PGA of America have created a centralized repository located at the USGA Museum for artifacts and documents related to the history of African-American golf.