50 years later, USGA members program still vital to mission

Are you a USGA member?

There are nearly 300,000 of them, so if you’re not, there’s a good chance you at least know one.

This year, the USGA Members Program celebrates its 50th year — a milestone that underscores the importance of the program’s longstanding mission. To put it succinctly: Many of the USGA’s programs and endeavors as we know them today would not be possible without the support of USGA members, who pay $36/yer for a host of perks and discounts, including subscriptions to GOLF Magazine and the USGA’s Golf Journal.

The USGA Members program debuted in 1975 as the USGA Affiliates Program. In a special ceremony conducted in the Oval Office, President Gerald Ford became the first associate, with Arnold Palmer, the program’s volunteer chairman, on hand to bestow President Ford’s decal and bag tag.

The program’s original aim was to inform the public about the USGA’s role, services and mission. It also sought to connect — and ultimately strengthen the bond between — USGA leadership and recreational players. For the first time, everyday golfers had a chance to engage directly with the USGA, as opposed to through their club. To reflect a more accurate assessment of the program and its aims, in 1991, the USGA Associates Program became the USGA Members Program — a name that stands to this day.

What many members may not know is that the USGA Members Program is one of the governing body’s most impactful fundraisers each year. Over the last half-century, USGA members have raised more than $500 million — all of which has been poured right back into the game. Money raised from the USGA Members Program enabled the USGA to become a founding partner of First Tee and LPGA/USGA Girls Golf.

USGA members raised vital funding for the new National Development Program, and endowed the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup and the U.S. Adaptive Open. USGA member dollars also are used to endow the USGA’s eight amateur championships that do not sell tickets or generate revenue to be self-sustaining, including the U.S. Junior Amateur Championships for boys and girls, the Four-Ball Championships, and more.

“For 50 years, philanthropic support from USGA Members has helped fuel the work we do every day to advance and champion the game,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “Their generosity and passion ensures we can deliver on programs that inspire future generations to play and compete, conduct research and innovate to protect our most valued resources, and preserve the game’s rich history. While we take a moment to celebrate its success, we’re also constantly looking forward to tackle the challenges of the next 50 years — and asking these incredible ambassadors to continue work with us — and ensure we leave it better than we found it.”

Major championships like the U.S. Open account for 84 percent of the USGA’s operating revenue. The USGA’s second largest source of funding: its membership, and the recently-created USGA Foundation, which launched in 2018 in response to requests for ways to do and give more. In 2024, the USGA Foundation and Members Program generated $25 million in giving, which represented 8 percent of the USGA’s total annual revenue.

The USGA Foundation has become the organization’s primary engagement and philanthropic arm. The foundation’s mission, then and now, is to invest in programs that serve the game, from supporting scholarships and turfgrass and sustainability research to celebrating and maintaining the game’s legacy. The foundation provides an opportunity for individuals to give back to golf in a tangible way, by helping to ensure that the game continues to thrive for the next generation.

“The thing about golf that makes it so great, it’s the people who play the game,” said Charlie Pagnam, the USGA’s chief philanthropy officer. “It’s also the fact that you can play it for a lifetime. We might complain about the four-hour time that you have on the course. At the same time that allows us to interact in ways with the people we’re playing with that just doesn’t happen in other activities.

“People in golf are very generous, and they want to do things for others. And the game allows that to happen.”

USGA membership is both affordable and impactful — and Pagnam encourages new and existing members to remember that the USGA’s missions extend far beyond the national championships you can watch on TV.

“Our championships, which we’re known for, are things that a small percentage of of the golf community strive for,” Pagnam said. “The other programs we have are extremely meaningful to the 27 million people who are playing green grass golf today, and while there are a number of organizations in in the game today that are doing very important things for the game, I think, overall, the the USGA is the one that has the the deepest and the broadest reach.”

To celebrate the 50th year of the USGA Members Program, one of several benefits USGA members will receive is a commemorative 50th anniversary bag tag.

The game has changed in many ways since 1975. What will it look like in 2075? That’s up to us.