Appendix I

It would be impossible for me to include contact information for all of the national and regional associations. I have attempted to include those associations which represent most of the participants of RSG. If you do not see your national/regional association listed here please ask your club, course or practice facility for contact information.


1. Associations

USGA
Joining the USGA, a non-profit organization, costs $25 per year (may be tax deductible, lifetime memberships are available). You will receive a current rule book, nine issues of Golf Journal, with special issues for the US and Senior Open, as well as their catalog of golf goodies and a bag tag. The money helps support the USGA, which sponsors various amateur tournaments, administers the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment tests, turf research and much more. The USGA"s website is http://www.usga.org/ . I urge all United States based participants in RSG to consider becoming a member of the USGA. Please note that membership in a club or a regional association does not include membership in the USGA.

R & A
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews has been the governing authority concerning the Rules of Golf since 1897 in every country of the world except Canada and the United States.  Prior to 1951 the USGA and the R&A had some minor differences in their respective versions of the Rules of Golf. In 1951 those differences were eliminated and the USGA and R&A agreed to issue a common set of rules. Because of this agreement, the Rules of Golf are the same everywhere in the world. The R&A also conducts the Open Championship, AKA the British Open. The R&A website is at http://www.randa.org/ .

Australian Golf Union
The AGU was established in 1898 and oversees the course rating system, player handicapping, selection of Australian golfers for international amateur competitions, including the Eisenhower Trophy. The AGU also conducts the various Australian National Championships tournaments such as the Australian Open, the Australian Amateur and the Australian Senior Amateur. The AGU website is at  http://www.agu.org.au/ .

PGA of America
The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) trains and certifies professional golf instructors. The PGA also conducts the PGA Championship tournament, one of the 4 major tournaments of men's professional golf and the Ryder Cup, the premier international professional men's team event. The PGA"s website is http://www.pga.com/ .

PGA Tour
The PGA Tour is an association of touring professional golf players. These are the guys you see on television every week. The PGA Tour also runs the Senior PGA Tour and the Buy.Com Tour. The PGA Tour is not a division of the PGA of America, it is a separate and independent entity. The PGA Tour runs or sanctions all PGA Tour events. If you want to become a touring pro, this is the organization you need to join. The PGA Tour's website is http://www.pgatour.com/ .

LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association is the governing body for the vast majority of female professional golfers, whether they work in a pro shop or play on the LPGA Tour. Like the PGA of America, the LPGA trains and certifies LPGA teaching professionals and, like the PGA Tour, the LPGA also runs the LPGA Tour.  The LPGA"s website is at http://www.lpga.com/index.html . Please note that some female golf professionals are members of the PGA, not the LPGA.

Regional Associations
Contact your local pro shop or golf course for information on contacting your state or regional association.

 
2. Commercial Contacts
The companies listed in this section are here only as a courtesy to the readers. This is simply a list of companies for whom I have obtained contact information and whom I have heard of, generally from RSG. In no manner is inclusion in this list intended to imply an endorsement or recommendation for any company. Conversely, no company should be excluded from consideration simply because they are not in this appendix.
Component Suppliers
CSG Components 
Chicago Golf
Dynacraft
Golfsmith International 
Golfworks
Ranger Golf
Raven Golf
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's)
Tommy Armour Golf
Callaway Golf
Cleveland Golf
Cobra Golf
Ben Hogan Golf
MacGregor Golf
Mizuno USA
Ping (Karsten Manufacturing)
Piranha Golf
PRGR Golf 
Ram Golf
Taylor Made Golf 
Titleist Golf
Wedgewood Golf
Shaft Manufacturers
Apache Golf 
Apollo Golf
Grafalloy 
Harrison
Royal Precision (Rifle)
True Temper

3. Miscellaneous Contacts

Professional Clubmakers Society (PCS)
National Golf Foundation
National Association of Left-handed Golfers
Usenet References
Spam Cop - The Spam Fighter!
Thor's Golf Links  http://ttsoft.com/thor/golflinks.html
This FAQ is Copyright 1999-2002 by Daniel J. Driscoll, all rights reserved. Product and company names used in this document may be trademarked or copyrighted by the respective owners. This document may be replicated in whole or in part, without alteration. All replications must include this copyright notice.