IAGA Annual Meeting

Founded on January 25, 1968 in New York City, when 22 golf administrators assembled at the Biltmore Hotel for an informal meeting while attending the USGA Annual Conference, the IAGA was created to enhance communication, share techniques and information relating to the game among the many golf associations in the United States and abroad. The original members included Peg Burnett of the Golf Association of Philadelphia, Marshall Dann of the Western Golf Association, Robert Hanna of the Northern California Golf Association, Carol McCue of the Chicago District Golf Association, Jim McLaughlin of the Metropolitan Golf Association, and Newell Pinch of the Southern California Golf Association. These state and regional administrators were joined by Robert Creasy of the PGA, Joseph Dey, Jr. of the USGA, James Gaquin of the Royal Canadian Golf Association, Guillermo Lozano, Jr. of the Asociación Mexicana De Golf, and Don Rossi of the National Golf Foundation.

The following year, the IAGA reconvened in Palm Springs, CA in February for the 2nd IAGA Annual Meeting. In the years since, an increasingly larger group has continued this annual tradition. Beginning in 1988, the annual meeting would take place in November, since seasonal organizations completed their schedules in the Fall. The first international annual meeting took place in November 1991 in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic.

Long before computers changed the communication landscape, the annual meeting was a time for golf administrators to share information and to network. As association staffs grew, programming for the annual meeting was developed for departments such as Championship Administration, Handicapping, Course Rating, Junior Golf, and Communications. The growth of the associations, and the constantly-evolving technology in the golf landscape, has allowed the IAGA the opportunity to lend a greater hand as associations pursue the newest ideas and information.

The 2013 IAGA Annual Meeting will take place at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in the Florida panhandle. Included among the events will be the Distinguished Service Award Dinner, during which one recipient will be honored for his or her contributions to the game of golf, and the IAGA Championship, a Stableford competition for IAGA member attendees.