Forgotten Books: United States Golf Association (1920) – Historic Governance

Explore a Window into Early Golf Governance

This Forgotten Books edition reprints material from United States Golf Association dated 1920, offering a tactile glimpse into how the sport was organized, governed, and celebrated during the early twentieth century. Expect aged paper, careful typography, and a durable binding that carries the weight of history.

What you will find inside

The volume gathers lists and records that reveal the sport's administrative backbone: officers and the executive committee, donors of championship trophies, and the charter members who helped shape its direction. It also documents the secretaries of sectional and women's golf associations, illustrating the expanding reach of the game.

• Officers and executive committee of 1918 and related leadership details
• Donors and the lineage of championship trophies
• Charter members and the early governance network
• Secretaries of sectional and women's associations, highlighting participation growth
• Rules of Golf and the index of rules, plus the by-laws and constitution
• Appendix: Calkins System for calculating handicaps

Historical value and practical use today

For researchers, historians, and golf fans, the text can illuminate how governance, competition, and rule interpretation evolved. It offers a factual reference point to compare past practices with modern arrangements, without asserting guaranteed outcomes.

• Track the evolution of organisational structures in US golf
• Reference the rules and by-laws that guided play in that era
• Explore the relationship between leadership, championships, and community donors
• Use the appendix to understand historical handicap methods

How to use this edition

Consider it a scholarly companion for cataloging a collection or debating the historical context of the sport. Use it to anchor discussions about early USGA decisions, the social role of golf clubs, and the development of women's and sectional associations.