Our History

Pinehurst

From 1974 to 1994, the World Golf Hall of Fame was located in Pinehurst, N.C. Operating originally under the guidance from a local board of directors, it eventually became a project of the PGA of America. The first class was comprised of the following 13 individuals:

Patty Berg
Walter Hagen
Ben Hogan
Robert Tyre Jones, Jr.
Byron Nelson
Jack Nicklaus
Francis Ouimet
Arnold Palmer
Gary Player
Gene Sarazen
Sam Snead
Harry Vardon
Babe Zaharias
In all, 71 members from the Hall in Pinehurst were "grandfathered" into this new facility in St. Augustine when it opened in 1998.

St. Augustine

In the late 1980s, former Commissioner Deane Beman envisioned a Hall of Fame for the PGA TOUR. By 1994, the project received funding and support to make it possible. Within two years, the Hall would become an initiative of the entire industry and welcomed the game's leading organizations to assist in the effort. Construction began in mid-1996 and the World Golf Hall of Fame opened in St. Augustine on May 19, 1998.

Today

A 501(c)(3) non-profit, the Hall of Fame opened its doors at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., in 1998 and continues as an initiative of the World Golf Foundation.

The mission of the World Golf Hall of Fame is to preserve and honor the history of the game of golf and the legacies of those who have made it great.