International Golf Federation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The International Golf Federation is an organisation which, despite its grand title, occupies only a small place in the structure of golf. The Federation changed its name from the "World Amateur Golf Council" in 2003. It was founded in 1958 for the purpose of arranging international amateur competitions and it organises two amateur World Team Championships, the Eisenhower Trophy for men and the Espirito Santo Trophy for women.
Some things the International Golf Federation is not:
- The overall governing and rule setting body for golf. That role is shared by the R&A and the United States Golf Association, whose chairmen are joint chairmen of the International Golf Federation.
- The governing body for amateur golf in the various countries of the world. This role is filled by numerous national golf associations, which are largely independent. Many of them are members of the International Golf Federation, but it does not supervise them.
- The organising body of professional golf. This is the role of the various PGAs, LPGAs and professional golf tours.
Despite its minor role in the sport, the International Golf Federation is recognised by the International Olympic Committee as the representative body for golf, as the IOC will only deal with a global body, and there is no other global body in the sport. It applied unsuccessfully for golf to be included in the 2012 Olympics on behalf of the sport.
