| Sport | Golf |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | International |
| Abbreviation | IGF |
| Founded | 1958 |
| Affiliation | International Olympic Committee |
| Headquarters | Lausanne, Switzerland |
| President | Annika Sörenstam |
| Vice president(s) | Ty Votaw |
The International Golf Federation (IGF) was founded in 1958 and is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the world governing body for golf. The IGF has two membership categories representing the administration of golf internationally:
- 132 National Federation Members from 126 countries[1]
- 22 Professional Members, mostly professional golf tours and Professional Golfers Associations[2]
History
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 World Amateur Team Championships, the Eisenhower Trophy for men and the Espirito Santo Trophy for women.[3]
Secretariat
The headquarters of the IGF is located by the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Jurisdiction
Unlike most internationally recognised sports federations, the IGF is not responsible for developing, maintaining or administering the rules of golf. The rules are developed and administered for the North American countries of the United States and Mexico by the United States Golf Association (USGA), and for the balance of the world by the The R&A, formerly a function of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.
Events
Olympic Games
Golf was an inaugural Olympic sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, the United States and Canada were the only competing countries. The globalisation of the sport has meant that following a couple of failed attempts the sport was included in the 2016 Summer Olympics and will be included at the 2020 Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee's executive board passing the inclusion by 63 votes to 27.[4][5] IGF executive director Antony Scanlon told Olympic news outlet Around the Rings that top players such as Tiger Woods and Annika Sörenstam would show their commitment to golf's Olympic involvement by their participation in the Olympic events.
World Amateur Golf Team Championships
The World Amateur Golf Team Championships was started from 1958 and 1964.[6]
Men
The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world team championship for amateur men golfers. First held in 1958, the event is named after Dwight D. Eisenhower who was the President of the United States at the time.
Women
The Espirito Santo Trophy is a biennial world team championship for amateur women golfers. It was first held in 1964, organised by Mrs. Henri Prunaret and Lally Segard, and named after Ricardo and Silvia Espirito Santo, friends of Segard who donated the trophy.
Category
National Federations
IGF comprises 132 federations from 126 countries
Continental / Regional Federations
The following seven[7] regional association are formed with the IGF National Membership.
- Africa Golf Confederation
- Americas Golf Association
- Arab Golf Federation
- Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation
- Caribbean Golf Association[8]
- European Golf Association
- South American Golf Federation
See also
- SportAccord
References
- ^ "IGF National Members". IGF. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "IGF Professional Members". IGF. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "International Golf Federation – History". Retrieved 19 February 2013.
- ^ Karen, Mattias (9 October 2009). "Golf Has A Tee Time For 2016 Olympics". CBS News. Associated Press. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ Smith, Ben (9 October 2009). "Golf and rugby sevens to become Olympic sports from 2016". The Times. Retrieved 14 May 2010.
- ^ https://www.igfgolf.org/watc/history-watc/
- ^ http://www.internationalgolffederation.org/resources/
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 30 April 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2012.