World Golf Hall of Fame facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids
World Golf Hall of Fame
and Museum
Hall of Fame building at World Golf Village
Established	September 1974 (September 1974) (past location: May 19, 1998)
Location	Pinehurst, North Carolina
Type	Professional sports hall of fame
Visitors	350,000/year (2009)

The World Golf Hall of Fame was, until recently, located at World Golf Village between Jacksonville, Florida and St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States. It is unusual amongst sports halls of fame in that a single site honored both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world. It is moving back to Pinehurst, North Carolina, with the new campus opening in 2024.

The Hall of Fame Museum Building was designed by the specialist museum architecture firm E. Verner Johnson and Associates of Boston. They also produced the museum master plan that established the size, mission and qualities of the museum and the surrounding facilities and site.

The Hall of Fame Museum features a permanent exhibition and a rolling program of temporary exhibitions. Designed by museum design firm Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the Hall of Fame and exhibition area contains exhibits on the game's history, heritage, and techniques; major players and organizations; golf course design, equipment, and dress.

History
Membership categories
- Qualification details
  - Male
  - Female
- Categories from 1996 to 2013
Membership
- Men
- Women
See also

History

The World Golf Hall of Fame is located in Pinehurst, North Carolina, and was originally privately operated by Diamondhead Corp., then owners of the Pinehurst Resort. It opened in September 1974 with an initial class of 13 members. Initially it was a local project, but the PGA of America took over management in 1983 and acquired full ownership in 1986.

Two other halls of fame have been merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame. The PGA of America established one in 1940, which was merged into the Pinehurst Hall in the 1980s. The Hall of Fame of Women's Golf was established by the LPGA in 1951, with four charter members: Patty Berg, Betty Jameson, Louise Suggs, and Babe Zaharias. It was inactive for some years, but in 1967 it moved into its first physical premises, which were in Augusta, Georgia and was renamed the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 1998 it merged into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

In 1994 the global golf industry established a non-profit making body called the World Golf Foundation to promote the sport, with the creation of an enhanced Hall of Fame as one of its main objectives. Construction at the new site in St. Johns County, Florida began in 1996 and the new facility opened on May 19, 1998, and closed in September, 2023.

The new USGA Pinehurst Golf House, now housing the hall of fame is scheduled to open in 2024.

Membership categories

In October 2013, the Hall announced that it was reviewing its selection process and that there would be no induction ceremony in 2014. A new process was announced in March 2014.

Starting in 2014, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of four categories: Male Competitor, Female Competitor, Veterans, and Lifetime Achievement categories. Elections are held every other year with induction ceremonies in odd number years beginning in 2015. The process has changed from that used from 1996 to 2013. The minimum qualifications for male and female competitors are: minimum of 40 years old, or five years removed from "active competition" and 15 or more wins on "approved tours" or two "major wins". The veterans category is primarily for those golfers whose careers ended before 1980 and includes both amateurs and professionals. The lifetime achievement category remains from the old system.

The Hall again revised the criteria in 2020 and now recognize two categories: Competitor and Contributor.

A 30-member nominating sub-committee composed of Hall of Fame members, World Golf Foundation Board organizations and members of the media will choose from among the eligible candidates and nominate a total of 10 individuals (four male competitors, four female competitors, and two contributors). A separate 20-member selection committee will then vote on all four ballots. Election to the Hall of Fame will require 75% of the vote and each year's election class is limited to two from each ballot and five total.

In 2016, the Hall announced that the age requirement would be raised to 50 from 40 years old. In 2020, the age went from 50 to 45.

Qualification details

Male

Approved tours (15 wins total)
- PGA Tour
- European Tour
- Japan Golf Tour
- Sunshine Tour
- Asian Tour
- PGA Tour of Australasia
Majors or Players Championship (two wins)
- Masters Tournament
- U.S. Open
- The Open Championship
- PGA Championship
- The Players Championship

Female

Approved tours (15 wins total)
- LPGA Tour
- Ladies European Tour
- LPGA of Japan Tour
- LPGA of Korea Tour
- ALPG Tour
Majors (two wins)
- U.S. Women's Open
- Women's PGA Championship
- The Women's Open Championship (2001−current)
- Chevron Championship (1983−current; formerly known as the Dinah Shore, Kraft Nabisco Championship, and ANA Inspiration)
- The Evian Championship (2013−current)
- du Maurier Classic (1979−2000)
- Titleholders Championship (1937-1966, 1972)
- Women's Western Open (1930-1967)

Categories from 1996 to 2013

From 1996 to 2013, members were inducted into the Hall of Fame in one of five categories: PGA Tour/Champions Tour, LPGA Tour, International, Lifetime Achievement, and Veterans.

PGA Tour/Champions Tour ballot

Current and former PGA Tour and Champions Tour players were eligible for this ballot if they met the following requirements (beginning with 1996 election):

PGA Tour
- Minimum of 40 years old
- PGA Tour member for 10 years
- 10 PGA Tour wins or two wins in the majors or Players Championship
Champions Tour
- Champions Tour member for five years
- 20 wins between PGA Tour and Champions Tour or five wins in the majors (regular or senior) or Players Championship

Election requirements:

Years	% of returned ballots needed for election
1996–2000	75%
2001–2003	65%
2004–2013	65%, in the event that no candidate receives 65%, the nominee receiving the most votes with at least 50% is elected

Voters voted for up to 30% of the players on the ballot. If a player was named on less than 5% of the ballots for two consecutive years, they were dropped from the ballot. Players not elected could remain on the ballot indefinitely (prior to 2007 the limit was 10 years, from 2007 to 2009 the limit was 15 years).

LPGA point system

LPGA Tour golfers were eligible through a point system. Since 1999, LPGA members automatically qualified for World Golf Hall of Fame membership when they meet these three criteria:

Must be/have been an "active" LPGA Tour member for 10 years.
Must have won/been awarded at least one of the following – an LPGA major championship, the Vare Trophy or Player of the Year honors; and
Must have accumulated a total of 27 points, which are awarded as follows – one point for each LPGA official tournament win, two points for each LPGA major tournament win and one point for each Vare Trophy or Rolex Player of the Year honor earned.

Before 1999, players had to win 30 tournaments, including two majors; 35 tournaments with one major; or 40 tournaments in all to automatically qualify. At one time, players had to win two different majors to qualify with 30 wins, but this was changed earlier in the 1990s.

This point system is still used for selection to the LPGA Hall of Fame. However, in March 2022, the ten-year requirement was scrapped, and a point for winning an Olympic gold medal was added to the criteria.

International ballot

Men and women golfers not fully eligible for PGA/Champions Tour ballot or the LPGA Tour point system were eligible for the International ballot if they met the following requirements (beginning with the 1996 election):

Minimum of 40 years old
Cumulative 50 points earned as follows:
- Men
  - 6 points – Major victories
  - 4 points – Players Championship win
  - 3 points – Other PGA Tour win, European Tour win
  - 2 points – Japan Golf Tour, Sunshine Tour, PGA Tour of Australasia, Champions Tour win
  - 1 point – Other national championship win; Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup participation
- Women
  - 6 points – Major victories
  - 4 points – Other LPGA Tour win, Women's British Open win prior to 2001
  - 2 points – LPGA of Japan Tour win, Ladies European Tour win
  - 1 point – Other national championship win, Solheim Cup participation

Election requirements: same as PGA Tour ballot.

Lifetime Achievement category

There was also a "lifetime achievement" category through which anyone who had made a major contribution to the organization or promotion of the sport may be selected, for example, Bob Hope. These members were chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors. Most played golf, in some cases with some competitive success, but it was not their play alone which won them a place in the Hall of Fame.

Veteran's category

The last category was created to honor professional or amateur players whose career concluded at least 30 years ago. These members were also chosen by the Hall of Fame's Board of Directors.

Membership

New members are inducted each year on the Monday before The Players Championship (previous to 2010 in October or November), and by May 2013 there were 146 members. Beginning in 2010, the ballots are due in July with the results announced later in the year. New entrants in the Lifetime Achievement and Veteran's categories are announced at irregular intervals. For example, Frank Chirkinian was elected in the Lifetime Achievement category in an emergency election in February 2011, with the vote presumably held because he was then terminally ill with lung cancer; when it became clear he would not live to attend his induction, he videotaped his acceptance speech in late February, less than two weeks before his death.

Men

Unless stated otherwise these men were inducted mainly for their on-course success. The exceptions mostly correspond with the lifetime achievement category, but not quite. For example, Charlie Sifford was notable as a player but was inducted for lifetime achievement.

1974 Walter Hagen
1974 Ben Hogan
1974 Bobby Jones
1974 Byron Nelson
1974 Jack Nicklaus
1974 Francis Ouimet
1974 Arnold Palmer
1974 Gary Player
1974 Gene Sarazen
1974 Sam Snead
1974 Harry Vardon
1975 Willie Anderson
1975 Fred Corcoran – many-faceted promoter and administrator
1975 Joseph Dey – executive director of the USGA and the first commissioner of the PGA Tour
1975 Chick Evans
1975 Young Tom Morris
1975 John Henry Taylor
1976 Tommy Armour
1976 James Braid
1976 Old Tom Morris
1976 Jerome Travers
1977 Bobby Locke
1977 John Ball
1977 Herb Graffis – golf writer and founder of the U.S. National Golf Foundation
1977 Donald Ross – golf course architect
1978 Billy Casper
1978 Harold Hilton
1978 Bing Crosby – celebrity friend of golf who founded his own PGA Tour event
1978 Clifford Roberts – co-founder of the Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament
1979 Walter Travis
1980 Henry Cotton
1980 Lawson Little
1981 Ralph Guldahl
1981 Lee Trevino
1982 Julius Boros
1983 Jimmy Demaret
1983 Bob Hope – celebrity friend of golf who founded his own PGA Tour event
1986 Cary Middlecoff
1987 Robert Trent Jones – golf course architect
1988 Bob Harlow – promoter who played a key role in the early development of the PGA Tour
1988 Peter Thomson
1988 Tom Watson
1989 Jim Barnes
1989 Roberto De Vicenzo
1989 Raymond Floyd
1990 William C. Campbell – two-time President of the USGA
1990 Gene Littler
1990 Paul Runyan
1990 Horton Smith
1992 Harry Cooper
1992 Hale Irwin
1992 Chi-Chi Rodríguez
1992 Richard Tufts – ran Pinehurst and served as President of the USGA
1996 Johnny Miller
1997 Seve Ballesteros
1997 Nick Faldo
1998 Lloyd Mangrum
2000 Jack Burke Jr.
2000 Deane Beman – Commissioner of the PGA Tour 1974-1994
2000 Michael Bonallack – British golf administrator
2000 Neil Coles – first Chairman of the PGA European Tour
2000 John Jacobs – first Tournament Director of the European Tour
2001 Bernhard Langer (inducted with 2002 class)
2001 Greg Norman
2001 Payne Stewart
2001 Allan Robertson
2001 Karsten Solheim – golf equipment manufacturer and founder of the Solheim Cup
2002 Ben Crenshaw
2002 Tony Jacklin
2002 Tommy Bolt
2002 Harvey Penick – golf instructor
2003 Nick Price
2003 Leo Diegel
2004 Charlie Sifford
2004 Isao Aoki
2004 Tom Kite
2005 Bernard Darwin – golf writer
2005 Alister MacKenzie – golf course architect
2005 Willie Park Sr.
2005 Vijay Singh (inducted with 2006 class)
2006 Larry Nelson
2006 Henry Picard
2006 Mark McCormack – sports agent who represented many top golfers; the developer of golf's first world ranking system, adapted into today's Official World Golf Ranking
2007 Joe Carr
2007 Hubert Green
2007 Charles B. Macdonald – inaugural U.S. Amateur champion, founding Vice-President of the USGA and "Father of American Golf Architecture"
2007 Kel Nagle
2007 Curtis Strange
2008 Bob Charles
2008 Pete Dye – golf course architect
2008 Denny Shute
2008 Herbert Warren Wind – golf writer
2008 Craig Wood
2009 Christy O'Connor Snr
2009 José María Olazábal
2009 Lanny Wadkins
2009 Dwight D. Eisenhower – former U.S. President
2011 Ernie Els
2011 Masashi "Jumbo" Ozaki
2011 Doug Ford
2011 Jock Hutchison
2011 Frank Chirkinian – television producer, known as the 'father of televised golf' for the impact he had on golf broadcasting.
2011 George H. W. Bush – former U.S. President
2012 Phil Mickelson
2012 Dan Jenkins – golf writer
2012 Sandy Lyle
2012 Peter Alliss
2013 Fred Couples
2013 Ken Venturi
2013 Willie Park Jr.
2013 Colin Montgomerie
2013 Ken Schofield – Executive Director of the European Tour
2015 David Graham
2015 Mark O'Meara
2015 A. W. Tillinghast – golf course architect
2017 Henry Longhurst – golf writer and commentator
2017 Davis Love III
2017 Ian Woosnam
2019 Retief Goosen
2019 Billy Payne − Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club
2019 Dennis Walters − disabled golfer and inspirational speaker and performer
2021 Tiger Woods
2021 Tim Finchem – Commissioner of the PGA Tour 1994–2017
2023 Johnny Farrell
2023 Pádraig Harrington
2023 Tom Weiskopf

Women

The first five women on this list were grandfathered in 1998 from the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf, which was founded in 1951, via the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame, which was inaugurated in 1967. The list shows the years when they were originally inducted into the Hall of Fame of Women's Golf. Unless stated otherwise the women on the list were inducted primarily for their on-course achievements. Players marked with an (f) denotes they were elected twice -- once individually, and once collectively for the 2024 nominations announced on March 8, 2023 for the 13 LPGA founders.

1951 Betty Jameson (f)
1951 Patty Berg (f)
1951 Louise Suggs (f)
1951 Babe Didrikson Zaharias (f)
1960 Betsy Rawls
1964 Mickey Wright
1975 Glenna Collett-Vare
1975 Joyce Wethered
1975 Kathy Whitworth
1977 Sandra Haynie
1977 Carol Mann
1978 Dorothy Campbell Hurd Howe
1982 JoAnne Carner
1987 Nancy Lopez
1991 Pat Bradley
1993 Patty Sheehan
1994 Dinah Shore – celebrity friend of the LPGA; founded a tournament that eventually became a major
1995 Betsy King
1999 Amy Alcott
2000 Beth Daniel
2000 Juli Inkster
2000 Judy Rankin
2001 Donna Caponi
2001 Judy Bell – administrator; first female President of the USGA
2002 Marlene Bauer Hagge (f)
2003 Hisako "Chako" Higuchi
2003 Annika Sörenstam
2004 Marlene Stewart Streit
2005 Ayako Okamoto
2005 Karrie Webb
2006 Marilynn Smith (f)
2007 Pak Se-ri
2008 Carol Semple Thompson
2012 Hollis Stacy
2015 Laura Davies
2017 Meg Mallon
2017 Lorena Ochoa
2019 Peggy Kirk Bell
2019 Jan Stephenson
2021 Marion Hollins
2021 Susie Maxwell Berning
2023 Beverly Hanson
2023 Sandra Palmer
2023 LPGA Founders (those not previously in Hall listed):
- Alice Bauer
- Bettye Danoff
- Helen Dettweiler
- Helen Hicks
- Opal Hill
- Sally Sessions
- Shirley Spork