Overview
The USGA Golf Museum and Library is the nation’s oldest sports museum and the world’s leading institution for the collection, preservation, interpretation and dissemination of golf history. Since 1936, the Museum has connected golfers, sports fans and scholars with remarkable artifacts, documents, images and stories that chronicle golf’s rich history.
The Museum Collections
The Museum Collection comprises more than 85,000 catalogued objects documenting the history of golf from its origins to the present. Included in the collection are artifacts from some of the most important moments in the history of championship golf – including the irons that Francis Ouimet used to win the 1913 U.S. Open, Bob Jones’ legendary “Calamity Jane II” putter, Ben Hogan’s 1-iron from the 1950 U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer’s visor from the 1960 U.S. Open, Johnny Miller’s golf clubs from the 1973 U.S. Open and wedge used by Tiger Woods in the 2000 U.S. Open.
Highlights include Alan Shepard’s Moon Club; works of art by Rembrandt, Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and Roy Lichtenstein; a trophy from the 1904 Olympic games; rare and significant artifacts from World Wars I and II, and an extensive collection of memorabilia from U.S. Presidents. The collection also includes the 15 original USGA championship trophies, as well as extensive collections of memorabilia related to Bob Jones, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Mickey Wright.
Special Collections
The USGA Special Collections is comprised of the USGA Golf Library, USGA Archives and the Historic Photographic Collection.
The USGA Special Collections include Championship material, correspondence, oral histories, maps and drawings, architectural work and other works on paper, institutional records, scrapbooks, historic newspapers and a large variety of ephemera, including club and Championship scorecards, yardage guides, manufacturer catalogs, Championship programs, and more. The material is centered on themes in the history of golf, such as players and champions, Championships, tours, clubs and courses, industry leaders, and original material documenting the people, places, and moments of the game.
The USGA Golf Library contains over 500,000 cataloged items including rare books, club histories, yardage guides, comic books, fiction, poetry, historic and contemporary periodicals, instruction, biographies, newspapers, sheet music, comic books, cookbooks, programs, tour guides, directories, reference material, green section material, golf course care and maintenance, historic dealer and manufacturer catalogs for clothing, gear, and equipment, and more documenting the history of the game and all of its aspects in more than 10 languages and from around the world. Original material dates from 1566 with the Scottish Acts of Parliament to the present day. The items are used for both research and exhibits to inform content and create scholarship on the history and future of the game.
The USGA Archives is comprised of unique sub-collections of materials put together by specific individuals or entities. The materials include correspondence, institutional records, operational paperwork, thematic articles and personal papers. Archival collections of note include the Shirley Spork Papers, the Bobby Jones Collection, Walter Travis Papers, USGA Institutional Papers and the Stymie Papers.
With more than 700,000 images in our photographic digital archive and hundreds of thousands more consisting of original negatives, prints and other still image formats, the Photographic Collection contains approximately 1 million images that capture moments in the game from early clubmakers and players in the mid-19th century to modern champions. Major photographic collections, such as the George Pietzcker and Howard Schickler Collections are important acquisitions in preserving the visual memory of the game.
Search Our Collections
Our catalogs are available for research and offer access to our Museum & Special Collections.
Access the USGA Library Catalog
The USGA Electronic Golf Library is an ever-growing digital library of books and periodicals from the late 1800s and early 1900s from our collections in full-text format available remotely. No log in or account is required. Please contact library@usga.org with questions.
Currently Traveling Collections
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Visitors to the Murray Golf House at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, Ga. Can now experience part of the USGA Golf Museum and Library’s collection through The Bob Jones Room. This permanent exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of one of golf’s greatest heroes and features material from the Museum and Special Collections. Please click here to learn more about the exhibition.
- Las Vegas, NV
- Twelve objects from the Museum’s collection are currently on loan in Las Vegas, including Bob Jones’ 4 U.S. Open medals and Tiger Woods’ wedge from the 2000 U.S. Open. Please click here to learn more about the Hall of Excellence in the Fontainebleau Hotel in Las Vegas, curated by Tom Brady and Jim Gray.
- New York, N.Y.
- Ben Hogan’s miniature replica trophy from the 1953 U.S. Open and Louise Suggs’s LPGA Hall of Fame Ring are currently on loan to the American Museum of Natural History for their exhibition For the Win: Objects of Sports Excellence. Please click here to learn more about the exhibition.
- One of Jackie Robinson’s iconic “42” headcovers is currently on loan to the Jackie Robinson Museum. Please click here to learn more about the Jackie Robinson Museum.