How did the PGA of America get its start?
At lunch, of course.
The Professional Golfer's Association of America was originally conceived in January 1916 in New York City. A group of New York-area golf professionals and prominent amateur golfers, including the likes of five-time PGA Champion Walter Hagen, 1913 U.S. Open Champion Francis Ouimet, and famed course architect A.W. Tillinghast, attended a luncheon hosted by department store magnate Rodman Wanamaker at the ninth-floor restaurant of the Wanamaker Store in New York City.
![A plaque at the Hotel Martinique recognizes the momentous day in 1916.](https://images.ctfassets.net/56u5qdsjym8c/k5vSdy8ugYUWVO03kCbFF/eaa0fdeb91388b7097eb347e60ac59b2/hotelmartinique.JPG?fl=progressive&q=80)
A plaque at the Hotel Martinique recognizes the momentous day in 1916.
Tom McNamara, a former caddie turned accomplished golfer turned talented salesman for Wanamaker ? and
someone who cared about the welfare of the
club professional ? provided the spark toward
organization. He pressed upon Wanamaker
that it was prime time to bring U.S. professionals
together, and that the publicity would be
advantageous. Locked into a retail battle with
rival A.G. Spalding & Bros. for the sale of golf
balls, Wanamaker enthusiastically approved
the initiative.
![The second-floor boardroom of the Hotel Martinique in New York City was the site of the PGA of America's founding.](https://images.ctfassets.net/56u5qdsjym8c/50R6P9wd3jpiAdGYYhVAF3/d9ebb5737dc8b2eeb598bf9a812e1718/Hotel_Martinique.JPG?fl=progressive&q=80)
The second-floor boardroom of the Hotel Martinique in New York City was the site of the PGA of America's founding.
The luncheon agenda addressed giving golf
professionals a say when it came to the organization
and staging of tournaments, among
other employment issues.
The response to creating such a body was
positive, and additional meetings followed.
On
April 10, 1916, in the second-floor boardroom
of the Hotel Martinique on 32nd and Broadway,
the Professional Golfers’ Association of
America was established. There were 78 members
elected that day, including 35 PGA Charter
Members.
![Walter Hagen's application to become a charter member of the PGA of America.](https://images.ctfassets.net/56u5qdsjym8c/6lurRBERAi1v8W5n6lw4Qs/b235008a0e67200342ed539150fff013/PC000114NC.jpg?fl=progressive&q=80)
Walter Hagen's application to become a charter member of the PGA of America.
The Association began with seven PGA
Sections: Metropolitan, Middle States, New
England, Southeastern, Central, Northwestern
and Pacific. The PGA of America, destined for
a century of excellence, had begun.