March 31, 1897
Representatives from 26 golf clubs gathered at Delmonico's in lower Manhattan at the suggestion of the Green Committee of The Saint Andrew's Golf Club.
As a result, a committee of five men (Daniel Chauncey (pictured), Dyker Meadow; Oliver W. Byrd, Meadow Brook; Grenville Kane, Tuxedo; Richard H. Williams, Morris County; T. Hope Simpson, Staten Island Cricket) was established to formulate the exact role of the proposed organization.
The MGA's Founding Fathers were part of the inaugural class inducted into the MGA's Hall of Merit in 2019.
The immediate task for the MGA was to schedule “open” competitions at clubs, ensuring that multiple competitions were not scheduled for the same week.
1905
Beyond conducting championships, the MGA aimed to bring clarity to handicapping. After using a system based on comparison to U.S. Amateur champion Findlay Douglas, the MGA in 1905 began to use a system developed by Leighton Calkins. Calkins, who served as the chair of the MGA's Handicap Committee, worked on his system at his home club, Plainfield. The USGA accepted his system in 1911 and many of Calkins' principles remain in today's World Handicap System.
Calkins was inducted into the MGA's Hall of Merit as part of the Class of 2021.
Credits:
USGA Museum/Digital Archives MGA Archives