A brief history
The Golf Writers Association of America, founded in 1946, is a 501c6 non-profit members organization, and the only American organization dedicated to the promotion and continued improvement of golf journalism. The organization includes members across all disciplines and career levels. We’re here to help you advance your career, build your connections and celebrate this ever-changing, amazing industry we work in.
We have over 700 members from around the world. We assist our membership by publishing an annual directory, monthly newsletters, and maintaining historical archives.
Our board of directors meets regularly with officials from all of golf’s governing bodies to review policies, working conditions at events and discuss any issues we encountered while doing our jobs.
Each year GWAA sponsors numerous programs and initiatives, including an annual writing contest and a number of annual awards in recognition of excellence and outstanding contributions to golf and to golf journalism. Award winners are honored at the GWAA Awards Dinner in Augusta, Ga., annually during the Wednesday night of Masters week.
Membership
There are currently three membership categories.
- Regular (R) — Content creators who work in print, digital, photography or broadcasting on a consistent basis.
- Associate (A) — Those who work on a part-time basis in golf media; those who are employed by media relations departments in local, state and national golf organizations; and those who are self-employed in media relations
- Retired/Lifetime (L) — Former GWAA writers, editors, officers and others who have been GWAA members for at least 10 years, are 65 years old (or older) and now are retired or working in a very limited capacity.
Writers applying for membership must meet a specific set of criteria, which includes writing for GWAA recognized publications/websites. Professional membership is for individuals only.
