United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association (USGA) is the United States national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules of golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system for golfers, conducts 14 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open, and tests golf equipment for conformity with regulations. The USGA and the USGA Museum are located in Liberty Corner, New Jersey.
The USGA Museum in Liberty Corner, New Jersey
Mike Davis (on left), former executive director of the USGA, walking down the 18th fairway at the 2018 U.S. Open.
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". The cup holds a flagstick, known as a "pin". A standard round of golf consists of 18 holes, and as such most courses contain 18 distinct holes; however, there are many 9-hole courses and some that have holes with shared fairways or greens. There are also courses with a non-standard number of holes, such as 12 or 14.
Aerial view of a golf course (Golfplatz Wittenbeck at the Baltic Sea, Germany)
Kytäjä Golf in Kytäjä, Hyvinkää, Finland
Fairway and rough, Spur Valley Golf Course, Radium Hot Springs, Canada
The 18th hole at the Old Head Golf Links on the Old Head of Kinsale