Professional Golfers Association

Professional Golfers' Association, (with or without the apostrophe), is the usual term for a professional association in men's golf. It is often abbreviated to PGA. There are several PGAs around the world. These include:

• Professional Golfers' Association (Great Britain & Ireland)
• Professional Golfers' Association of America

The women's version is Ladies Professional Golf Association. It is commonly abbreviated to LPGA. The United States association is called the LPGA. Other women's bodies have names based on where they are located. For example, LPGA of Japan or LPGA of Korea.

The organisations which run the world's two leading professional golf tours have the letters PGA in their names. They are now independent of the Professional Golfers' Associations that created them:

• The PGA Tour runs the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour.
• The PGA European Tour runs the European Tour, Challenge Tour and European Seniors Tour.

At first, PGAs were the main groups for all forms of professional golf in their area. Now some of them, including those of the United States, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and Ireland, are focused on the needs of the professional golfers who work as club or teaching professionals. They do not have as much to do with tournament professionals.