The Golf Association as it is currently structured came into being in November of 2001, following the amalgamation of the Ontario Golf Association and the Ontario Ladies Golf Association. Prior to the amalgamation, the OGA and the OLGA had represented amateur golfers in Ontario for close to 80 years and had done an excellent job of building and promoting the game.

At the time of the amalgamation only Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan had taken the step towards amalgamation. Since that time, all of the Provincial Golf Associations have amalgamated and in 2005 the Royal Canadian Golf Association and the Canadian Ladies Golf Association completed the process.

In the early days of Golf Associations in Ontario, there were small associations, representing Private Clubs in the Toronto area and providing a service that was specific to golf championships. Over our history, the association has grown to the point where today our Club Members include Private Clubs, Semi Private Clubs and Public Golf Clubs. The majority of our individual members are at the Private and Semi Private Clubs, but the association also offers opportunities for individuals to join directly as members of a Public Player Program. At the present time, the GAO represents over 420 Member Clubs and over 115,000 individuals making it one of the largest Amateur Golf Associations in the world.

The services provided by the Golf Association of Ontario have gone from initially being focused on Tournaments to a wide range of programs that include:

The Golf Association of Ontario is affiliated with the Royal Canadian Golf Association in providing Member Services, carrying out National Programs and working for the growth of the game. The GAO also maintains important working relationships with a number of Allied Golf Associations, including the Club Managers Association, the Ontario Golf Course Superintendents, the Ontario PGA and the Ontario Chapters of the National Golf Course Owners Association.