We use common tracking technologies
The USGA collects information about users across websites and over time when you use our websites (including mobile versions of the sites), mobile apps, and other services and platforms. We also have third parties that collect information this way. To do this, we and our vendors and service providers use several common tracking tools, including browser cookies, web beacons, flash cookies, and similar technologies.
We use tracking technologies for a variety of reasons
We use tracking tools, including cookies, on our platforms:
- To recognize new or past visitors.
- To store your password if you create an account on our site.
- To improve our website and to better understand your visits on our platforms.
- To integrate with third party social media websites.
- To serve you with interest-based advertising (see below for more on interest-based advertising).
- To observe your behaviors and browsing activities over time.
- To better understand the interests of our users.
We engage in interest-based advertising
The USGA and our partners display interest-based advertising using information gathered about you over time across multiple websites or other platforms. This might include mobile apps.
Interest-based advertising or “online behavioral advertising” includes ads served to you after you leave our websites, encouraging you to return. They also include ads we think are relevant based on your browsing habits or online activities. These ads might be served on websites or on mobile apps. They might also be served within emails. We might serve these ads, or third parties may serve these ads. They might be about our products and services, or about other companies’ products and services.
How do we gather relevant information about you for interest-based advertising?
To decide what is relevant to you, the USGA uses information you make available to us when you interact with us and other third parties. We gather this information using the tracking tools described above. For example, we or our partners might look at your purchases or browsing behaviors. We might look at these activities on our platforms or the platforms of others. We work with third parties who help gather this information. These third parties might link your name or email address to other information they collect. That might include past purchases made offline or online. Or, it might include online usage information.
You can control certain tracking tools
You can control cookies and tracking tools. To opt out of having your online behavior collected for advertising purposes, follow the instructions here or here. You may also individually opt out of DoubleClick here, Quantcast here and Adobe here. Choices you make are device-specific and browser-specific. If you want to opt out of using these tools, you need to opt out separately for each of your devices and for each Web browser you use (like Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari) on each device. However, if you opt out, we may still suggest offerings to you based on your past history on the USGA’s websites, mobile apps, and other platforms.
Some browsers have “do not track” features that allow you to tell a website not to track you. These features are not all uniform. We currently do not change our tracking practices in response to “do not track” signals transmitted by users’ web browsers, so we encourage you to visit these links if you would like to opt out of behavioral tracking for advertising purposes.
The Digital Advertising Alliance also offers a tool for opting out of the collection of cross-app data on a mobile device for interest-based advertising. To exercise choice for companies participating in this tool, download the AppChoices app here.
Contact Us
The USGA welcomes your questions and comments about privacy. Please feel free to contact us by sending an email to privacy@usga.org, calling us at (908) 234-2300, or writing us at the United States Golf Association, 77 Liberty Corner Road, Liberty Corner, New Jersey 07938.