Berg was a founding member of the LPGA in 1950 and served as its first president, helping establish women's professional golf in America.
On January 21, 1950, Patty Berg was among a small group of pioneering women golfers—including Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Louise Suggs, and others—who formally organized the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) in Wichita, Kansas, succeeding the earlier Women's Professional Golf Association. Berg was elected the organization's first president, a role she held for several years as the tour struggled to gain sponsorship, media coverage, and public respect.
At a time when professional sports for women were viewed skeptically and opportunities for female athletes to earn a living through competition were virtually nonexistent, the founding of the LPGA was a watershed moment. Berg not only competed but tirelessly promoted the fledgling tour, driving from town to town, giving exhibitions and clinics, and using her charisma and reputation to attract sponsors, spectators, and media attention to women's golf.
Her leadership helped transform what began as a loosely organized traveling group of golfers into what would become the longest-running women's professional sports organization in the United States. The LPGA has since grown into a global tour supporting hundreds of professional women golfers, and its founding is considered one of the most significant milestones in the history of women's professional sports.
Berg's role as first president cemented her legacy not just as a champion golfer, but as a builder of institutions and an advocate for the professionalization of women's athletics.