The 1956 PGA Championship was the 38th edition of the professional golf competition, held at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, Massachusetts, a suburb southwest of Boston.

[6] Blue Hill was not highly regarded as a championship venue and calls increased for a change in format to stroke play.

The Open Championship was held two weeks earlier in England at Royal Liverpool Golf Club; neither Burke nor Kroll played in 1956 (or ever).

In the skills competitions held on Thursday, Joe Kraak won the long driving contest at 300 yards (274 m).

[9] The match play format at the PGA Championship was modified in 1956 and called for 9 rounds (162 holes) in five days, Friday through Tuesday.