Golfdom AUGUST 1966 PGA celebrates its golden anniversary The pioneer pros paved the way for golf's fantastic growth. By HERB GRAFFIS JL n marking the 50th anniversary of tournament that really started the present the PGA the lessons of experience pro- PGA. Veterans could only recall that it vide the book for the refresher course. preceded the PGA's first championship The past shows, and can predict, that tournament at Siwanoy CC, Bronxville, what's good for the professional is good N.Y., in October 1916, and that it was for the clubs, the golfers and the game won by Charley Mayo with Fred McLeod in general. as runner-up. (The Siwanoy tourney was At the PGA Seniors last winter there won by the late "Long Jim" Barnes.) was discussion about the professionals' What isn't generally known is that U. S. team which won first Ryder Cup match in 1927 helped spread fame of PGA. Shown here, hack row, left to right: Johnny Golden, Joe Turnesa, Johnny Farrell and Al Watrous. In Foreground: Leo Diegel, William Mehlhorn, Walter Hagen, Al Espinoza and Gene Sarazen. Three immortals of the PGA are shown during the "knickerbocker period." From left: George Jacobus, Jack Mackie and Tom Boyd. the first professional golfer organizations growing grass. were as much for the benefit of the One afternoon Jimmy D'Angelo took clubs existing and being formed as they me over to White's house at Myrtle were for the early PGA members. There Beach. White had a beautiful home and were not enough of the pioneer pros to a substantial interest in a golf course operate the clubs being built and those there as well as other real estate invest- pros who were available weren't very ments. Before he retired from golf and well qualified for the new jobs. blindness began to close in on him Bob Schooling of Scots immigrants often was a golf architect. He designed some began at a New York saloon where fine courses, among them Wykagyl, and earlier Scottish imports who hadn't been in some instances took adjoining real hired for jobs in the interior, and early estate in payment. He was a canny Scot Spalding golf salesmen, met the new who was way ahead of his time on the arrivals, bought them a few drinks, golf-real estate deal. showed them the free lunch counter, Jack Mackie, was president of the arranged for the first shipment of mer- PGA in 1920, and a wonderfully smart chandise from Spalding and gave them diplomat, canny man wi' the shillin' credit, then took them to trains for and a tee-totaller he was. After Jack travel to their new jobs. did his hitch as president he was PGA MacGregor got into the business about treasurer in 1923, then treasurer again 70 years ago, and Wanamakers and from 1928 to 1939 when the organiza- Jack Jolly as importers also came in as tion was comparatively fat fiscally. Then schoolmasters, so by the time the lad the PGA financial statements were freely from Carnoustie or other points overseas circulated. The canny Scots who com- got to his job as the new pro of the prised a majority of the association's Milk Center Country Club he knew roster never would have been able to enough to play the chore by ear. understand the later policy of not making In reviewing pro history, the chronicle the PGA financial position known. of PGA presidents—even in thin outline This policy of thrift prevailed when —is bound to show you how much pros Bob Harlow, the head of the PGA's (and all golf) owe to the men who tournament operations, had a group of have headed the organization. Japanese professionals over for a tour Bob White, the PGA's first president, of the U. S. Harlow had promised the was professional at Ravisloe CC, in the visitors first class travel but actually the Chicago district, and greenkeeper, too. transportation at PGA expense was by Bob was the first man in golf business to a second-hand Packard towing a trailer. go to agricultural school to learn about To rate our Bob's driving kindly, it Continued on next page PGA CELEBRATES Continued from previous page certainly was exciting. No wonder the Japanese were disappointing putters! Mackie was succeeded as PGA presi- dent by George Sargent, a scholarly Englishman who had been assistant to Harry Vardon, and who had won the 1909 National Open championship, fol- lowing Fred McLeod's reign, and the 1912 Canadian Open. Sargent was PGA chief from 1921 through 1926. He was one of the early presidents of the PGA Seniors. Sargent is the only PGA presi- dent to have a son become head of the association. (Harold, one of three Sargent sons who became professionals, was PGA president in 1958, '59 and '60.) George Sargent was the first PGA official to get the association going into Thomas W. Crane has used his legal training a playing techniques research program during his many years of service with PGA. that made high-speed motion pictures of the swings of Jones, Hagen, Vardon Chicago. Mrs Irene Rlakeman, who was and Joyce Wethered. During his presi- practically the office staff of the PGA dency, Sargent also headed the golf then, came to Chicago and got the office instruction motion picture project financed operations of the outfit modernized. by Life magazine, original sponsor of Charles W. Hall, a good businessman National Golf Day. pro at the Country Club of Birmingham, Alex Pirie was PGA president in 1927, Ala., served as PGA president in 1931 '28, '29 and '30. He was a kindly, calm and 1932. Charley was a bank director and thoughtful Scot who put out plenty and he was a good exhibit to cite when of fi. "es that blazed within the PGA and growing pains of pro business accounted did a great deal for pros as the first for credit ratings that could stand plenty pro top man to be public relations of improvement. conscious. He began the work of ac- The tournament and political activi- quainting the golfing public with the ties of the PGA accelerated from 1933 professional golfers' aims and perfor- through 1939 while George R. Jacobus mances, collectively and individually, in was president. The price of progress service. (See his article reprinted in had to be paid as golf in general was April GOLFDOM.) growing faster than the PGA's growth Many who talk about the PGA hiring as an organization. a "czar," do not know that during the During the Jacobus period there was Pirie administrations the PGA hired the explosion that blew Bob Harlow out Albert R. Gates, a successful corporation of his job as head of the tournament lawyer of Chicago, a former president operations and Fred Corcoran in as of the Western Golf Assn. and of a Bob's successor. The fracas began when leading Chicago district club. He had Jacobus told Harlow that he couldn't retired from active law practice and go to Britain with a U. S. Ryder Cup took the PGA job when internal squab- team. It wasn't a nicely handled job in bles and prospects of law suits reminded recognizing what Harlow had done for the PGA it might be getting into big very low pay and a picayune expense business status. account in building tournament golf, so During the Pine-Gates time PGA na- a lot of pros and newspapermen took tional offices were moved from small, up sides. That affair was the first PGA cluttered rooms in an old New York public fight with the tournament aspect office building to modern quarters in taking the golf public's eye away from Continued on page 52 ambition to showboat might not coin- cide with the best interests of pros the fundamental fact that it was the collectively. club professionals who had built up golf Walsh, one of the most candid of all and established the market and popu- professionals, a true sportsman and a larity of the tournament stars. sound businessman who is the owner of Jacobus and his official associates did rich golf properties and a bank director, a good job of bringing the PGA through helplessly became the sponsor of the a trying stage of growing pains. Fred secret sessions policy of PGA annual Corcoran turned out to be a promotional meetings which has choked PGA public genius and out-Harlowed Harlow in de- relations for more than 25 years. Walsh veloping rich international pro golf com- as president has to take the rap for a petition as well as in exercising commer- ruling closing the doors on PGA annual cial imagination and energy that showed meeting discussions which used to pro- playing pros the way to the promised duce valuable sports page publicity for land of million-dollar assets and lucra- the PGA. Some delegates became a- tive endorsements. shamed or scared of what might be Jacobus was succeeded by Tom Walsh said by PGA sectional representatives at as PGA head during 1940 and 1941. the annual meeting, and newspaper Tom regarded his presidency as a holy coverage was stopped. mission and straightened out some prob- Perhaps this quarter century handicap lems involving pro credit, manufacturers' of public relations ineptitude against relations and golf market competition. which able reporters such as Bob Rus- He warned the PGA against the peril of sell and John Hubbard, representing the getting involved in a chicken-shed sort PGA, have tried to loosen handcuffs, may of politics to the degree that personal be corrected now that Fred Corcoran Continued on page 54 (SKINNER Complete equipment for Automatic, Semi-automatic and Manual Fairway Sprinkler irrigation systems on Coupler Backed by over 60 years of irrigation research, de- sign and manufacturing experience .