Warren Cantrell Heads PGA . Delegates Get Some Details on Palm Beach Venture . Make Rules Pact with USGA . Home Pros Frown on 16-Club Set New President Has Job of Improving Member and Public Relations Wlarren Cantrell is the new president of yet that we've got to keep quiet." " the Professional Golfers' Association Cantrell was elected by the delegates, of America. 52-34, over Wally Mund, veteran national At the pro organization's 47th annual and sectional PGA official, who served meeting, held the first week in December the association as its secretary under the in Palm Beach, Fla., the modest Texan last term of Lou Strong. The latter retired got an important, unpaid job that nobody after three terms as president. envies. Cantrell, pro at Meadowbrook CC, Lub- While pro thinking and talking of the bock, Tex., a veteran sectional and na- past two years were reaching a climax in tional PGA official, a golf course architect, Cantrell's election, PGA delegates were builder and operator, came into profes- doing their conscientious best for section sional golf from engineering work. He is members who had appointed them to take faced with the task of learning what the an accurate look at how the PGA is get- score is on the new PGA office building, ting along with its growing pains. clubhouse and two golf courses at Palm The PGA's 1963 meeting didn't reach Beach Gardens, and of informing mem- the high level of earlier years when offi- bers of the construction and operation cials and delegates bluntly and openly budgets at the new location and other engaged in discussions for the good of details. golf, its professionals and amateurs. It Promises Information did not win the ears, hearts and minds In closed door sessions and informally of the press as it did one time at an annual during the annual meeting, delegates meeting when Jack Mackie, as treasurer, made it plain that Cantrell's plan of a diplomatically forgave another profession- revolutionary improvement in the PGA al who admitted, after heated argument, publicity policy is expected to consider- that Jack was right in his cautious treat- ably strengthen the organization. The as- ment of PGA funds. This occurred back sociation, in Bob Russell and John Hub- in the days when the PGA's annual meet- bard, has two excellent publicity men, ings got fairly big space in newspaper Russell being especially experienced and sports sections and club members cheer- widely known among newspapermen. PGA fully turned over the business of golf to publicity men have been handicapped in the pros. somewhat the same manner as a profes- Moment of Truth sional would be if a high handicap ama- However, self-appraisal and the grow- teur stood by on the lesson tee and told ing-up of the PGA as representative of him what and how to teach. golf's businessmen did get near enough Other handicaps under which PGA pub- to the moment of truth to prompt one licity has been conducted were discussed newly elected PGA official to say, "I am during the gathering at Palm Beach. One for letting everybody know everything handicap is that the PGA, a major sports about what the PGA is doing, except those organization, for some years has had its things we absolutely have to keep quiet." headquarters located as part of a winter Whereupon one of the holdover vice pres- resort real estate promotion gimmick, far idents remarked, "I haven't seen anything distant from the main sports publicity channels. Another major handicap is that while 97 per cent of professionals' busi- ness volume is done by club pros and the remaining 3 per cent represents national and sectional tournament prize and TV money, the publicity division operates in- versely by giving little attention to the club pros whose interests need expert pub- licity aid. It has even been said that PGA pub- licity had become political to the degree that constructive criticism not only was smothered but deemed treasonable. No Malice Apparent Somewhat to the amazement of dele- gates and others at and around the rim One of the last pictures taken of the late Horton of the PGA's annual meeting, the con- Smith was snapped by Photographer Bill Mark troversies and questioning were without at the Ryder Cup Victory Dinner. Horton is seen with Mr. and Mrs. Tony Lema. Horton suffered rancorous overtones. Regardless of inabil- from Hodgkins disease, collapsed at the Ryder ity to learn what the situation was regard- Cup matches in Atlanta, and died shortly after ing the Palm Beach Gardens PGA Setup, returning to his home in Detroit. He was a past anybody knowing anything about the PGA president of the PGA, one of the pro circuit's realized that Lou Strong had given more leading players in the '30s and a winner of two to the PGA of his personal effort and early Masters tournaments. money than should be expected of any individual. Strong, a very competent pro- fessional, lost pro jobs at Tam o' Shanter strates the capacity of pro business man- in the Chicago district and at Oak Hill in agement to convert headaches into money Rochester, N.Y., because he gave too it will advance, tremendously, the pros' much time to his unpaid PGA job. Wally case for taking a leading role in club busi- Mund for years has been a PGA work- ness operation. horse, doing onerous jobs of value to all professionals. But all this brought the vet- The PGA "Secrets" eran pro of St. Paul's Midland Hills CC After delegates and others looked at the no money and only fleeting flashes in Palm Beach Gardens PGA layout, they the spotlight. wondered why there was need for keep- ing the details a secret. The contrast be- Strong now is professional and manag- tween the PGA's failure to give out infor- ing director of the new Palm Beach Gar- mation on the status of its new location dens clubhouse and courses. The East and the bales of detailed information sup- course was in play during the annual plied by the USGA when it was planning meeting. Early in December there was a and in financing Golf House, and the lot of fast work to be done in getting the Western Golf Assn. when it was building clubhouse finished, equipment in place, its headquarters at Golf, 111., confused pro- clubhouse grounds cleaned up and the fessionals, among them members of the courses in finished condition for the home PGA executive committee. The confusion pro invasion this month. was compounded when announcement was Strong's new job is on a month-to- made more than a year ago that the Palm month basis at present. There were no Beach Gardens setup would be ready for other qualified applicants for the task. the Senior's tournament early in 1963. Considering that other clubs in the That was a serious error of optimism. south Florida area have been losing plen- ty of money in their short season opera- A PGA vice president admitted at Palm tions, and that the PGA's clubhouse oper- Beach: "Members weren't told the status ating experience with the lunch counter of the deal at Palm Beach Gardens not and bar at Dunedin was nothing to cheer because there was anything to hide, but about, Strong needs the fullest and smart- because nobody knew exactly what it was. est cooperation of fellow pros. He will The guesses at budgets were unrealistic. get that from the Cantrell administration We knew that. We know the golf club which realizes it is sharply challenged in business and what it costs to build courses inheriting many complex problems. If it and operate them. We probably are in can solve these in a way that demon- (Continued on page 94) Americas Quality Golf Car! 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W. - GRAND RAPIDS 2, MICH. growing and exceedingly useful PGA are PGA's New President George Hall, pro at Cornell University and a former treasurer of the organiza- (Continued from page 51) tion, secretary; Max Elbin, pro at Burn- for a $1,500,000 building bill plus a win- ing Tree Club, (Washington DC dist.), dow washing bill that would pay rent for treasurer; and four vice presidents elected PGA offices in New York or Chicago. to fill expiring terms on a board of eleven "But what's the use of second guess- vp's: Lew Adesso, Cornell University ing?" the vp continued. "Cantrell has a course, Ithaca, N.Y.; Gene Mason, Colum- hell of a tough job and we are in it with bia-Edgewater CC, Portland, Ore.; Terry him. It will work out some way. We prob- Malan, Willow Creek CC, Sandy, Utah;;] ably will learn to sympathize with our and Jay Hebert, LaFayette, La. Hebertj members when they get hit with assess- represents the tournament players on th ments for club deficits." executive committee. The new PGA clubhouse and office Heads Advisory Committee building is a big, long and attractive struc- William B. MacDonald, jr., was moveci; ture. When you are approaching it on up to head the advisory committee upoi | one of the unfinished roads leading to the retirement of Glen Sisler as chairman ' the club, the roof looks like the roof of MacDonald did a clever job as m.c.