Tsar Gates

The Professional Golfers' Association has never been a potent organization. Created to protect the interests of paid golfers apart from their dealings with the U. S. Golf Association, which exercises jurisdiction over all amateur and open tournaments and has been suspected of deciding debated points in favor of amateurs, the P G. A. has lacked funds, direction. Last week the P. G. A. chose a new head to be tsar of professional golf-- Albert R. Gates of Chicago. His powers are comparable to those of Tsars Kenesaw Mountain Landis in baseball and Will H. Hays in the cinema. His functions: 1) to use the money of the organization to promote business for its 2,202 members, most of them golf instructors; 2) to cooperate with the U. S. G. A. in running tournaments; 3) to see that professionals get the kind of treatment they want in competition; 4) to administer discipline.

Experienced, impartial, politic, Albert Gates has been president of the Western Golf Association four times. He was president of the Calumet Country Club 25 years ago. Now he is an official of Skokie

Country Club, where Gene Sarazen won the national open in 1922. He was one of the few golf officials who did not condemn steel shafts when they were put on the market. He gave them a fair trial, repudiated the idea that they were invested with magic qualities which would make a good golfer out of a bad one, defended their use in tournaments against the U. S. G. A. and the Royal & Ancient Club of St. Andrews. He announced that his first acts as Tsar of the P. G. A. would be to raise the membership fees, so as to get some money in the treasury; to give a $1,000 insurance policy with each membership; to guarantee larger discounts on supplies; to send out "field representatives" to' help pros with their problems.

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