Welcome from Ali Well, PGA Executive Director of the Gateway PGA

Welcome from Grant Masson, PGA President of the Gateway PGA

The mission of the Gateway PGA, which is comprised of over 335 professionals at over 200 facilities in Eastern and Central Missouri and Southern Illinois, is to abide by the above PGA Golf Professional’s Code of Ethics and to provide its members with meaningful playing, educational and financial opportunities while promoting golf at all levels in the geographical confines of the organization.

In 1916, the ‘Central Section’ was created as one of seven PGA Section offices. The Central Section included Arkansas, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Kansas. From the Central Section, the closest form of the current Section was born in 1931 and known as the ‘Eastern Missouri Section.’ In 1976, the Eastern Missouri Section became the ‘Gateway PGA Section’ with its current boundaries of Eastern and Central Missouri, and Southern Illinois.

The Gateway PGA is one of 41 sections of the PGA of America that in total services over 28,000 professionals in the United States. The objective of the Professional Golfers’ Association is:

• To elevate the standards of the Professional Golfers’ vocation
• To promote interest in the game of golf
• To protect the mutual interest of its members
• To assist deserving unemployed members to obtain a position
• To improve the economic opportunities of members by the encouragement of contracts of employment that contemplate improvement in the profession through substantial adherence to Guidelines and Goals of Employment established by the Board of Directors
• To institute a benevolent fund for the relief of deserving members
• To effect any other objective which may be determined from time to time by the Association.

The mission of the Gateway PGA, which is comprised of over 335 professionals at over 200 facilities in eastern and central Missouri and southern Illinois, is to abide by the above PGA Golf Professional’s Code of Ethics and to provide its members with meaningful playing, educational and financial opportunities while promoting golf at all levels in the geographical confines of the organization.

Our Mission

Serve the Gateway PGA member and grow the game within our communities.

Tournament Information

Click here to see the tournament schedule and to sign up.

Tournament Bylaws

Please note the Gateway Section has a unique tournament Bylaw.

SECTION TOURNAMENT ELIGIBILITY
All Members and registered Associates of the Gateway Section, must have attended the Fall meeting of the prior calendar
year or the current Spring meeting, or forfeit the right to participate in the Section’s tournament program of the current
calendar year (per by-laws).

The PGA Professional Development Requirement (PDR), formerly called Member Service Requirement (MSR), is a continuing education program for Class A PGA Professionals.

The current cycle is effective from June 16, 2022 – June 15, 2025. Within the cycle, Members must earn 54 credits toward the Total Requirement.

– 30 of which must come from the Education, Professional Standards Education / Training, and Specified PGA Player Engagement Programs.
– 6 of which must come from PGA Meetings and national survey submissions.

* Credits earned in the Required Category are also credited toward the Total Category.

Members Affected: All PGA Members except classifications A-3, A-5, Retired Member and Life Member Retired

Click here for more information.

The PGA REACH Gateway Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, founded in 2007 is the philanthropic arm of the Gateway PGA Section. The Foundation began its life inside the hallowed clubhouse of Bellerive Country Club as a way to show the golfing world that golf is more than just a game to St. Louisans. It is a way to give back to our community with a lasting legacy. Today, PGA REACH is a national program serving communities across the United States through the facilities and Professionals of golf. We are an association of over 330 PGA Professionals and 150 facilities, led by Foundation President and Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, who work together to improve lives through the game we love.

We help keep kids in school and improve lives through the Professionals and influence of the game of golf via three pillar initiatives:

Youth: A comprehensive slate of junior golf programs that strive to enable access to the game for youth of all ages, abilities and backgrounds. Junior golf initiatives include: Gateway PGA Junior Tour and Junior Development Tour, PGA Jr League, Drive Chip & Putt, and the Clarence Voigt Memorial & Junior Tour Scholarship Programs. This season, the
foundation saw over 2,000+ kids between the ages of 7-18 participate in events. Additionally our junior golfers raised over $1,800 for five charities as a way to give to those in need.

Military: PGA HOPE. (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) introduces golf to active duty military and veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well being. The PGA HOPE program is a free, 6-week instruction series taught by Adaptive Golf Certified PGA Professionals at six different facilities throughout the Gateway region.

Diversity: The PGA REACH Gateway Foundation has partnered with Urban Golf of St. Louis to “Prepare youth in Urban St. Louis to be successful beyond high school, and expose them to the vast golf community,” as the mission statement of UGolf states. We have also partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis and Diversity Golf Marketing Foundation & Tee Masters St. Louis.

Kelly Gilley, PGA | Regional Director

Welcome from your Central Region support team! My name is Kelly Gilley, PGA, and I am the Regional Director for the Career Consultant, Player Engagement Consultant and Recruiting and Membership Support Specialist who serve you. We want to be an extension of the Gateway Section staff and help you along the way as you work toward PGA Membership and beyond. Achieving your career goals, helping you show value to your employer, and assisting with attracting staff as you become an employer are just some of the ways we hope to partner with you. We look forward to getting to know you better. In the interim, don’t hesitate to reach out if any of us can be of help to you.

Jacque Madison, PGA | Career Consultant

Gateway Career Services Webpage

Welcome to the PGA of America and the Gateway PGA! Whether you are a Class A PGA member coming to the Greatway from another section or you are new on your journey to PGA membership, our entire team is here to support you. My role as your PGA Career Consultant is to help you with anything related to your career readiness and compensation. I can assist you with resume and cover letter preparation, interview practice and preparation, video interview preparation, career planning, effectively evaluating job opportunities, preparing for your annual review, and negotiating compensation. Our team provides expertise in operations with tools to assist you with budgeting, staff development, operations assessments, employee onboarding, and a whole host of other things that impact your work as a PGA professional. If your role as an employer requires hiring talent, we are here to assist with that as well. Developing competitive compensation packages, writing compelling job notices, hiring guides, interview questions, and a complete suite of paid services to market your position and source the best talent available for your facility at every level of the business is the expertise of the Career Services Team. My territory requires a lot of driving, so the best way to reach me is by phone. Please reach out if ever there is anything I can do to assist you.

Austin Jarchow, PGA | Player Engagement

Hello and welcome to the Gateway section! My name is Austin and I’m the Player Engagement Consultant for the PGA. I work directly with the section staff and its members to help with programs like Drive Chip and Putt, PGA Jr League and Family Team Golf! In total, the Player Engagement Department has 7 products we manage in addition to PGA Coach/ADM which has become such an important resource to professionals. We also help with programming and adding value to programs where value has been a struggle before. I’m happy to help in any way I can, player engagement or otherwise! I would love to learn more about you and your goals so don’t hesitate to reach out any time. I’m looking forward to being a great partner with you in the future.