Since walking onto the lush green grass of a golf course, Arnold Palmer was The Man, The Myth and The Legend.
Palmer passed away Sept. 25, and a statement from the United States Golf Association said it all about the legendary sportsman.
‘We are deeply saddened by the death of Arnold Palmer, golf’s greatest ambassador, at age 87. Arnold Palmer will always be a champion, in every sense of the word. He inspired generations to love golf by sharing his competitive spirit, displaying sportsmanship, caring for golfers and golf fans, and serving as a lifelong ambassador for the sport.
“Our stories of him not only fill the pages of golf’s history books and the walls of the museum, but also our own personal golf memories. The game is indeed better because of him, and in so many ways, will never be the same.’
I was able to meet and talk with Palmer several times over the course of my career as a golf writer for Centre County publications.
The first time I met Palmer wasn’t on a golf course or even in a clubhouse — it was in the Beaver Stadium press box, high atop the field of play. Palmer made the trek from the Ligonier Valley to Penn State to watch his alma mater, Wake Forest, get clobbered 55-0 in 1974.
As always, Palmer was more than gracious to all the PSU sports information staff and to the hundreds of reporters covering the game. It was simply Arnie being Arnie.
He was, without a doubt, one of the greatest athletes of the past 70 years.
Palmer won 62 titles on the PGA Tour, his last coming in the 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic. Among those victories were four at the Masters, two at the British Open and one at the U.S. Open. He finished second in the U.S. Open four times, was runner-up three times in the PGA Championship, the only major that eluded him, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
But Palmer was more than a golfer; he was an ambassador for the game and brought the sport, once limited to the rich and famous, to the masses. His actions may be equaled, but his actions will never be surpassed. He did more for golf than any other athlete, and for that the world will forever be indebted to Palmer.
Palmer’s swan song came during the 66th Senior PGA Golf Tournament, appropriately held at his own Laurel Valley Country Club, a mere 10 miles from his home.
Since the PGA tournament was as close to Centre County as one would ever get, I made the trek to Laurel Valley to do a story on Palmer and his business redoing the Penn State Blue and White Golf Courses.
When I got to Laurel Valley, I was told that Palmer was headed with fellow pro golfer Art Wall Jr. to the course for a practice round and I would have to wait to talk with him. Instead of having to wait, I found Palmer walking over to me, apologizing and asking if I wanted to walk with them while they played.
That was also the first time I saw firsthand what Arnie’s Army was all about. The name for Palmer’s intensely loyal legions of fans originated at the 1958 Masters when soldiers from a nearby Army base attended. Nearly all supported Palmer, many holding homemade signs to show their support. The name “Arnie’s Army” stuck.
Despite the fact that Palmer missed the cut at that Senior PGA Golf Tournament on his own course, what followed has stuck with me ever since.
He conducted his press conference on the porch of the Laurel Valley clubhouse with security guards posted on both ends as to keep the throngs away. While he was holding his press conference, various members of his staff would bring souvenirs including hats, gloves, balls, photos, you name it, to him, and he would sign them. One reporter asked how many autographs he had signed and Palmer said, “Not sure, but I will give my autograph to whomever wants it.”
I spoke with one of the security guards and he told me during Palmer’s 40-minute interview, a total of more than 15,000 items were signed for the fans.
With today’s so-called superstars, you see athletes sign maybe one or two autographs and then disappear into the clubhouse. What Palmer did following his round at Laurel Valley was simply him respecting the fans that made him the Man, the Myth, the Legend.
