Kingdom: Did you watch the royal wedding on TV? What did you think of it?
Arnold Palmer: I watched parts of it. I enjoyed it.

K: Do you ever wish you’d have had one of those big weddings like Will and Kate had?
AP: I don’t think I would be a good fit for something that lavish. That’s not my style!

K: Do you think America misses anything by not having a royal family?
AP: No. I think we have a President and a government that is pretty good. I suppose it could use some touching up here and there, but I like our system and I like the freedoms and traditions we have.

K: You have played golf with Prince Andrew at St. Andrews. Have you played with any other royals from around the world?
AP: I’ve played with Philip and the one that abdicated, King Edward VIII. We played Seminole.

K: 2011 is the 50th anniversary of your first win in the British Open at Royal Birkdale. What can you remember of that championship and how would you describe your thinking when you hit your famous shot out of the bush during the last round?
AP: I was very conscious of the fact I’d lost The Open at St. Andrews and I was concentrating very intently on winning The Open. I just felt it was a must. That grass was thick and deep and it didn’t bother me at all. I had all my strength and used every bit of it to hit that shot. And it came out very, very well! I have very fond memories of that championship.

Palmer’s loss to Billy Casper (above) in the 1966 U.S. Open caused him some regret

K: Which of the majors that got away do you most regret?
AP: The Open in San Francisco (Olympic, 1966). It wasn’t a give away—Billy Casper won it. He played very well and beat me in a playoff. The other would be The Masters in ’61 when I had a one-shot lead at the last hole and made 6 allowing Gary Player to win.

K: Of your seven major championship victories, which one do you value the most and have the fondest memories of?
AP: I’d say the one you’re not considering a major. That would be the U.S. Amateur [Championship in 1954]. If I were counting, I’d count that one and I’d have to consider the British Amateur also. But the U.S. Amateur’s the one I consider my greatest victory. It meant everything to me and my career.

K: What about the ones counted among the seven?
AP: The U.S. Open was very special to me. The other is the Masters in 1964. Having won three, the one thing I wanted to do was walk up 18 with a comfortable lead and a smile on my face. That was a six-stroke margin of victory and it was a wonderful feeling.

K: Do you enjoy the Presidents Cup, which is going to be played in Australia later this year? How do you think it compares to the Ryder Cup?
AP: I think it’s a situation that gives the opportunity for other nations to join in. There are a lot of similarities. It’s an international competition that creates a lot of interest. It doesn’t measure up to the stature of the Ryder Cup, but it is an outstanding team event in its own right.

K: Along with several other companies, APDC has thrown its hat into the ring to design the 2016 Olympic course in Brazil. When will the decision be made and how much time will whoever is successful need to build the course?
AP: The time is critical as of right now. I have thrown my hat in the ring, but I’m not pursuing it as forcibly as I once was. Certainly, I would love to have the opportunity to design the golf course for the Olympics, but there will be other times and other Olympics. I’m hopeful if I hang around long enough I’ll have time to have one of my courses be featured as the venue for the Olympics.

K: What distinguishes the UMPQUA Bank Challenge as an event? Why do you participate in the tournament? And could you please describe your friendship/rivalry with Peter Jacobsen?
AP: I have played in the Fred Meyer tournament with Peter for many years. They called and asked if I’d play. I don’t play enough golf to really warrant playing. But I said I’d make an exception for this one. Peter and I have been good friends for a long time and I am happy to support him and the tournament.

K: Earlier this year you opted not renew your pilot’s license. Do you miss not being in the pilot seat or do you prefer to relax in the comfort of your own plane?
AP: I do miss it. I’m not flying at the moment, but I’m going to be taking my physical again and give it some thought. I had done it for a long time. I wasn’t giving it the full attention you need. If you’re going to fly you have to really be up to snuff so, yes, I’m considering getting back in the pilot’s seat again.

K: Are you satisfied with the level of play in the Palmer Cup, and which players struck you as particularly impressive?
AP: I was very pleased with the caliber of golf I saw on both sides in the match this year. They are all extremely talented young players and I wouldn’t want to single any one out.

K: Which are your favorite sports stadiums and why?
AP: I think Pittsburgh has done very well with its professional football and its professional baseball park, in particular. The Pirates play in the best baseball stadium in the world. I had the opportunity to go to Real Madrid’s [stadium] in Spain and it’s a fantastic place. Really enjoyed it. But I have to stick with Pittsburgh right now. They do a wonderful job. Pittsburgh’s lucky to have those stadiums.

K: You’re serving as honorary chairman for the Mylan Classic for the second year in a row. How important is the tournament to Western Pennsylvania?
AP: Pittsburgh’s such a great town and a great city for golf. We have so many outstanding courses around the city. I have some very good relationships with the people who organize the event. So all that comes together and makes me want to support the Mylan Classic. Plus, they give my grandson an exemption so I am happy to help out. The Nationwide Tour is the way of qualifying young men to come out and play the PGA tour. Those players are just a half-a-step behind the regular tour on ability. These golfers are all really great players and it is a great series of events that’s created a great interest in the game and has given a lot of people additional opportunities to earn a living playing golf.

K: Latrobe had a difficult winter. What do you, with an architect’s eye, look for when returning to the course after a long absence? What kind of improvements?
AP: I look at all golf courses with some aggressiveness and I look to see what I might do to make it even better. Not necessarily more difficult, but make it so the golfers can enjoy it more. And in today’s age where the ball flies so far I’m constantly looking at ways to give those big guys a greater challenge. And I look for natural beauties and things that will improve the environment and make it more appealing.

K: How are things coming along at the new Latrobe CC-affiliated Marriott Spring Hill Inn & Suites?
AP: We’re very excited about the new Marriott Spring Hill with 109 rooms. It’ll be most convenient to the airport and I think it’ll be a lot of fun. The other thing is we will have a friendly relationship with the Latrobe Country Club and that could be a very good thing for both the club and the hotel. I think it’s going to do very, very well.

K: Are you pleased with the shape and usage of The Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve in the years since it opened in 2007?
AP: That is a marvel, an absolute marvel. People are coming to visit from everywhere. Without us even asking, people are sending donations and asking us to improve it and help make it better. Young people particularly enjoy it. I think the future for the nature reserve is very bright.

A presentation to Arnold and Winnie Palmer from Jack Stephens

K: You knew Jack Stephens (Stephens Financial, Chairman of Augusta National) quite well I think. What was Jack like and do you know his son, Warren, whom we interview in this issue?
AP: I know Warren very well and we’re friends. And Jack Stephens was one of the great guys of all time. He was a fun-loving guy, an excellent businessman and an excellent mentor for Augusta. Bottom-line, he was just an all-around great guy and someone I enjoyed very much.

K: Did you enjoy yourself at the Masters this year? Was there any news about Gary Player joining you and Jack Nicklaus as an honorary starter in the future?
AP: I can’t predict anything about that. I get the feeling I’ll be asked back and I think Jack will, too. I don’t know what they’ll do regarding Gary joining us. Right now,
I think they like the fact that Jack and I do it and play the par-3 tournament. It’s a pleasure for me to be asked and to participate.

K: You’ve hit so many nerve-wracking shots. How does the 1st tee at Augusta rank in terms of nervousness?
AP: As Augusta has been known to do, they do things very, very well. They elaborate on the important things. I think that makes that tee shot pretty special for both Jack and me. And, yes, I absolutely do get the jitters! When I don’t get the jitters I won’t be there.

K: What car are you currently driving and is there any particular new model that you have your eye on?
AP: I’m driving a SUV Cadillac. But I look at everything. I’m very vulnerable to the new automotive campaigns coming out. I can be swayed by a good ad. I’m looking at everything. That means not just General Motors. I’m watching Ford, Chrysler, Mercedes—all the new stuff coming out. And I’m not just interested in speed; I’m looking at all the amenities. So much new stuff coming out, cars that park themselves and accident prevention systems. It’s very exciting.

Mr. Palmer relaxes with some of the putters he has collected over the years

K: This year it seems many pros have successfully used belly putters on Tour. Have you tried one? What are your thoughts on them?
AP: I…am…HIGHLY…opposed…to belly putters. Touching the body with one of your instruments shouldn’t be allowed. I have been against it from the beginning and I’ll always be against it. I am a traditionalist and think the game should be played the way it’s always been played. And I think the golf ball should be slowed down. I’m an old fashioned guy. I think we should stick to the stuff that’s always been there and not tinker too much with a game that’s always been so great at its most basic levels.

K: In a recent PGA Tour event, Webb Simpson called a shot on himself in the last round because his ball oscillated as he addressed a tap-in. He ended up losing in a playoff to Bubba Watson. Assuming there’s no intent to make a stroke at the ball or any deliberate attempt to improve the lie, do you think that if a player accidentally moves a ball as he addresses it he should be allowed to replace it to its spot with no penalty—as if he accidentally nudges it while preparing to tee off?
AP: I think that rule is being looked at and I don’t think it should be a penalty. He hadn’t addressed the ball and the ball moved and I’m not sure why he was penalized. I understand they are looking at making some changes regarding that rule and I look forward to hearing what they are.

K: In the event of a ball lying in a divot on the fairway, which happens a lot in the modern professional game, do you think there’s a case for this lie to be declared ground under repair, resulting in a free drop?
AP: As for the divots, that’s rub of the green. Your ability as a player should come into play. You should be able to play a shot out of a divot. You can call it bad luck, but I don’t think it should be called ground under repair. The ball should be played as it lies.

K: Also what is your view about players being allowed to repair spike marks on the line of their putts?
AP: Now, that’s a debatable area. There are very few spike marks with the soft spikes, but a lot of players are still wearing the hard spikes. I see spike marks and the game would be better if we all wore soft spikes.

K: Are you at all superstitious? Do you or did you ever carry a lucky charm or have a particular ‘lucky’ routine you followed when playing?
AP: I was fond of lucky coins when things were going well. I suppose today (Friday the 13th) is one of my superstitious days, but when I won the Masters I drew number 13 so that wasn’t all that bad. I never had a routine though. It never overwhelmed me.

K: When it comes to backyard BBQs, are you more of a hamburger guy, a hot dog guy, or a steak guy?
AP: I love hot dogs and I really love a good well cooked out hamburger with cheese melted on it and a good toasted bun. Delicious. It gets my mouth watering just thinking about it!

The story of the Masters is in many respects the story of happy coincidences. And as far as the tournament that wanted to be a major was concerned, no coincidence could have been happier than the one that put Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus center stage together at the same time.

In the early 1930s, when the great Bobby Jones embarked on his dream of creating a sumptuous golf course that would annually host the leading players (amateurs as well as professionals) on an invitational basis, even he could not have foreseen the global exposure his transformation of an old horticultural nursery would ultimately command.

Augusta, Georgia was the scene of his grand project, and it was brought to immaculate fruition with the invaluable aid of Clifford Roberts as fund-raiser and Dr. Alister MacKenzie as course designer.

Given Jones’ unparalleled stature within the game, rendered immortal by his victories in the U.S. and British Open and Amateur Championships of 1930, it was inevitable that Augusta National Golf Club would come to be regarded as a symbol of excellence in terms of both golfing pedigree and social standing.

After a relatively low-key inauguration in 1934, the Masters burst into life the following year with ‘the shot heard round the world’, the 4-wood the diminutive Gene Sarazen holed out for an albatross on the par-5 15th en route to an immensely popular victory.

Arnold Palmer, (from left) with Doug Ford, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, has been both a grateful recipient and a gracious presenter of Green Jackets

Over the next couple of decades, Jones, Roberts and their fellow members at Augusta National set about establishing the tournament as a defining challenge for the game’s finest practitioners. Of course, this quest for credibility was helped considerably by the four dominant professionals of that era—Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and Jimmy Demaret—donning the Green Jacket no fewer than ten times between them. But the colorful setting, a veritable kaleidoscope of Southern floribunda at a time when the green shoots of spring were only just starting to appear in most states, played its part in attracting performers and patrons (spectators) alike.

The touchstone that authenticated the unique qualities of this beguiling alchemy, though, came in 1956 when CBS provided the first television coverage of the Masters, using only six cameras over the final four holes. And within two years of this historic development, the sport was celebrating the arrival of its first star of stage and screen. Like many who had gone before him, Arnold Palmer was the genuine article out on the golf course. But unlike any who had gone before him, he became as familiar a figure in millions of homes as the family dog.

It was only a one-stroke victory, but, appropriately, it was accompanied by the first five-figure check ever handed out at a major championship. It also came with a febrile final-round subplot that a team of Hollywood scriptwriters would have struggled to invent.

When Palmer, making his fourth Masters appearance, arrived at the short 12th, he led by one. After his tee shot had plugged in the soft turf just over the back of the green, he expected to lift, clean and drop without penalty. Due to heavy rain earlier that week, the tournament was subject to wet-weather rules, yet an official told him he had to play his ball as it lay. The outcome was a 5, but Palmer then went back to the spot where his tee shot had finished, dropped his ball and got up and down for a 3. Loss of tournament looked a distinct possibility at the time—Amen to Arnie at Amen Corner, the headlines would have read—and it was only when he reached the 15th fairway that Palmer learned his 3 would be allowed to stand.

The controversy prompted some mutterings amongst rival competitors, but Palmer, already a winner of eight PGA Tour titles, had been vindicated, by Bobby Jones no less. Even more significantly, perhaps, he had demonstrated to blue-collar sports fans that one of their own could stand up to blue-blooded officialdom and win the argument.

Fast forward 12 months to April 1959 and Palmer was again right in the thick of things as he reached the 12th tee on the final day. This time, though, he dumped his tee shot into Rae’s Creek and walked off the green with a triple-bogey. His challenge was derailed and even though he kept on scrapping he could finish no higher than third, two shots adrift of the winner Art Wall, who had birdied five of the last six holes.

On this occasion, and not for the first time during his storied career it must be said, Palmer felt he had let the main prize slip through his grasp. But he consoled himself that he was playing the game the way his growing army of supporters wanted to see it being played.

“If I fondly recall anything about that Masters,” he wrote in his autobiography, A Golfer’s Life, “it is my growing awareness of how the galleries enjoyed watching me perform in the clutch, their hopes sometimes living and dying on every shot.”

Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus were ‘drawn’ together for the first two rounds of the Millennium Masters in April 2000, and three names in particular dominated leaderboards back in 1962

In many respects, the Masters of 1960 was the apotheosis of this philosophy. Palmer had recently cemented his partnership with commercial adviser Mark McCormack and the endorsement deals were already flowing in. But having turned 30 and finding himself at the very peak of a profession that at the time offered a distinctly limited income from prize money and the other forms of remuneration on offer, Palmer was acutely aware of how important it was to maintain this momentum in order to secure his family’s future. And, boy, how he delivered!

It was a new decade and the austerity of the post-war years were being swept away by a popular culture to match—vibrant, TV-inspired and ever so slightly rebellious. People were taking risks like never before, and Palmer on the golf course was the risk-taker-in-chief.

After three rounds, he led by one stroke from a mighty quintet of proven competitors—Ben Hogan, Julius Boros, Dow Finsterwald, Ken Venturi and Billy Casper—thus guaranteeing a denouement that would be as classical as it would be dramatic. With two holes remaining, it looked as though Venturi, the only member of the chasing pack who had not already won a major, was about to make his long-awaited breakthrough. But Palmer had other ideas and with the galleries on tenterhooks and the TV audience on the edge of their seats he birdied both 17 and 18, holing out from 30ft and 6ft respectively, to dash Venturi’s hopes and claim a victory that without question was “heard round the world.”

In all the excitement, it escaped most people’s notice that Player, winner of the British Open the previous summer at Muirfield, had claimed his second successive top-10 finish at the Masters, while Nicklaus, a crew-cut 20-year-old at the time, attracted only a fraction more attention by dint of lifting the silver cup awarded to the low amateur.

All eyes were on Palmer, and what he might achieve next. Of course, by the time the 1961 Masters came round he had added the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills to his burgeoning trophy cabinet and was an overwhelming favorite to claim his third Green Jacket in four attempts. Player, though, had other ideas and after three rounds led Palmer by four strokes with the rest of the field a further two shots back.

As the final round unfolded, the pressure clearly got to the young South African as he stumbled to a two-over-par 74. Encouraged by his rival’s nervous performance, Palmer worked his way to the top of the leaderboard and stood in the middle of the 18th fairway with a one-shot lead, needing only a par-4 for victory.

However, before playing his approach Palmer allowed himself to be distracted by an old friend in the gallery offering premature congratulations on a job well done. He duly pushed his second shot into a greenside trap, splashed out over the putting surface and took three more to get down, handing Player his first Masters victory on a plate.

To say Palmer was steaming is a considerable understatement, although his fury was directed entirely at himself. “What really tore me up inside was the knowledge that I’d lost because I’d failed to do what Pap [his father, Deacon] had always told me to do—stay focused until the job is finished,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nicklaus tied for seventh but was thwarted in his bid to retain the amateurs’ trophy by the experienced Charles Coe, who closed with a 69 to finish joint runner-up with Palmer.

No doubt a desire to put the record straight, if not a naked urge for revenge, helped to propel Palmer, who had won his first British Open at Birkdale nine months earlier, into a two-stroke lead over Finsterwald after three rounds in 1962. Player was also lurking four shots back and in the end the three of them contested the tournament’s first three-way 18-hole playoff. After a modest start to the playoff which saw him trailing at the turn, Palmer reeled off a blistering back nine of 31 to seal his third Masters triumph.

The rest of the majors in 1962 were spread exclusively amongst the Big Three, as McCormack was soon to brand them—Nicklaus, newly professional, beat Palmer in a playoff for the U.S. Open at Oakmont; Palmer successfully defended the Claret Jug at Troon in Scotland; and Player won the PGA Championship at Aronimink.

Nicklaus annexed two of the four majors in 1963—the Masters, by a single shot from Tony Lema, and the PGA Championship at Dallas Athletic Club. Palmer’s only significant tilt came in the U.S. Open at Brookline, Massachusetts where he lost to Boros in a playoff; and Player recorded top-10 finishes in all four without ever really contending.

And so to 1964, and Palmer’s long-coveted desire at last “to walk up 18 knowing there was no way I could lose the Masters.” Tied for the lead with Player after day one, Palmer was four strokes clear at the halfway stage and five ahead with 18 holes to go. This time his focus remained intact and he duly ran away with a six-shot victory over Nicklaus and his late, great friend Dave Marr. He wasn’t to know it at the time, but this turned out to be the last of his seven major wins.

Palmer and Player tied for second, nine shots adrift of Nicklaus, in 1965 and a year later the Golden Bear was top dog again after a playoff, with Palmer two shots back in a tie for fourth. Palmer was fourth again in 1967, his last top-10 finish at Augusta, and second to Nicklaus a couple of months later in the U.S. Open at Baltusrol. But thereafter the Big Three took a back seat at the Masters until Nicklaus won by three in 1972 to tie Palmer’s tally of four Green Jackets.

Player, well into his 39th year, leveled another Palmer record—seven major wins—at the Masters in 1974 and 12 months later Nicklaus shaded Tom Weiskopf and Johnny Miller in a thriller down the stretch. Despite these seasoned successes, both men’s finest hour at Augusta was, amazingly, still to come. In 1978, at the age of 42, Player carded seven birdies over the last 10 holes to close with a 64 and convert a seven-shot deficit behind reigning U.S. Open champion Hubert Green after 54 holes into an incredible one-stroke victory.

The ultimate Masters swansong, though, came in 1986 when Nicklaus, at 46, turned the clock back in similar fashion with a final-round 65 (including 30 on the back nine). In the process, he overtook a distinguished cast of contenders that included Greg Norman, Tom Kite, Seve Ballesteros and Nick Price, along with his bête-noir in the 1977 and 1981 Masters, Tom Watson, to secure the last, and possibly most glorious, of his 18 major titles.

Between the three of them, they made a total of 147 starts in the tournament and clocked up no fewer than 49 top-10 finishes, the last of which came in 1998 when Nicklaus, then 58, tied for sixth. Palmer brought the curtain down on his playing career at the Masters in 2004 and Nicklaus followed suit a year later, but it wasn’t until 2009 that Player called it a day. Now they are all “in retirement,” it is the fervent wish of golf fans the world over, not just occupants of the inner sanctum of Augusta National, to see the Big Three back in harness again, if only as honorary starters.

Fred McLeod was already 83 when he ‘started’ the 1966 Masters, and Nicklaus won his sixth green jacket, aged 46, with a closing 65

The custom of starting the Masters with honorary opening tee shots at the 1st hole by legendary players whose competitive days were behind them was introduced in 1963. The Scottish-born duo of Fred McLeod, U.S. Open champion in 1908, and Jock Hutchison, a British Open and PGA champion of the early 1920s, were the original honorary starters and discharged the duty together at every subsequent Masters until 1973. Hutchison dropped out at that stage due to ill health, but McLeod carried on until 1976, the year he died, aged 94.

Nelson and Sarazen assumed the role in 1981 and were joined by Snead three years later. This threesome continued in harness until 1999 when Sarazen died, aged 97, while Nelson and Snead, both pushing 90 at the time, discontinued in 2001.

After a gap of a few years, Palmer has acted as the solitary honorary starter since 2007 and was joined last year by Nicklaus. Despite much speculation that they will be joined by Player for the 2011 Masters in a dream reunification of the Big Three, no announcement to this effect had been made at the time Kingdom went to press.

Palmer, Player and Nicklaus—now aged 81, 75 and 71 respectively—are the living evidence of the symbolic heritage that the Masters, and indeed the other major championships, embody. It is a heritage that stretches back through Bobby Jones to Tom Morris and the very origins of the modern game; and it is a heritage that safeguards for generations to come those principles and conventions that all who love the game hold to be sacrosanct.

So, with sincere apologies to the Bard: “When shall we three meet again?” At Augusta National, we all hope. “In thunder, lightning or in rain?”

The tricky par-3 199-yard 7th, here photographed in 2005. The hole has since been cleverly remodelled by APDC. Photo: Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.comArnie with his wife and parents outside the Lodge in 1970

Identifying that moment in time when a golf course turns into an institution is far from easy. After all, how does one pinpoint the precise reasons behind the transition from humdrum Tour stop to the golfing equivalent of, say, the Pearly Gates?

In the case of Bay Hill Club & Lodge, perhaps it was those electrifying putts and concomitant fist pumps with which Tiger Woods claimed his fifth and sixth victories in nine years over the testing Orlando layout in 2008 and 2009.

Or perhaps it was the altogether more restrained celebrations of Ernie Els after the Big Easy had caressed home a 7ft putt to seal an equally popular win last year. Or perhaps it was the constant of teeing it up and contesting a title, year after year, at a tournament hosted by Arnold Palmer. Or perhaps, even, it was receiving that gold embossed invitation card from the King around the turn of the year—a call to arms that attests to a player’s status, pedigree or potential.

Or perhaps it was none of those things. Perhaps it was because, as the poet T.S. Eliot wrote, ‘In my end is my beginning.’

The beginning, as far as Mr. Palmer was concerned, was unquestionably the means to a glorious end. In 1965, Bay Hill’s owners decided they needed an injection of publicity into their campaign to gain recognition for their new Florida golf resort. To accomplish this, they invited Mr. Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Don Cherry and Dave Ragan to Bay Hill for a winter exhibition match. To say it was love at first sight for Mr. Palmer might be an understatement—but shooting a winning 66 that day, seven strokes better than his great rival Nicklaus, certainly put a spring in his step.

Back then it was little more than a still-raw golf course with a tiny pro shop, small guest lodge and a handful of modest bungalows carved out of the orange groves and desolate razor brush that so characterized central Florida. It was a breathtaking wilderness of laid-back rural ambience surrounded by pristine freshwater lakes and abundant wildlife—waterfowl, snakes and alligators. “I loved Bay Hill from the first time I saw it, and I loved the area,” Mr. Palmer reminisces. “It was near perfect, a golfer’s paradise in my book. Orlando is a great town and it is a wonderful place to play golf.”

Indeed, he was so smitten with the place he told his wife Winnie: “Babe, I’ve just played the best course in Florida, and I want to own it.”

That winter, Mr. Palmer returned to Bay Hill in order to escape Pennsylvania’s harsh winter and to work on his game. He had already decided he wanted to acquire this Orlando golfing paradise that had so taken his fancy, and his efforts reached partial fruition in 1970 when he and several partners took an option to assume control.

“Bay Hill was something special. With its splendid isolation and Eden-like abundance of wildlife, it really was a little bit of paradise on earth,” he said. “We envisioned ourselves being happy there for a very long time, building a second home where we could go to relax before beginning the madness of another tour season, where I could practice to my heart’s content, with only a few club members and their guests around to interrupt my concentration. Best of all, we could adopt a slower pace of life—something we greatly needed at this hectic point in our lives.”

Arnie with his wife and parents outside the Lodge in 1970

He also established an office at the club, played golf and cards with the gang, sipped beer in the grillroom. No question—Mr. Palmer had found the quiet, out-of-the way place whence he could retreat each winter with his family and relax in the warmth.

But purchasing Bay Hill was easier said than done. Thus Mark McCormack, the owner of International Management Group (IMG) and Mr. Palmer’s long-time business guru, along with his great personal friend and confidant, Russ Meyer, went to work in order to maneuver Arnold Palmer Enterprises into a position to buy the club and all its assets.

As it turned out, almost a dozen of the initial investors needed to be satisfied and negotiating with them took the best part of the next five years. “In 1969, we finalized and signed a five-year lease with an option to buy the club,” Mr. Palmer said. “We immediately set about making improvements to the course and to the lodge, figuring we would own the whole shooting match outright by the end of the lease.”

In 1974, at the end of that option, the course’s owners went against their agreement with Mr. Palmer and struck a deal to sell the property to another bidder. But the new owner—George Powell, president and CEO of Yellow Freight transport lines out of Kansas City—“turned out to be a real gentleman,” Mr. Palmer noted. “He graciously agreed to renegotiate the deal and we eventually purchased the club and course from him. The final price we paid was a bit higher than we had hoped it would be but at least Bay Hill was finally ours.”
So in 1976, after a decade-long love affair, Bay Hill formally belonged to Mr. Palmer, and it has been the King’s southern castle ever since.

Apart from Native Americans and a few masochistic lovers of humidity, no one really lived in central Florida until the advent of air conditioning.

Before that time, Orlando and Orange County occupied land that was devoted almost exclusively to the growth, processing and distribution of citrus fruits.

By the early 1960s, though, the region had been staked out as the launch pad for the U.S space program following President Kennedy’s promise to put a man on the moon.
In hindsight, this must have been the signal to Walt Disney Productions that the entertainment company’s search for an eastern outpost was over.

Land was purchased during the late 1960s—more than 27,000 acres of it, as it happened—and in 1971, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World opened for business.
In the meantime, the area had already attracted the attention of a group of wealthy investors and prominent businessmen—mainly from Nashville—who were seeking a more discreet form of entertainment.

In 1961, they found the ideal location for their residential winter golfing retreat on a stretch of greenbelt controlled by the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation, named after a prominent local landowner, and irrigated from the nearby Butler Chain of Lakes.

Prior to that time, only two golf courses had been built in Orlando and the town’s relative anonymity seemed destined to stretch long into the future.

But a few local golfers felt the 640-acre tract of white sand and scrub pine, wedged between two large citrus groves to the west of Apopka Vineland Road and east of Lake Tibet Butler, would be the ideal location for a new course, especially as the elevation variations on site were far from typical of central Florida. In other words, the very features that rendered the land unsuitable for cultivation in Dr. Phillips’ opinion were nigh-on perfect for golf.

Dick Wilson, Bay Hill's first course architect, charged $1000 a hole

However, the project required capital—$100,000 initially, and much more once the Nashville investors, all members of Belle Meade Country Club in Tennessee, came on board. The Bay Hill Club, Inc., to which was assigned an option from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation to lease and purchase the land, was formed. By the end of 1960, plans for the club and its residential subdivisions had been drawn up and Dick Wilson, a leading course architect of the time, was engaged for the then-princely fee of $18,000. Wilson laid out two of the three 9-hole loops—the Challenger and Champion, which today form the revered Championship course. The third 9, the Charger, in the western corner of the property, came later.

In an ironic piece of symmetry, Wilson had just completed a much-acclaimed design for Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania which years later Mr. Palmer renovated, having captained the United States to victory there in the 1975 Ryder Cup.

By the by, the name “Bay Hill” was coined around the time of the initial purchase by one of the Nashville investors. According to legend, he noticed a number of bay trees on the high ground between what is now the 2nd green and 3rd tee. It didn’t take long for “Bay trees on the Hill” to ellipse into Bay Hill—and the name has since stood the test of time.

A lot of the dynamics relating to Mr. Palmer’s acquisition of Bay Hill changed in 1970 when Disney Corporation announced its plans to create the world’s grandest family theme park. However, Mr. Palmer’s initial reservations about this development soon subsided. “The people at Disney couldn’t have been more gracious and the experience brought home to me what an unprecedented impact the park’s presence was going to have on Orlando and the surrounding environment,” he said.

“Thanks to those freshwater lakes to the west and north, access to our little sanctuary would remain fairly limited. With no through traffic and only small residential streets connecting something like 600 residential lots, I figured that we would become an oasis of calm in the midst of it all.”

The next stop for Mr. Palmer and Bay Hill was the PGA Tour, though as with all truly fulfilling relationships the introduction was accidental. The Florida Citrus Open (won by Mr. Palmer in 1971) had been a fixture on the PGA Tour schedule since 1966. It filled a slot that no other state could manage at that time of year, and the players loved escaping their northern hibernations to take a tilt at some welcome dollars.

Yet by 1978 the tournament’s best days were, seemingly, behind it. Mr. Palmer takes up the story: “I got a phone call from Orlando businessman Frank Hubbard. Frank was concerned that the Citrus Open was dying on the vine at the Rio Pinar Country Club and he wondered if moving the tournament to Bay Hill and attaching my name to the event might somehow revive what had been a very popular and prosperous stop on the PGA Tour.

“When I thought about it I realized that this was indeed a way I could give something valuable back to the PGA Tour which had been so very good to me and my family. A year later, in the spring of 1979 with me playing the host role, the new Bay Hill tournament debuted with a strong field including Jack Nicklaus.

“I don’t remember much about the 70 I shot in the first round; what I do recall is being incredibly nervous about having the entire golf world, my old friends and several million network television viewers, come to Bay Hill. I needn’t have worried. We got rave reviews and that first Bay Hill event was won in a thrilling playoff by a Wake Forest graduate, Bob Byman.

“It was Winnie’s idea to make the children’s hospital the principal beneficiary of the charity monies created by the Bay Hill tournament.”

The tournament was an overnight success, and 32 years later it’s still alive and kicking, and now enjoying that much-envied, prestige slot on the PGA Tour schedule just a fortnight before the Masters.

In harness with the late Ed Seay and, more recently, Erik Larsen, Mr. Palmer and the troops from Arnold Palmer Design Company honed and fine-tuned Bay Hill over the years—a policy that is still ongoing, to which the latest (2009) facelift will testify. The objective to this day is to present a stiff test for Tour pros while at the same time offering an enjoyable experience to club members and handicap golfers.

“Even though Bay Hill is a private course, you’re still able to stay at the lodge and play a round of golf,” said Mr. Palmer. “I really like that golfers are able to play my course as the PGA Tour pros do.”

Tiger Woods celebrates sinking a 16ft putt to win the API in 2009

Tiger Woods and Arnold Palmer. That, perhaps, is the best indicator of how special Bay Hill Club & Lodge really is. General manager Ray Easler calls the Woods-Palmer connection to Bay Hill “an incredible marriage.”

“It seems to be fate that the two are tied together,” Easler said. “Tiger only lives a mile and a half away. You have the new legend next to the living legend.

A lot of the newer courses are designed for longer hitters. Bay Hill is suited to shot-makers. That is Mr. Palmer’s style. Also, the way we set it up is along the lines of Augusta National. We are the tune-up for Augusta. We have long rough and fast greens.”

And with a winners’ roll call that includes Fuzzy Zoeller, Loren Roberts, Tom Kite, Payne Stewart, Paul Azinger, Ben Crenshaw, Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson, the Invitational at Bay Hill has no shortage of class or pedigree.

A Japanese consortium could have bought Bay Hill during the 1980s but their offer collapsed. Otherwise, Mr. Palmer’s ownership of Bay Hill Club & Lodge has been sacrosanct, and beyond approach.

The course ratings highlight the fact that the closing hole—the 18th—is its toughest and there is always an over-riding impression that its firm fairways and even firmer TifEagle greens, along with its wicked rough, will some time soon put the course into contention to stage a U.S. Open.

Els, a double U.S. Open winner and current Bay Hill champion, is certainly a fan. “I think it’s brilliant,” he said last March after inking his name into the tournament’s roll of honor for a second time. “They are really tough pin positions. I mean, 11-under won. That’s where, as a designer, you want the winning score to be.”

According to one online pundit, “the layout itself has a few pedestrian Florida holes, where the typical bunkers and water hazards await. But they are offset by several stunners that confound even the world’s best.”

Take, for example, the 558-yard 6th hole that bends boomerang-style around a massive pond. John Daly hit six consecutive tee shots into the water for an 18 in 1998. It was a “Tin Cup” moment in real life, showcasing how tempting it is to cut off too much of the corner.

The property has just enough humps and ridges to create several semi-blind tee shots, notably the par-5 12th and par-4 15th. Playing the proper angle off the tee on many holes could make the difference of at least two strokes.

The finish garners more than its share of the TV coverage for the simple reason that people love carnage. A train wreck is possible on any of the final three holes. The 517-yard, par-5 16th challenges the players to carry the water hazard on their second shot or risk being called a wimp in the locker room. The skinny green on the 219-yard 17th is hard to hit and hold. And we’ve all witnessed the destructive charms of the 18th hole. Years ago, Mr. Palmer himself transformed a weak par-5 into a stout par-4 of 441 yards with a hook-shaped green tucked behind the rock-lined “Devil’s Bathtub,” a pond that has rinsed the likes of Vijay Singh and others.

And who can forget Robert Gamez holing a 7-iron from 176 yards for an eagle to beat Greg Norman, the perennial “bad luck” golfer, by one shot in 1990?
A plaque in the fairway still marks the accomplishment.

One of my golf-writing colleagues observed that Arnold Palmer massages Bay Hill as much as Donald Ross did his courses at Pinehurst, tweaking it annually to keep it competitive for when the world’s best come to town. As T.S. Eliot also wrote, “In my beginning is my end.”

It’s not often one gets a royal invitation to dine, but that’s exactly what fans of The King get every day at Arnold Palmer’s restaurant in La Quinta, California. Appropriately named “Arnold Palmer’s,” the notable dining destination serves up great food for lunch and dinner with a fantastic view of the Santa Rosa Mountains. Known for its elegant presentations of straightforward American fare (much of it selected by Mr. Palmer himself) alongside family-style comfort food and some cutting-edge cuisine, the eatery maintains an atmosphere that is at once distinguished and relaxed. As much a museum of Arnie memorabilia as it is a restaurant, Arnold Palmer’s is enjoying a refreshed look thanks to a series of recent renovations, including a substantial new wine cellar with its own 20-seat dining table, a renovated putting green, enhanced dining rooms and a general tidying up. “We did a lot,” said Chef Brett Maddock, the restaurant’s longtime kitchen master. “We turned the courtyard into a wine cellar, re-did The Masters room… basically modernized everything to keep up with the times.” One of the most significant changes, the new wine cellar, is also a private dining room. Bottles of wine are stored in the walls of the large room and are visible through glass doors that line the space. “It’s all climate controlled inside the doors themselves, so people can walk by and enjoy looking in there,” said Maddock. “They’re all locked cabinets, custom made. We’re a big restaurant, we sell a lot of wine, and before we had wines stored everywhere.” In addition to the new storage and a substantial new dining table, there’s a fireplace in the room to ensure diners stay comfortable. “You can have the fireplace going and still have your wine chilling inside,” Maddock said. “We spent a bit more to make it right—you don’t want the ladies freezing!”

Feast for The King
One thing that hasn’t changed is the quality of the food—which is excellent. That’s thanks to Chef Maddock, who knows his stuff from the ground up. He started as an assistant in a Minnesota family butchershop and once said of the experience, “Within a year I knew how to cut, not cook.” From there he held a variety of jobs at top-tier dining locations in various states before heading to The Ritz Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida, and in Atlanta’s Buckhead area. Next came a Fine Dining Chef position at The Lodge in Rancho Mirage, with Maddock taking the restaurant to Four Star and Four Diamond for the first time. The rest, as they say, is history. Maddock’s work at Arnold Palmer’s is solid, constantly introducing modern, creative cuisine alongside the down-home comfort food for which many of the restaurant’s fans keep returning—among them the King himself.“Arnie was in for dinner last night,” Maddock told us this winter. In fact, Mr. Palmer is a frequent guest at the restaurant. For that reason, and so fans can get a taste of what a champion enjoys for dinner, the menu maintains a section entitled “Arnie’s Favorites. ”They include selections like Meatloaf with Mashed Potato and Gravy, and Organic Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Mashed Potato, Collard Greens, Grilled Corn and Sage Gravy. More modern fare includes a Vegetable Crudité appetizer, in which fresh seasonal and marinated vegetables are joined by pimento cheese, and Coachella Date and Bacon Skewers with Spinach and Mornay Sauce, which uses local dates from the Coachella Valley. For entrees, Maddock offers a selection of “Chef’s Creations,” which showcase his creativity in dishes such as Honey-Soy Glazed Chilean Sea Bass and Lemon and Herb Baked Steelhead Salmon. Of course, you can always get fresh seafood and a great steak at Arnold Palmer’s as well. As for dessert, it’s any sweet tooth’s dream. Vanilla Crème Brulee works fine, but we’ll take the Coffee and Doughnuts, thank you very much. “We’re always changing it up,” says Maddock.

Arnie memorabilia joins great food at Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant

Great Atmosphere
It takes more than just food to make a restaurant truly wonderful, and the atmosphere at Arnold Palmer’s is nothing short of spectacular for Palmer fans. Dining rooms are themed after events like The Masters, the British Open and the U.S. Open. Each room contains related memorabilia from Palmer’s personal collections, including one of The King’s Green Jackets in The Masters room and a large collection of personal photos in The Arnold Palmer Room. The bar features live music, more Arnie memorabilia and a great selection of cocktails to enliven any desert evening—especially when the night spills out onto the 9-hole putting green, which, if it doesn’t showcase your best short game, is at least a terrific amount of fun. Whether you’re dropping in for lunch or sitting down for a perfect end to a long day of golf, Arnold Palmer’s restaurant is a must-see destination for Arnie’s fans and fans of great food.

Visit the restaurant online at arnoldpalmersrestaurant.com, call 760.771.GOLF or stop in at 78164 Avenue 52,
La Quinta, CA, 92253 to taste food fit for a King.

Pouring Greatness
Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant is known for great food, but its drink selections are equally as remarkable. Wine Spectator has taken notice of the impressive bottled offerings and awarded the restaurant a coveted Award of Excellence, and with the new wine cellar the outpouring will only be better. Among the fantastic labels on offer, the restaurant is currently the only place serving the 2004 Arnold Palmer Napa Valley Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which has been heralded as one of the greatest creations ever to come out of Napa’s Luna Vineyards. Flavors of anise, dark chocolate and black cherry open to incredible intensity but offer a smooth finish in this exquisite wine. Also on offer, Seasmoke “Southing” Pinot Noir from the Santa Rita Hills, Turnbull, “Black Label”, Napa Valley Meritage and the Kelleher Family “Brix Vineyard” Oakville and Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, among others. Better still Palmer Advantage members receive a complimentary glass of champagne (and dessert) for them and their spouse when dining at the restaurant—the perfect accompaniment to any meal at Arnold Palmer’s.

Kingdom. What is your fondest memory from your many years of playing in the Masters?
Arnold Palmer. I have so many fond memories of the place. It’s so great just to go to Augusta and drive down Magnolia Lane amid so much beauty every time and to contemplate all the wonderful things they have done since I’ve been going there—almost 60 years. The course, the clubhouse and everything on the property is very special. Despite the changes, its traditions are the same every year.

K. What was your worst memory of playing in the Masters?
AP. My worst moment there has to be the double-bogey on the final hole that cost me the title in 1961. That’s when I departed from my own rules of playing. You must concentrate to the end, but I accepted congratulations walking off the tee and I had always been told never to do that.

K. You have played a lot of golf over the decades with Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. What are your standout memories from the times you’ve spent with them both?
AP. We still see a lot of each other. Jack and I have both been asked to act as honorary starters at the Masters again this year, but I don’t know about Gary [despite unconfirmed reports that Player would join them]. We’ve had some great times together over the years—socially, kidding with each other on the course and having some great competitions between the three of us. We had the Big Three television matches back in the 1960s and Gary and I took part in the Challenge Golf series, but we still see each other a lot at exhibitions. Last year, we played together in a charity day at the Olde Farm Golf Club in Virginia—an event that raised over $15 million for the Mountain Mission School for disadvantaged children.

K. Three of the 2010 major champions were first-time winners. Do you see this trend continuing for the foreseeable future?
AP. I do. I see the young people coming into the game even more prominently and building on a lot of what happened last year. They don’t seem to have any fear but how consistent they will be I can’t say.

Mr. Palmer expects great things from Rickie Fowler during the course of 2011

K. Which of the young guns will you be looking out for in 2011?
AP. Dustin Johnson seems to be coming into his own so I expect more from him in 2011. Also Rickie Fowler. He’s long and mighty impressive for one so young. Then there are all the young European boys, especially from Ireland. It’s going to be very interesting to see who does what in 2011.

K. What do you expect to be the next revolutionary advance in golf equipment?
AP. That’s hard for me to say, but I know Callaway have come up with a new material [Forged Composite]. They’ve collaborated with an Italian automobile company [Lamborghini] and the result is something that’s even harder and lighter than titanium. They’ve also just brought out these new RAZR X irons. I’ve got a set in my bag right now and they’re very nice.

K. With the top players seemingly playing better each year, do you put this down just to equipment improvements or are physical conditioning and other factors having an influence?
AP. I think all of the above. The quality of the equipment and balls these days is unbelievable—it’s mind-blowing to me. But I think physical conditioning is what these guys are doing regularly compared to my generation of players. They are working out long and hard and it’s paying off for them because it helps them hit the ball so far.

K. The opening event on the 2011 PGA Tour in Hawaii was contested by only 32 golfers over a course that measures almost 7,500 yards, yet the scoring was brilliant and the players were hitting wedges for most approach shots. It made for great TV, but is this right?
AP. It’s amazing but it probably isn’t right. It looks like it’s going to continue, though. I read in the paper that they’re talking about scores of 59 and 60 at this year’s Bob Hope Classic down the road from here. There’s no doubt that these courses are easy, but they are also fairly narrow and have a lot of trees on them. However, I’d say they are in so much better condition today than ever before and the greens are as smooth as they possibly could be. Therefore, everything is leaning toward improved playing conditions.

K. Do you believe modern professionals are in danger of becoming too distant from their fans and spectators because they play a game their fans can’t possibly recognize?
AP. I am still advocating that they need to slow down the golf ball. That’s one way they can try to return the game to where it was. I lobby the USGA about it when I can. In fact I hosted the USGA’s rules people for an education weekend at Bay Hill recently.

K. Given that there is such a premium on spare time these days, do you think there is a case for modern 18-hole courses to be designed as three loops of 6 holes each, not two loops of 9?
AP. I’m hearing a lot of mumbling about the need to restructure the way we are playing now to save time. Ideas like whether a full-sized course should consist of 12 holes only or an 18-hole layout be made up of three loops of six are being discussed, but I haven’t seen it in reality yet so I’m waiting to see what happens. I’m looking at all the possibilities but I hope to have a client ask me to design a course along these lines one day.

K. There has been a lot of talk recently about extending the Ryder Cup to four days and perhaps allowing all the players to play in each round. What do you think of this?
AP. I don’t think it would hurt the Ryder Cup to extend it to four days. It would generate a little more revenue for the organizers and would increase the amount of TV coverage the event is given.

K. What benefit do you think there is for the game to have the PGA of America and the PGA Tour as two separate organizations?
AP. I’m the one that separated them in the mid-1960s, you know. And that was with the approval of the PGA and the pros. There was certainly quite a lot of hard bargaining done at the time and the PGA got to retain things like the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship. To be honest I think this arrangement is working well to this day.

K. This year, Bay Hill Club & Lodge celebrates its 50th anniversary. What was it that so attracted you to the place when you first came across it and how much has it changed during that time?
AP. This was before Disney came along to Orlando. My first visit there was in 1965 for an exhibition match for the Orlando Chamber of Commerce. We were a fourball—Jack [Nicklaus], Don Cherry, Dave Ragan and myself. The course was only two years old at the time, but I fell in love with the place at first sight. It was absolutely beautiful—all that fresh water and in such pristine condition. It’s just the same now despite all the development that’s gone on around it. It remains a very attractive place—family friendly with a terrain and atmosphere that’s very catching.

Sam Saunders, Mr. Palmer’s grandson, “is hitting the ball wonderfully well”

K. How is your grandson Sam Saunders’ golf progressing?
AP. He’s definitely making progress and he is hitting the ball wonderfully well and a long way. He’s also very accurate. What’s holding him back is managing his game. He gets frustrated and a little nervous, so it will take a little time for him to get to where he wants to be.

K. Did he go to Tour school last fall or is he planning another route to make it on Tour?
AP. He didn’t make it to the final Tour school. He is eligible for seven invitations on the PGA Tour this year and he will probably get them, but I think he will also play a bit on the Nationwide Tour. I know he’s definitely going to the event in Panama and also one in Pittsburgh. One way or another he will be playing plenty of tournaments this year.

K. In what ways do you believe a golf club can benefit from a redesign? How often should a course be redesigned?
AP. One of our major activities is redesigning courses we have designed in the past or bringing older courses back up to a more modern standard. Golfers like to see where they have to hit the ball and they like traps where the sand doesn’t wash away and the ball gets stuck in the face. We did that very successfully over at Bay Hill. A lot of people think this is harder than designing a course from scratch, but I don’t. As a country we are over-golfed now in terms of having too many courses for the people who want to play, but we hope that won’t stay that way forever.

K. Aside from Bay Hill, what is your favorite opening hole in golf?
AP. Cherry Hills. It’s a downhill par-4 and I drove the green in the final round on my way to winning the [U.S.] Open in 1960.

K. When you design a course, what do you look to achieve with an opening hole?
AP. I try to make it reasonable. It’s the start of the round and I want people to enjoy the experience, at least not feel downhearted too early in their round. I want the hole to be exacting up to a point but not too penalizing. It’s also important that a first hole gets people away and doesn’t cause delays.

K. Of all the majors you played in, which course did you find hardest to play due to the way it was set up?
AP. Oakmont was certainly one. That’s as hard as it can be when it stages the [U.S.] Open. Also, I think that Carnoustie over on the east coast of Scotland is another. Both are extremely challenging at the best of times.

Mr. Palmer isn’t sure if he will play in the pro-am before his tournament at Bay Hill

K. Do you play golf these days with celebrities or politicians perhaps?
AP. I don’t play much golf at all. To be honest, I’m embarrassed that my golf is not up to the standard I would like it to be. I play occasionally at Bay Hill in the daily shoot-out, and I play a little while I stay here at Tradition. At the moment, I’m not sure if I will play in the pro-am before the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in March, or who I might play with.

K. Have you ever been to Key West? If so, did you like it and what did you do? Fishing? Boating? Visit Ernest Hemingway’s house, perhaps?
AP. I’ve been there for recreation. It’s very tropical down there and warm most of the time. It’s very good for a lot of sporting activities like fishing and boating. I have seen Hemingway’s home down there and it’s certainly very interesting. I read quite a lot, but not much Hemingway. I plan to change that because I feel I should get some education about him.

K. What else do you like to do when you get an occasional day off?
AP. I’d love to go fishing more—fly fishing for trout or salmon fishing. I enjoy eating salmon and preparing it different ways.

K. Have you ever been to Alaska? If so, what did you make of it? If not, would you want to go?
AP. I have been there, but not to play golf. I think it’s an interesting place and I plan on going back. I loved the salmon fishing and the midnight sun.

K. What’s the latest news about your various charity initiatives, particularly the hospitals?
AP. I continue to be very deeply involved in the Arnold Palmer Medical Center in Orlando. It is growing at an almost alarming rate. Then there’s the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women and Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Babies. Last year they had more than 13,000 births, and the rooms there are like hotel suites. Annika [Sorenstam] had her baby there. Tiger Woods’ two children were born there also. The program at the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center out here [Palm Springs] is making great strides, not only with developing and refining techniques for treating the disease, but also with early detection which is so important.

K. Do you dabble personally in buying and selling shares on the stock market or do you always leave that to specialist financial advisers?
AP. I do it through a broker, but I am interested in what’s going on and check out what’s going on pretty much every day.

K. How often do you dine at the Arnold Palmer Restaurant in La Quinta and what is your favorite meal there?
AP. I dined there last night! I go there a lot while I’m down in the desert. As for my favorite dish, check out everything on the menu under ‘Arnold’s Favorites.’

K. Do you like ice cream, milkshakes or smoothies? It’s a very inventive culinary area at present, so would you like to put an Arnold Palmer recipe out there?
AP. I like all of these. I have a smoothie every morning when I get up—it’s always delicious, and very good for you. As for an Arnold Palmer smoothie recipe, I have my hands full with Arnold Palmer Tea so I think I’ll stick with that!

Palmer’s first appearance in the game’s oldest major championship, the [British] Open, was the occasion of its centenary during the summer of 1960. He finished runner-up to Australia’s Kel Nagle that year, yet to this day he believes his chances of victory were drowned by the vagaries of the inclement weather that descended that week upon the east coast of Scotland.

The final round, hitherto contested on Friday afternoons, was postponed for the first time till a Saturday due to the driving rain that deluged the course. Lesser men would have taken this as a signal never to come back: Not so Arnold Palmer.

He teed up in pursuit of the Claret Jug a further six times over the Old Course, culminating in an emotional farewell, aged 65, from the Swilcan Bridge in July 1995. That was it for Arnie as far as playing in The Open was concerned, though he has visited St. Andrews once or twice since in his capacity as a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club—the original organizers of The Open and proprietors of the imposing gray clubhouse that overlooks the iconic 1st tee and 18th green.

Earlier this year he returned to The Open for the first time in 15 years—with not one, but two major appointments in his diary. The second, mirroring his experiences of 50 years previously, was the Wednesday afternoon Champions Challenge that was regrettably, but sensibly, canceled because of a horrendous storm that swept in from the north just as the former champions were donning their rainwear.

The first, in brilliant sunshine the previous day, was an altogether more academic experience. Along with Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington, and a further two of the game’s more distinguished servants, Palmer was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from St. Andrews University, an august establishment that celebrates its 600th anniversary in 2013.

Arnold Palmer (center) was joined by two other recipients of honorary law degrees in St. Andrews University’s Younger Hall—five-time British Open champion Tom Watson, left, and Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, who has won the Claret Jug twice in recent years

Before a capacity audience of more than 1,000 onlookers, this trio of Open champions received their degrees in Younger Hall. Also honored were Jim Farmer, honorary professional to the R&A, and Johann Rupert, CEO of luxury-goods company Richemont and sponsor of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

The degrees were conferred by the university’s chancellor, Sir Menzies Campbell, a former leader of Britain’s Liberal Democrat party and past Olympian.

In presenting Palmer’s degree, Professor Alan Cairns of the school of mathematics and statistics described him as an “iconic figure,” a name familiar to most people as one of the 20th century’s outstanding sportsmen whose charisma helped golf to develop into a major spectator sport by attracting extensive television coverage. Professor Cairns described the Palmer approach to the game as “trouble is bad to get into but fun to get out of. If you’re in trouble, 80 percent of the time there’s a way out. If you can see the ball, you can probably hit it; and if you can hit it, you can move it; and if you can move it, you might be able to knock it in the hole. At least it’s fun to try!”

Palmer told his audience: “I’m pleased to be here and thankful for the opportunity to see what I have seen today. Little did I think back in 1960 when I told my father and a friend that I was coming to The Open and they said ‘really, are you ready?’ what might happen 50 years later.

“It is a thrill to be back here and a real honor to be recognized by the University of St. Andrews. Walking down the street in St. Andrews, I feel like I’m at home. Thank you all.”

In an unexpected tribute to Palmer, Watson revealed that the King had been the inspiration for his legendary battles with Jack Nicklaus. Turning to Palmer, he said: “I want to tell you Arnold… the reason I beat Jack all those times was because he beat you too many times.”

Previous golfing recipients of honorary degrees at St. Andrews include Bobby Jones, Seve Ballesteros, Peter Thomson, Gary Player, Peter Alliss, Sir Michael Bonallack, Sir Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie and Laura Davies. And on alternative scales of human achievement, the names of Bob Dylan, Benjamin Franklin, Michael Douglas and the Dalai Lama also appear in the academic register.

Dr. Louise Richardson, the principal and vice-chancellor of St. Andrews University, said: “The five men we have just honored exemplify many of the qualities we try to impart to our students. Padraig Harrington’s discipline and hard work, Arnold Palmer’s gusto and determination, Tom Watson’s intensity and grace under pressure are all qualities that our students will need if they are to realise their ambitions.”

Dr. Richardson, a political scientist originally from Ireland and a former executive dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, hosted a reception for the newly anointed honorary graduates in the Principal’s garden immediately afterwards.

However, the next big event on her radar, unquestionably, is the university’s forthcoming anniversary. She only joined two years ago, but the university goes all the way back to 1413. The man in charge of delivering a successful celebration, and one that is also expected to generate a significant boost to the coffers, is Geoff Morris, who rejoices in the title of director of special projects and corporate relations.

Palmer celebrates, left, and Morris, right, is in charge of organizing the university’s 600th birthday

With a surname so suited to the history of St. Andrews (though neither ‘Old’ nor ‘Young’ Tom, he informs us, appears in his family tree), Morris has warmed swiftly to his task. “Almost as soon as I arrived, I was detailed to look after Arnold Palmer—in fact, we served his iced tea at the VIP reception,” he says. “It was a fantastic experience.” Morris, a self-confessed sports nut whose promising rugby career was ended by a back injury in the 1980s, talks a far better game than his golf handicap of 10 might suggest.

“My job is to organize the 600th anniversary—starting from next year and running through to 2013,” he adds. “I was recruited from Cambridge University where I was in charge of the 800th anniversary celebrations. You could say I’m a birthday party coordinator! Cambridge, Oxford and St. Andrews are the three oldest universities in the English-speaking world, so it’s a fantastic honor for me to help organize such milestone events at two of them. I spent just under three years at Cambridge before delivering their anniversary events during 2009-10.”

His work is cut out for him with the St. Andrews celebrations as the university is receiving more media attention than ever following the recent announcement of Prince William’s engagement. The prince met his fiancée Kate Middleton while attending St. Andrews, where she was also a student.

Morris is certainly up to the task. After working as a junior economist for the National Education Development Council in the United Kingdom, he underwent a Damascene career change in the mid-1980s when he joined Live Aid, and then Fashion Aid. He went on to work for rugby, mental health and children’s charities. He’s the first to admit that he’s a hard-nosed fund-raiser, but he’s well aware that: “You have to balance celebration with the academic pursuit of excellence. You mustn’t waste money but it’s still important to celebrate even if we’re in an economic downturn. The university’s goal is to become as self-sufficient and as independent as it can be.

“On the other hand, this town has a population of 20,000 people, 7,000 of whom are students and 2,000 of whom, in term-time, are employees of the university, so our need to be successful is the town’s need.

“St. Andrews is a much smaller university than Cambridge but it punches well above its weight. The breakdown of its personnel is one-third Scottish, one-third from elsewhere in the EU and one-third from outside the EU, so international relations are very important.

“Our major launch will be in the summer of 2011. During the week of graduations, the program will be about respecting the past and its achievements… Everything will take place in harmony with the town, to benefit the town.

Since his arrival from Cambridge, Morris wasted no time setting up a golf committee involving the university, the St. Andrews Links Trust and the R&A. “It’s chaired by Andy Mackenzie, a physics professor, a senior member of the University Court and, of course, a very keen golfer,” says Morris.

“To help us with our celebrations, the Links Trust has given us the use of the Old Course for an entire Sunday in June 2013 to stage a big golf event—an exceptional gesture bearing in mind that the Old Course is always closed on Sundays. Obviously we’d like the day to be a big income generator, but it also has to be a memorable occasion… We’d like to make it the cornerstone of a three-day event that would perhaps operate over other courses in the town.

“The university and the golf community sit side by side. Lots of people at the university play golf and lots of golfers send their children to St. Andrews. In the shorter term, the celebrations will kick off in 2011 with a new website and really come to the fore during graduations week with such activities as street banners, events on the West Sands and guided tours through secret gardens.”

And what about the weather? “Anyone thinking about taking a rain check had better think again!” Are you listening, Mr. Palmer?

New for Old?
There’s more to golf at St. Andrews than the Old Course. Not only is there the New, which is actually quite old, but there are many other young tracks on tap. The Castle, St. Andrews Links Trust’s newest course, is a mile southeast of the town on the headland where a medieval fortification known as Kinkell Castle once stood. Designed by David McLay Kidd, a Scot who established his reputation with links-style creations like Bandon Dunes in Oregon and Nanea on Hawaii’s Big Island, the Castle was built in the hope that one day it might be deemed worthy of admission to the roster for The Open. At present, that day would appear to be some way off, especially as the set-up of the course has attracted criticism in certain quarters for the extreme sloping of its greens and overgrown fairway mounds.

None of this, though, should detract from Kidd’s astonishing achievement in converting a flat site consisting originally of potato fields into an imaginatively shaped links overlooking St. Andrews Bay and the town’s ecclesiastical spires, replete with sinewy fairways, blind shots and more than a mile of rugged shoreline. In addition, a mosaic of natural habitats has encouraged a diverse wildlife to return to the site where the extensive meadow land is studded with colorful native flowers.

Kingsbarns Golf Links, six miles southeast of St. Andrews, dates from 1793 when golf was played over nine holes set tight to the North Sea as the land tugs in towards the Firth of Forth. In 1939 the site was commandeered for military purposes and, thereafter, it took more than half a century of special pleading to deliver the full 18 holes this sublime piece of coastline deserved. American designer Kyle Phillips sculpted and massaged the landscape into a course that follows links traditions and feels as if it’s been in place for centuries.

Halfway between St. Andrews and Kingsbarns is another ambitious project: The Fairmont St. Andrews. This $90 million, 5-star venue has two courses, the Torrance and Kittocks, perched commandingly on the clifftop overlooking the town. The Torrance, designed by former European Ryder Cup captain Sam Torrance, is the championship links with challenging bunkers, undulating fairways and rolling greens that, along with the occasional meandering stream, place a premium on precision, especially if a strong wind is blowing.

The other major ‘new’ course to open near St. Andrews in recent years is the Duke’s, named after The R&A’s 250th anniversary Captain, His Royal Highness, the Duke of York. Now 15 years old and firmly established as an integral part of the Old Course Hotel property now owned by Kohler Co., the Duke’s Course was originally designed by Peter Thomson as the region’s first heathland course and revised by American designer Tim Liddy in 2006. On a clear day, its views not only overlook St. Andrews but stretch across the Firth of Tay to Dundee, and Carnoustie beyond.
standrews.org.uk
kingsbarns.com
fairmont.com/standrews
oldcoursehotel.kohler.com/golf/dukes

19th hole?
After a challenging round, there’s always a perch in the Dunvegan Hotel less than a well-struck wedge away from the 18th green of the Old Course. This is a popular haunt for caddies and anyone remotely connected with the game, including Arnold Palmer whenever he’s in town. Photographs of past Open champions—from ‘Old’ Tom Morris to Tiger Woods—grace the walls.

Texan Jack Willoughby and his Scottish wife Sheena started the Dunvegan in 1994. In the short time since, it has become a St. Andrews institution. “When we took over, this place was a boarding house. But we had the vision that it could become a great 19th hole,” says Jack. “We wanted to create a casual atmosphere where golfers could walk in wearing golf shoes and carrying their clubs to drink, eat and relax amongst fellow golfers.”

Venues for refreshment
Dunvegan Hotel—dunvegan-hotel.com
Scorecards Bar and Chariots Bar—scoreshotel.co.uk
1 Golf Place— 1golfplace.com
Jigger Inn, Road Hole Bar—oldcoursehotel.kohler.com
Ogston’s Pilmour Sports Bar—ogstonsonpilmour.com
Playfair’s Restaurant—ardgowanhotel.co.uk
Ma Bells—standrews-golf.co.uk

Where to Stay
Fairmont St. Andrews: A few miles southeast of St. Andrews, this 5-star resort features two 18-hole courses, five restaurants, six bars, spa, health club and indoor swimming pool.
fairmont.com/standrews

Old Course Hotel: Located between the tee and the fairway of the Road Hole 17th on the Old Course, this 5-star resort has its own course, the Duke’s, along with four restaurants, two bars and Kohler Waters Spa.
oldcoursehotel.kohler.com

Best Western Scores Hotel: Occupying two 19th century town houses, this 30-room hotel has two restaurants and commands views of St. Andrews Bay and West Sands beach which featured in the film Chariots of Fire.
scoreshotel.co.uk

St. Andrews Golf Hotel: A short distance further up The Scores (Road), this elegant 22-room hotel has a beautiful garden and is home to two restaurants and two cocktail bars in addition to Ma Bells.
standrews-golf.co.uk

Macdonald Rusacks Hotel: Looking across the 18th fairway of the Old Course and the Swilcan Bridge, this historic old establishment has recently opened a new restaurant, the Rocca Bar & Grill, and a gastro pub, the One Under.
macdonaldhotels.co.uk/rusacks

Ardgowan Hotel: This 24-room hotel in North Street comprises two Georgian houses designed by Scottish architect Sir William Playfair. Its ground floor is home to the Playfair’s Restaurant/Bar.
ardgowanhotel.co.uk

John Knox’s firebrand preaching once incited a mob to vandalize St. Andrews

A Rule of History
Rumor has it that St. Andrews was founded in the 6th Century when a Greek monk called Rule (St. Regulus) had a vision telling him to take a cask containing the remains of the martyred St. Andrew (a few bones) to the land of Albion, and was washed up on this chilly stretch of Fife coastline. Not surprisingly, St. Andrews became the focus for Scotland’s religious life and in the 12th century the country’s biggest cathedral was built at the eastern end of the town.

It didn’t take long for St. Andrews to become a major trading centre, but at some point during the 16th century the cathedral burned down. Despite this, its ruins are still worth a visit; as is the graveyard where monuments and gravestones can be found commemorating many golfing heroes—most notably a memorial to ‘Young’ Tom Morris.

Play a round on the Himalayas, arguably the biggest and most exciting municipal putting green in the world; visit the British Golf Museum, just across the road from the Royal & Ancient Clubhouse, and see how they used to make hickory clubs; go into St. Salvator’s Church in North Street, which forms one side of the quadrangle of the university; and, finally, look up at the spire and commit it to memory. This is your line as you stand on the 15th tee on the Old Course. The Fifeshire Journal described the Old Course in the summer of 1850 as “every evening populated by hundreds of all sexes, sizes and grades, to witness or participate in what is going forward. Bowls, tossing the caber, putting the stone or iron ball, quoits, skittles, hammer-throwing, football, even cricket, were all going on at once, and tending to get mixed up with the golfers, and putting them off their aim.”

It’s a wonder that a stronger expression than ‘Fore’ didn’t emerge from those pioneer days! But the early golfers would have already felt that fate was on their side. If ever destiny deliberately chose a sporting birthplace, it was at St. Andrews.

By the 1400s, golf was reportedly being played on a track hacked through the bushes and heather on the common, and in 1457, King James II, who was educated in St. Andrews, banned the game because it was distracting young men from their archery practice.

Over the next three centuries, the game acquired numerous names—golff, gouff, goff, gowf, gow’lf, and even kolf. And during the Reformation, martyrs were burned at the stake and St. Andrews was vandalized by a mob incited by John Knox.

By the 18th century, though, things were calmer and in 1754 the club that became the most powerful in the world was formed. Called the Society of St. Andrews Golfers, it was originally composed of 22 noblemen, professors and landowners.

In 1834, the society changed its name when it was given royal patronage by King William IV and thenceforth was known as The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews.

The extraordinary fact about the Old Course is that no architect or designer has had a hand in its creation. It evolved naturally over six centuries and was, at some point, whittled down from 22 holes to 18.
General information: visitscotland.com

Kingdom: Did you enjoy your visit to St. Andrews for the 150th anniversary of the British Open?
Arnold Palmer: It’s always great to visit St. Andrews. The weather was terrible this time and that was unfortunate because they had to call off the Champions Challenge. It would have been fun to participate in that.

K: When do you next plan to visit the Home of Golf, perhaps during the university’s 600th anniversary celebrations in 2013?
AP: I’m going to make every effort to be there for that. It’s always a pleasure visiting St. Andrews where we have so many great memories and friends.

K: St. Andrews recently honored you with a degree…
AP: It was very nice. It’s certainly flattering to have a degree from such an historic and esteemed institution as St. Andrews University.

K: Where do you stay in St. Andrews?
AP: I’ve always enjoyed staying at the Rusacks Hotel. That’s always a lot of fun. I spent a lot of time talking to old friends there. Kit and I enjoyed shopping around town and I made it a point to go have a pint of Guinness down at the old Jigger Inn where my old caddie Tip Anderson used to tell his stories.

K: The weather in south Wales was awful at this year’s Ryder Cup. Do you think the tournament should appear earlier in the schedule?
AP: Really, it wouldn’t hurt to move it earlier in the year where poor weather might not be so great a factor. It’s worth considering.

K: Was this year’s Ryder Cup one of the great contests?
AP: It was certainly an interesting Cup. The course looked great. I suppose I would have liked it more if the U.S. team had retained the Cup, but I know the outcome certainly pleased the hosts. It was all fun to watch.

K: How highly do you rate the performances of Graeme McDowell, Louis Oosthuizen and Martin Kaymer in 2010?
AP: That’s also a very interesting group of young guys. They look like they’re going to have an impact on the game and will, I believe, win again. I think they’ll be around long enough that everyone will one day agree on how to pronounce Oosthuizen’s name.

K: Tiger Woods is back on Tour, but he no longer has a vice-like grip on the world No.1 spot. What do you think he needs to do next year to regain the ascendancy?
AP: I think he’s going to get his game back in shape in fairly short order. He’s working on it and that’s just what he needs to do. The drive to win is still there, I’m sure.

K: Does Phil Mickelson have a realistic chance of taking top spot in the world rankings?
AP: He has a chance, but Phil’s getting older. He still has the motivation, the will to win and certainly the ability. There are so many good young players out there these days. Phil will have his work cut out for him.

K: Lee Westwood became World No.1 in November but would apparently have done it in October had he sat out the Dunhill Links Championship. He chose to play, finished in the top-10 but failed to claim the No.1 spot because by playing in the event he would have needed to win it to do so. Do you think the qualification procedures for the world golf ranking are too complicated?
AP: I don’t know how they could change it or what they could do to make it much different. Like the FedEx Cup, the numbers are confusing even to many golf writers. They might want to try and simplify the formulas.

Jim Furyk's FedEx Cup triumph clearly pleased wife Tabitha

K: Jim Furyk won a $10m bonus for winning the Tour Championship. Do you think such an outcome is a fair reflection of the PGA Tour season as a whole?
AP: I’m sure Jim Furyk thinks it’s all right. He deserved it. He even missed a tournament for sleeping in and still won. He got hot when it mattered most. It’s the way it’s set up and I don’t have a problem with it.

K: Ever sleep through a tee time?
AP: No. I made sure I was always up and at ’em. I always had a wake-up call and didn’t have to worry about things like phone batteries dying.

K: How often do you ride a bike?
AP: Very much. I haven’t done much of it lately, but I’ve always found it very enjoyable and great exercise. It’s good for the legs and you need strong legs if you want to keep playing golf as you get older.

K: When you and Kit decided to get married, did you always plan on getting married in Hawaii?
AP: The year before we got married we were in Hawaii and decided it would be a lovely place to get married. So we had talked about it. Then when we were at Turtle Bay the next year, we just were so taken with the whole situation we decided the time was perfect. So it was spur-of-the-moment, but we’d considered it before.

K: Did you score any points for being a spontaneous romantic?
AP: I hope so.

K: Have you ever tried sporting clays? If so, were you any good and did you enjoy it?
AP: I used to do a lot of hunting and sports shooting. I do enjoy it. I’m looking forward to heading to South Dakota with friends this weekend to hunt pheasant.

K: Latrobe had Rolling Rock beer. Accordingly, in your travels do you ever try other locally crafted beers?
AP: I’ve always been a fan of Rolling Rock. Still am. It’s sad they left Latrobe. It was good for the town and we miss them. I do enjoy a good craft beer and order them whenever we’re out and someone has a good recommendation.

K: Have you ever played a musical instrument?
AP: You know, I’ve always wanted to play a musical instrument. I have a great love for music and the people who write and play it. Musical ability is something I’ve always admired. I’ve never taken the time to learn to play an instrument and it’s something I regret. I enjoy the piano and have several guitars given to me by Vince Gill and some other friends. I like to take them out and strum them once in a while.

K: What would you tell someone who’s considering purchasing a Cessna Citation for business?
AP: I’ve been flying Cessna for 40 years and I love them. I’ve had numerous first production airplanes and I’ve flown the Cessna Citation X since 1996. Part of whatever success I’ve had has been having the ability to travel around and take care of business. It’s made a big difference for me. The benefits far outweigh the costs.

K: How do you rate Hilton Head, SC, for golf?
AP: It’s deservedly one of the most popular golf destinations in our country. There are so many great golf courses there and a wonderful beach. I have some great memories there, too. I won the first Harbour Town tournament ever held in 1969. I was the first one to land an airplane at the new airport. They opened it for me so I could participate in the tournament. It worked out great for me.

K: What are the best drills snow-bound golfers can do to get their games ready for spring golf?
AP: There are some great warm-up clubs, shortened so golfers can swing them in their basements. It’s good to use those to keep the swing in shape. And I welcome any golfers to come visit us at Bay Hill to enjoy a mid-winter tune up.

K: Potential major winners in 2011?
AP: After the cast of winners in 2010, it’d be silly for me to try to pick a winner for 2011. It’s wide open.

Mr. Palmer hopes to act as honorary starter again at the Masters Tournament in 2011

K: Will you be acting as honorary starter at The Masters again in 2011?
AP: I plan to be there and assume I’ll be invited again. It’s a great honor and always a pleasure to be at Augusta.

K: How well do you think the LPGA Tour is recovering from the loss of Annika Sorenstam and Lorena Ochoa? Who do you see picking up the baton there?
AP: It was difficult for the LPGA to lose its two most popular stars on tour, but they have a bright future. There are many popular and appealing women playing their Tour. They held a great U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont this season with a very popular winner, Paula Creamer. They have a great bunch to watch.

K: We recently had a co-sanctioned PGA Tour event in Malaysia. Do you think the PGA Tour should be looking to create more of these international events?
AP: I’m sure eventually we’ll see a lot more international golf. It’ll probably happen when a combination of PGA Tours from around the world get together and decide on format and scheduling. But it’s bound to happen soon. That may naturally lead to some form of world tour, but I don’t see that dominating the existing tours.

Matt Kuchar just played the season of his life

K: This year Matt Kuchar made his Ryder Cup debut, he won the Arnold Palmer Trophy for topping the money list and also the Vardon Trophy and Byron Nelson Award for the lowest stroke average. What do you think of him and how far can he go in the game?
AP: Matt is a very fine young man and he has been a member here at Bay Hill since he first turned pro. He struggled a little but he has really come on good and I think that’s just wonderful. I’m rooting for him and wishing him all the best and congratulating him on a really great year. I hope that he continues to play the way he did this last year, and I’m sure that he will become one of the great players of the game.

K: Are you planning any changes to the Bay Hill course for next year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational?
AP: Not really. The course is in as good a shape as I’ve ever seen it. We’re really excited to have the pros come in and compete in March.

K: At the Ryder Cup we saw a top pro’s chipping technique break down. What advice would you give a golfer on the edge of the green?
AP: Use the putter! That’s a tip for any golfer who finds themselves reasonably close in a tight match. Just putt it. It reduces the chances you’ll chunk it. There’s no rule about what club you should use. If you’re close enough to use the putter, use the putter.

K: How does your Bay Hill office differ from the one in Latrobe?
AP: The memorabilia’s not as extensive here as it is in Latrobe. I have more at my garage here. The Golf Channel’s coming over to film over there so viewers can get a peek at it. The Bay Hill office is more of a working office, while the Latrobe one can be very ceremonial. Visitors love the Latrobe office. The Bay Hall office is more utilitarian. Still, it’s very comfortable and I like the feeling of being here and what I do here.

K: We’ve seen you enjoying your iPad; have you seen arnoldpalmer.com?
AP: I use the iPad all the time. It’s a great piece of equipment. I enjoy it very much. I look up golfers, engineers and use it to keep up with the news. You can check out anything you want on it and get an answer in an instant. Yes, I have checked out arnoldpalmer.com. It’s great. I think my fans should check it out. It’s packed with information. I don’t spend too much time on it. I know most of the answers.

K: The best Christmas present you’ve ever received?
AP: Christmas is such a special time. I’ve always looked forward to it. Some of the best Christmases have been back home before the girls were married and just sitting in front of the fire and watching all the magic of the girls opening their presents. Such happy memories. If I had to pick the best Christmas present, I’d have to go back to when I was a boy back home in Latrobe. My parents got my sister and I wristwatches.They put them in these huge boxes filled with paper. It must have taken us a half a day to dig through all those papers and find them there.

K: Do you still have the watch?
AP: I do!

K: Do you recall the brand?
AP: Yes, it’s a, uh . . . Rolex! (he says with a wink and a grin).

About the only place you’d find the Palmer family name in the early 20th century was in the Latrobe phone book.

Now, 81 years, 92 professional victories and countless philanthropic endeavors later, the Palmer name is everywhere. It’s on the Latrobe airport and hospital, car dealerships, nature reserves, roads and library walls. As for the local phone book, not only is Arnold Palmer’s name still listed in it, his smiling picture featured on the cover of one recent issue.

In so many ways, Latrobe has become Arnold Palmer and the best parts of Arnold Palmer have become Latrobe. The two cannot be pried apart.

Maybe that’s why he’s never left the small western Pennsylvania town 40 miles east along U.S. Route 30 from Pittsburgh. Despite his fortune and access to palatial homes and posh property around the world, he still calls Latrobe, pop. 7,634, home.

Has this man, recognized world-wide, ever thought of leaving? “Never once,” he says. “And I never will.”

It is a golden autumn day when he sits down for this Kingdom interview. Soon the tartan leaves will lose their tug and it will be possible for Palmer to peek through bare branches across the street named in his honor to where he grew up, where he learned to play golf. It’s where he still golfs, still frolics and is still surrounded by admirers and loved ones.

Yet, this man with so much glory to look back upon still wakes up every day with his gaze firmly fixed on the future. Today, he and his Latrobe staff are busy preparing for a fall groundbreaking for a SpringHill Suites by Marriott that will serve as the destination hotel for Palmer pilgrims from around the world. “This is going to be really great,” he says. “We’re very excited about what this fine hotel will be bringing to guests.”

It’ll be a hotel where people can see for themselves the ample reasons why he’ll always call Latrobe home.

“This is the most beautiful place in the world,” he says. “It has everything. You have mountains, fresh water, four beautiful seasons and friendly people. I’ve been all over the world and have never found a place better than this. I live in Florida the rest of the time and I love Orlando. But if I were forced to choose one place over all the others, this would be it.”

Palmer’s been lavished with multi-million dollar fees to endorse Rolex, Cadillac and many other products that crave his association. But none has more reciprocal value than the one he bestowed for free. “It’s just like the MasterCard commercial filmed here in Latrobe,” observes Andy Stofan, president of the Latrobe Chamber of Commerce. “What Palmer brings to Latrobe just by calling it home is priceless.” Palmer’s had just three primary residences in his entire life and they’ve all been within 200 yards of the house in which he was born.

Always a proud little town, Latrobe would have been famous without Arnold Palmer and, yes, it’s likely Arnold Palmer would have been famous without Latrobe. Palmer had the swing, determination, grit, charisma and elegance, characteristics that were shaped by the tough little steel town. But who’s to say those same characteristics could not have been forged elsewhere? “I like to think I’d still have been a success if I’d grown up someplace else, but the people here were always very encouraging and helped me succeed.”

Now, Latrobe without Palmer can still do some bragging. The town along the banks of the scenic Loyalhanna Creek gave America and the world a beguiling mix of strong and tough, sweet and tender.

Latrobe is home to the Banana Split and a Palmer Cadillac dealership

It was here in 1904 that apprentice pharmacist David Evans Strickler began tinkering with ice creams and fruits. First a little vanilla here, a scoop of chocolate there, some strawberry, a host of other tasty confections all cradled by the monkey’s yellow mainstay and—voila!—you have the banana split. It happened in the old Tassel Pharmacy down on Ligonier Street. “I used to have a banana split every day at lunch down at the Valley Dairy,” Palmer says. “They’re delicious. I never knew they’d become world famous.”

No one familiar with his humble origins would have figured the same was destined for him, either. Gone is the old farm house where Deacon and Doris raised Arnold and sister Lois Jean Tilley (siblings Sandra Sarni and Jerry would be raised in a since-demolished home on the club’s 15th fairway some 15 years later). In its place is a tidy little putting green beside the creek locals call Nine Mile Run that scoots alongside the 5th hole at Latrobe Country Club where Deacon was head pro and superintendent until his death in 1976. Chainsaw artist Joe King was hired in the late 1990s to carve a statue of the proud old man from a stout stump of one of the many Scotch pines Deacon planted alongside the 18th fairway more than 70 years ago. Palmer’s attachment to the land and its memories is euphoric.

“The house where I was raised was really an old farm house from before they built the golf course,” Palmer says. “It was rickety, but wonderful. I remember the snows would come in through the windows. I’d wake up in the morning and there was snow on the bed.

“I’d pump well water from the kitchen to the basement for my mother to do laundry. Then it was hung out to dry right there beside the old 6th hole. That’s the way it was. We had pigs and chickens in the backyard and every fall we’d butcher the pigs for food. That was in the 30s, during the Depression.”
Palmer bought the club in 1971. He spent three years considering what to do with the old home before deciding it had to go. “I gave serious thought to fixing it up, but it would have been so expensive. Pennsylvania Governor Raymond Shafer wanted to keep it and preserve it as a historic site. Now, I wish I had done just that. If I had to do over, I would have kept it.”

It would have made a dandy little tourist attraction and, if the cards had fallen the right way, given Latrobe a one-two punch that many larger cities would envy.

Because at one time and by all rights, the Pro Football Hall of Fame should be in Latrobe, not Canton, as many sport historians contend. Latrobe is the birthplace of professional football. It was September 3, 1895, not far from Memorial Stadium where the current Greater Latrobe High School Wildcats play their home games, that John Braillier accepted $10 from the Latrobe Athletic Association to play a home game versus a rival team from Jeannette.

It was money well spent. Latrobe beat Jeannette 12-0 Braillier, who became a local dentist, was selected in 1979 by the Pro Football Researchers Association as among the “Best Pros Not in the Hall of Fame.”

Old timers talk about how in 1963 Latrobe was a whisker away from being selected as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but the votes went to Canton. By then, it hardly seemed to matter. A local golfer was in the midst of a historic string of championships that made losing a major sport’s HOF seem inconsequential.

And it wasn’t like Latrobe’s link to professional football snapped. Latrobe has for 45 years been the summer home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, six-time Super Bowl champions. Each August, tens of thousands of Steeler fans from all over the world make a pigskin pilgrimage to Latrobe to watch the Black ‘n’ Gold get ready for another fall campaign.

Then there is Latrobe’s other touchstone icon.

Oddly for a town so intent to tout its toughness, Latrobe also nurtured one of the most famously sweet men in American history. The appellation “Mister” is often bestowed out of trembling respect to prison guards or ill-tempered mob bosses. But in this instance it connotes a gentleness so benign it became legend. That’s Mister Rogers, Mr. Fred Rogers, that is, because you have to land at the Arnold Palmer Regional Airport if you want to visit the real Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and Mister Rogers

The world knows Arnold Palmer is from Latrobe, but to be asolutely specific people in Latrobe know he’s from Youngstown, the tiny village of just 400 people a mile south across U.S. Route 30. So while it makes geographical sense to say Palmer is from Latrobe, Uncle Sam sends his mail to a PO Box in Youngstown.

How this one village produced such global icons confounds logic. Yet, today the ceremonial Arnold Palmer Drive leads right down Youngstown’s Main Street straight on to Fred Rogers Way.

Youngstown is dominated by a three-story building that housed the bar Deacon frequented. Formerly known as Amer’s Bar, it is now the Tin Lizzy and features fine dining in the Barnhouse Bistro, a place where the Palmers often dine. The delightful old inn has distinct bars on three floors. The Tin Lizzy is just across the street from a popular family restaurant, The Rainbow Inn, and a short stumble away from the Youngstown Volunteer Fireman’s Social Hall. Not only can locals brag that tiny Youngstown gave the world two famous icons, they can also boast it’s a town with one stop light and five liquor licenses, a convivial equation even places like New Orleans and Key West can’t match.

Growing up in the 1930s, it was a good place to be and a good place to be from. Unlike Palmer, Rogers’ family was well-off, particularly for the times, and the McFeeley-Rogers Foundation is, like Palmer, a beloved source of benevolent largesse for the community.

“Fred was a year older than I was,” Palmer says. “He took golf lessons from my Dad.”

Clearly, Deacon’s teaching abilities didn’t extend to even the most earnest students. But, as the world knows, Fred Rogers had a flair for other pursuits that continues to nurture generations of children around the world, seven years after his death.

He and Palmer were classmates at Latrobe High School, now an elementary school on Ligonier Street. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and the host and creative force behind one of the most successful children’s shows in television history. When he died at 74 in 2003, his gentle manner was mourned by generations. A man famous for working in sneakers and a sweater, Rogers left landmarks as indelible as the Hoover Dam. In 1969, he appeared before the U.S. Senate to explain why the government should give $20 million to public television when it was waging a costly war with Vietnam. Rogers spoke for six spellbinding minutes.

Cantankerous Sen. John O. Pastore, famous for his brusqueness, was unfamiliar with Rogers or his work. He said Rogers’ words and manner gave him goose bumps. Instead of the proposed cuts to children’s programming, Pastore’s subcommittee increased federal funding of PBS from $9 million to $22 million in a decision that made headlines around the world.

“I knew him pretty well,” Palmer says of Rogers. “We’d get together and talk about old Latrobe friends and about what we were each up to. He was a great guy.”

When Rogers and Palmer were graduating in 1946 and ’47 respectively, the men had nothing in common. All these years later, they share at least one uncommon distinction: both are recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Rogers from 2002, Palmer from 2004.

What could it be about Latrobe that simultaneously produced two such titans, each so revered, each so different? Must be something in the water. Ah, yes, the water. “From the glass-lined tanks of Old Latrobe we tender this premium beer for your enjoyment, as a tribute to your good taste. It comes from the mountain springs to you.” From 1939 to 2006, those 33 words were printed on the labels of the green bottles of Rolling Rock beer, brewed by Latrobe Brewing.

The Laurel Highlands beer was an American cult favorite until Anheuser-Busch bought it in 2006 and moved it to New Jersey. Before that, beer lovers would debate theories as to why the enigmatic “33” was stenciled on the bottom of the bottles of every beer. Was it because 1933 was the year hated Prohibition was repealed? No. Was it because, as rumor had it, a horse named Rolling Rock won the Kentucky Derby in 1933? No, that was Broker’s Tip ridden by Don Meade. The answer is on the label. The word count from hearty little welcome is 31. Add “Rolling Rock” and you have 33. That was written on the label so the printer would understand the precise word count to charge.

You don’t want to order a Rolling Rock in Latrobe anymore. You’d get the same reaction in town if in 1965 you rooted for Jack Nicklaus instead of Deacon’s kid.

Palmer was an unofficial ambassador to the beer. This from John P. May’s 1965 Golf Digest story about visiting the Palmer home: “The atmosphere was unhurried and unpretentious. It could have been the residence of a successful druggist or the high school principal. There was no indication that this was the home of the world’s busiest, most exciting, most successful golfer. Winnie offered to fix a salad lunch, and then Palmer had a suggestion of his own. ‘Let me get you a glass of Rolling Rock draft beer I keep here,’ he said. ‘I guarantee it’ll be the best you’ve ever tasted.’”

You won’t find him offering the brand anymore. Now, it’s Arnold Palmer Tee, the half tea/half lemonade brand inspired by Palmer. “It’s too bad Rolling Rock left town,” he says. “It really meant a lot to Latrobe.”

Other brewers scrambled to use the facility and Pittsburgh mainstays Duquesne and Iron City now brew their beers there. That’s not all. Palmer again played white knight and had Arnold Palmer Tee crafted in the glass-lined tanks that once made Rolling Rock. “I was happy to do that,” he says. “It helped a lot of our neighbors keep their jobs at the brewery.” Now, even more local people will turn to him for their paychecks with the new hotel likely creating nearly 100 jobs.

“That hotel will be a beacon for tourists,” says chamber president Stofan. “I know this summer Vince Gill and some band members from Rascal Flatts were here to golf at Latrobe Country Club.” He’s right. They were among nearly 1,000 names scribbled in the embossed guest book at Palmer’s office. Others from recent years include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Donald Trump, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Pittsburgh Steeler legend Jerome Bettis, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, and politicians Tom Ridge, John McCain and Pat Toomey. Stofan says the new hotel confirms a commitment to risk to succeed in Latrobe. “We have so much to be proud of in Latrobe,” Stofan says. “Communities all over the country would love to have just one of these landmark icons to celebrate.” Why does Palmer stay? Why not take the word of a California transplant who left the Golden State for the Laurel Highlands. “I came here and just fell in love with the area,” says Kit Gawthrop Palmer, who on January 26 celebrates her sixth anniversary with her dashing Latrobe spouse. “I thought it was going to be flat and midwestern looking. But the scenery is beautiful all year round. And the people are so welcoming.”

The golf course at Laurel Valley played host to the 1975 Ryder Cup (Patrick Drickey/stonehousegolf.com)

Besides Latrobe, there’s golf at Laurel Valley, a course with which Palmer’s been involved since 1959, the Omni Bedford Springs Resort and the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, all within an hour of Latrobe. Other attractions include Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Idlewild Park. For spiritual solace, visit the Winnie Palmer Nature Reserve, a 50-acre wilderness saved from development in 2007.

It was Palmer’s late wife’s wish that the scenic meadow fronting St. Vincent College be preserved from bulldozers and big box stores.

There’s fine dining and cigars at DiSalvo’s Station and friendly sports talk at taverns like The Pond run by the Carfang family since 1954. Owner Dave Carfang still beams about the time Palmer told him, “You know, my daughters were raised on Pond pizza.”

As for icons, rural southwestern Pennsylvania is bustling with them. Just 35 miles northeast of Latrobe is Indiana, birthplace of actor Jimmy Stewart. Genial on screen, it’s doubtful Stewart would have minded Palmer appropriating the title of one of his films to describe his own joyful existence.

It’s a wonderful life. And Arnold Palmer’s inviting you to come to Latrobe and see so for yourself.

Pebble Beach was an elusive hunting ground for Arnold Palmer as a player, but he has since found peace there as an owner and course designer. His victory thrusts all foundered, yet his love for this idyllic stretch of Californian coastline has never dimmed. Chris Rodell charts the quixotic bond between the King and one of his least obedient subjects
Photography by Patrick Drickey stonehousegolf.com

Pebble Beach (© Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com)

Arnold Palmer has enjoyed success at courses around the globe. But there’s only one major tournament course that Palmer can say he truly “owns,” even though it’s one of the few famous venues where he’s never won.

Too bad, too, because it’s a dandy: Pebble Beach Golf Links, the fabled course Palmer partnered in purchasing in 1999. Palmer owning Pebble is like Bill Gates owning Silicon Valley. It’s a magnificent pairing—one of the only combinations that could confine co-owner Clint Eastwood to second billing.

Palmer, Eastwood and former Major League baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth were the marquee names from an investment group that included 100 partners that purchased the Pebble Beach Co. for $820 million. Company ownership includes three other renowned golf courses—Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay and Del Monte Golf Course—along with The Lodge at Pebble Beach and The Inn at Spanish Bay. The group also owns the spectacular 17-Mile Drive.

Buying the property must have been sweet vindication for Palmer, who for more than 40 years couldn’t buy a win there. He’s been close. In one of many episodes in their epic rivalry, he finished third to Jack Nicklaus in the 1972 U.S. Open—the first major staged at Pebble Beach.
Palmer’s best finish in the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, for years informally known as crooner Bing Crosby’s Clambake, came when he was a shot shy of Don Massengale in 1966.

But Palmer’s failures at Pebble were so striking that Neal Hotelling devotes several pages to the subject in the course’s official history, Pebble Beach Golf Links (1999). “In golf circles there is often talk about the greatest golfer to have never won a major,” he writes. “The Pebble Beach National Pro-Am list of winners contains most of the top golfers of the last half-century. Sam Snead, Ben Hogan, Lloyd Mangrum, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Johnny Miller, Tom Kite and Payne Stewart [and, later, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson] are just a few of the tournament champions. A name glaringly missing from the list, however, is that of Arnold Palmer.

“In over 20 appearances, including an unbroken run from 1958 through 1971, Palmer failed to record a win at Pebble Beach. During that same period, he had four wins at The Masters, one U.S. Open victory, and two wins at the British Open. It’s not that Palmer had no luck at Pebble Beach, but rather that the luck he had was all bad.”

A less gracious man than Palmer might have purchased Pebble Beach and out of vengeance turned the pristine property into a cow pasture, thus preventing the public from ever seeing what all agree is some of golf’s most scenic territory. The course’s reputation is as legendary as that of its most famous golfing owner. In 2001, Golf Digest named it the first public course to be selected as the No.1 course in America. Despite green fees of $495 (plus $35 cart fee for non-resort guests), among the highest in the world, Pebble Beach is still on every golfer’s bucket list of places they must play before they die.

The beautiful short 5th sits on the bluffs overlooking Stillwater Cove (© Patrick Drickey / stonehousegolf.com)

Palmer’s often played it well, though his efforts during the 1972 U.S. Open still haunt him, his challenge scuppered by an opening 77 and closing 76. His second-round 68 tied rookie pro Lanny Wadkins for low round of the tournament and electrified a Palmer-leaning gallery that was primed for a charge. “It was a great round,” Palmer said, “but it could have been better. I missed makeable putts at 5 (15 feet), 6 (12 feet) and 7 (six feet). And I missed a little two-footer on 8.

The final round featured a standoff that remains among televised golf’s most dramatic split-screen moments. It showed Palmer and Nicklaus each facing 8-foot putts (Palmer for birdie on 14; Nicklaus for par on 12). If Palmer made and Nicklaus missed, it would put Palmer ahead. Instead, the reverse happened and the momentum was drained from Palmer. Five holes later, Nicklaus struck one of the signature shots of his career when his 1-iron hit the stick on 17 and finished six inches from the cup. He duly won his second U.S. Open while Palmer fell to third, four strokes adrift, and his fans left crestfallen.

It wasn’t the first time Palmer and his fans had left Pebble disappointed. In the third round of the 1963 Crosby tournament, Palmer hit his tee shot long at the par-3 17th and watched it disappear, apparently into the ocean beyond. He then played a provisional ball from the tee, but upon arriving at the green he saw his first ball on the beach below the bluffs. After declaring it unplayable, he holed out with his provisional when the rules stipulated he should have returned to the tee to put another ball into play. The error came to light a day later and he was disqualified for an incorrect score.

One group that was never disappointed with Palmer’s often ill-fated exploits at Pebble Beach were sportswriters. A generation of great sports wags honed their skills on Palmer adventures at Pebble. In 1964, he again hit long on 17. Rather than risk another DQ, he found and played the ball, opting for a risky shot instead of taking a one-stroke penalty for an unplayable lie. As golfer and commentator Jimmy Demaret explained it to the television audience, Palmer had the option of dropping along a line behind the original position of the ball. “In that case,” Demaret said, “his nearest drop would be Honolulu.” So Palmer gamely played the ball and was joined on the rocks by a wandering dog (See Life in Pictures).

Famed sports writer Jim Murray of the Los Angeles Times was watching from home on his television and later wrote: “Palmer was so far out on the moor in the ocean he looked like Robinson Crusoe. His only companions were a dog and a sand wedge. I thought for a minute or so we had switched channels and Walt Disney was bringing us a heartwarming story of a boy and his dog, but a companion, peering closer, had a better idea. ‘Shouldn’t that dog have a cask around his neck?’”

Even more confounding was what happened on the par-5 14th in 1967 after Palmer had hit a strong drive. Reacting to a telltale roar that Nicklaus had birdied, Palmer sent a 3-wood soaring toward the green. As the ball drifted down, a gust sent it into a greenside tree. The ball barely nicked the lone branch that sent it caroming out of bounds. With the pressure on, Palmer needed to recover with a spectacular shot. Again, he drew the 3-wood, and again he suffered the same result. The same branch on the same tree sent another ball OB. He took a 9 on the hole.

Palmer lost the tournament, but the offending tree got the worst of it. That very night a storm blew the tree out of the ground. That next day, it was sawdust and the world was left to wonder just how high up the fans in Arnie’s Army reached.

Ernie Els is Arnold Palmer's kind of man, and golfer. Personable, friendly and above all a crowd pleaser, he plays the game in the style and spirit of the King–hard, fair, and with flair. Paul Trow was at Bay Hill when the big South African received the royal assent

Still waters run deep and no golfer epitomizes this truism better than Ernie Els.

Known throughout the game as the Big Easy, he ambles around apparently without a care in the world—smiling and waving to fans, and taking particular care to smell the roses along his way. His swing looks effortless, smooth as silk, a gift from the gods if you will, but it had absolutely nothing to do with his blue-collar, rain-delayed and very popular victory in this year's Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard.

In recent times, alas, it's been more a case of the Big Struggle for the giant South African, both in his golfing and personal lives.
It was certainly a struggle as he squelched toward the 69th title of his tournament career at Bay Hill Club & Lodge back in March. By comparison, his four-shot victory over compatriot Charl Schwartzel in the WGC-CA Championship at Doral Golf Resort & Spa two weeks earlier was a stroll in the park.

Now 40, Els is the first to admit that he has to work a lot harder these days—so much so that at the turn of the year he opted to re-dedicate himself to honing his game, to commit to a fuller program on the PGA Tour and to cut out much of the international travel that he finally recognized was undermining his form.

In retrospect, this was a ‘no brainer.' Prior to his success at Doral, he had not won anywhere in the world since 2008. He hadn't gone away—far from it—but his game was in the Doldrums.

Taking Tiger Woods, so often his nemesis, out of the equation, Els vies with Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson as the player of his generation. He has had 30 top-10 finishes in major championships, including three victories—in the U.S. Opens of 1994 and 1997 and in the British Open at Muirfield in 2002.

Els has tasted victory in the British Open and the U.S. Open as well as the Palmer Invitational

All told, though, these moments of glory were quite a long time ago, and much has happened in Els' life since, not only to deflect his focus from the cold-eyed pursuit of trophies but also from the notion that golf is somehow life's be-all and end-all.

Perhaps the turning-point for him came in 2006 when his (then) four-year-old son Ben was diagnosed with autism.

"We'd suspected for a few years that something was wrong," Els says. "I mean, there's a process that every kid goes through. Crawl at nine months, walk at 12 months, and then start talking and so on. With Ben we started thinking: ‘Why is he not crawling? Why is he not walking? Why is he not looking me in the eye?' We soon discovered he was quite severely touched by autism.

"One in 150 children is affected by autism and that was perhaps the most shocking thing; the number of people it affects. It hits the whole family hard. For a long time you try to figure out ‘what just happened to my life?' You feel sorry for yourself and for your kid and for your family. And the tragedy is that even in this day and age, the kid who has autism is often forgotten about. The feeling is that he's almost a waste of time, which says a lot more about society than it does the child. It's heartbreaking."

Ben's condition was the driving force behind Els' decision to relocate his family to West Palm Beach, Florida from Wentworth in Surrey, England where he won seven World Match Play Championships and is also feted for his course-design skills.

"The move has benefits for my golf," he acknowledged, "but more importantly we've been able to secure a more intensive form of therapy for Ben. And he's doing great. He might act and say things a little differently from other kids, and he obviously has some difficulties, but he understands everything we say and is particularly in tune with our emotions; it's almost like a sixth sense.

"And thank God he's got such a nice nature. He's a very friendly, very happy, very shy kid and the more loving attention he gets and the smiles that he sees, the better. Samantha, his older sister [now 11], is great with him.

"Liezl [Els' wife] and I are private people, but we are also very much in the public eye and we recognize that this gives us a platform to raise funds for and awareness of autism, and its possible treatments. It is something we both feel very passionate about."

Ernie and Liezl established the ‘Els for Autism Foundation' last year. "My first goal was to help fund an Autism Center of Excellence, a model for the world of what should be done for children with Autism," Els explains. "The Center will include an educational program for children aged between three and 21, an on-site services component for doctors, speech therapists and other specialists, a continuing services program for adults, and, for me most importantly, a research facility where scientists can study what causes autism and possible treatments for it.

"But that's just the beginning. The foundation will also be funding cutting edge Autism projects at some of the best universities and research labs around the United States.

"Years from now people may remember me as a golfer and a major champion. But I'd like also to be remembered as somebody who took the issue of autism and did something with it. The rest of my life, I'll be fighting this thing."

Given his resounding commitment to this cause, Els clearly has the role and status of golf within his life firmly in perspective. If possible, his on-course demeanor exudes even more calmness than before. However, it did not stop him from becoming the first player since Woods in 2001 to claim two titles in Florida in one season.

Doral might have been the ultimate Big Easy for Els, but Bay Hill was anything but. Around the top of the leaderboard all week, his lead had just been cut from five strokes to just two due to a double-bogey at 13 and another dropped shot at 14 when a thunderstorm and torrential rain triggered the siren that halted play on the Sunday afternoon. Els then had to endure a largely sleepless night before completing his final round of 71 for an 11-under-par total of 277.

"The whole thing changed from being very comfortable to being just as tense as I've been for a long time," Els admitted. "When we went for dinner [on Sunday night], I couldn't get the mistakes out of my head and thoughts of what I had to do to win and what the weather was going to be like. I'd let a few players back into the tournament and there was a lot of uncertainty."

In the end, he sank lengthy putts on 15, 17 (where his ball was plugged in a greenside trap) and 18 to grind out four closing pars and deny Italy's Edoardo Molinari and young American Kevin Na, who tied for second, by two shots.

"I played nervous golf today," he conceded, after celebrating his moment of victory by exchanging a few laughs with Mr. Palmer beside the 18th green. "I really earned this one. It feels special. I think if you're a betting man you would have got really good odds anywhere in the world that Ernie Els would win two tournaments in a row.

"A lot of guys have written me off and probably said it was a fluke in Miami [when he won the WGC-CA title]. It was hard work this week and I'll have to keep working hard. There are still a lot of flaws in my game that I've got to figure out and get right. I'm never going to play the game perfectly, but I can still improve."

Els, who now has 18 PGA Tour titles, has certainly improved in terms of consistency this year since cutting back his travel commitments—he is back in the top-10 of the World Golf Ranking and riding high in the FedExCup and scoring average tables. "I want to make this a special year, especially after these two wins," he added. "But I still have a lot of work left and there are a lot of majors left, and that's going to be fun now."

He admitted that his mind was on the upcoming Masters Tournament when he stood on the tee of the 458-yard 18th hole at Bay Hill on Monday afternoon. "It's exactly the same shot [as on the 18th at Augusta National]," Els said. "I had to hit a little fade and I opened up my body nicely and hit a perfect fade down there. I was just trying to imagine that I had to hit this shot at Augusta."

The mental image clearly did the trick at Bay Hill, though at The Masters it was less effective despite a closing 68 that catapulted Els up into a tie for 18th.

He has twice finished second in his pursuit of the ever-elusive Green Jacket, so it's not surprising the year's opening major is at the front of his mind every spring. "In practice, you try and get a draw going with your driver, hit high shots with your irons, and have your short game very sharp," he said. "It feels good now to be able to feel like I can play with these boys."

Another dimension to Els' revised approach to the game has come with his choice of caddie. This season, the bag duties are being shared by his ‘old faithful' Ricci Roberts and Dan Quinn, a former NHL player and accomplished celebrity golfer. Roberts was on duty at both Doral and Bay Hill, but Quinn, whose enthusiasm particularly appeals to Els, did the honors at The Masters. Els explained that decision was based on the fact that he knows Augusta like the back of his hand and it therefore didn't matter which caddie he employed that week. From a distance, the jury is out on this policy which is probably best assessed after a full season.

Palmer presents the trophy to Els

However, Els' knowledge of Bay Hill after 16 appearances in the tournament is equally impressive. He was particularly effusive when asked how he rated the course following changes overseen by Mr. Palmer last summer, particularly compared to the set-up when he previously won at Bay Hill in 1998.

"I think it's brilliant. The changes are unbelievable and the course really tests your ability coming in. If you win here you can feel comfortable in majors. The shaping is different. It has bigger bunkers with edges flowing through. Some of the new green complexes are very good and offer really tough pin positions.

"For a par-72 course, to yield a winning score of 11-under is pretty good. That's where as a designer you want the winning score to be. As a designer, you don't want the guys to be ripping your golf course apart and I think he's achieved his goal. Anything from 10- to 16-under on a par-72 course means that it's playing tough."

"It was hard work this week, but two wins is definitely special. It can be one of the toughest, cruelest games in the world. And then when you sit here, it's one of the nicest games."

So says one of the nicest guys.

Ernie Is a Sam Fan

Ernie Els found time during the prize-giving ceremony for the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill Club & Lodge to congratulate the tournament host on the instructional work he is doing with grandson Sam Saunders.

Saunders, 22 and winner of $95,226 in prize-money in five PGA Tour starts this season, tied for 50th at Bay Hill with a four-round total of 292, four over par.

But Els believes the young man has a bright future in the pro ranks and was quick to convey this message to Mr. Palmer. "I just said that I've seen Sam play in the tournament and on the range–actually I've been seeing him around the club here for many years as an amateur—and it looks like he's really changed his body shape.

"I said to Arnold I would give anything for his backswing–he's just in the perfect position and he can hit any shot from there.
"Actually Arnold took satisfaction from that because he reckons he got him in that position. So he's obviously working with his grandson and that must be a lot of fun."

Back home in Latrobe after a great season at Bay Hill, Arnold Palmer was absorbed with his new iPad when Kingdom correspondent Chris Rodell dropped by for a chat. The rain outside meant there wouldn’t be any golf played, but the King was happy—as always— to talk about the game, his family, and why someone might call a penalty on himself

Kingdom: What did you think when Brian Davis recently called a penalty on himself when playing out of a hazard during the play-off for the Verizon Heritage Classic at Hilton Head?
Arnold Palmer: I think it’s really typical of most of the guys who’ve always played the Tour. They have an understanding of the importance of the rules and when they see or commit an infraction they report it for the integrity of the game.

Any memorable occasions when you, to your chagrin, had to do that yourself?
I called a penalty on myself in a tournament in Baton Rouge. I thought the ball moved and I called a penalty on myself. Everyone disagreed and said it didn’t move, but I stuck with it. I believe it was the right thing to do.

Did you enjoy yourself at Augusta this year—playing in the par-3 tournament and acting as honorary starter withJack Nicklaus?
We had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs and it worked out very well.

What did you think of this year’s Masters and what particularly impressed you about the way Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood played in the last round?
I thought it was very good. Both of them played very well and Phil hit some great shots to win it. I’m very happy for him.

How about the recent announcement by Hank Haney that he’s parting ways with Tiger and how he emphasized it was his, not Tiger’s, decision?
Hank left him? Why?

He said it was time to part ways. He was a little vague. You never had a swing coach did you?
Just my father. And he never left me.

You recently agreed to become Honorary Chairman of the inaugural Mylan Classic at Southpointe near Pittsburgh presented by CONSOL Energy and, of course, at the 2010 U.S. Women’s Open at Oakmont. How did this come about?
They asked me and I’ll help however I can to make their tournaments successful. It’s an honor for me to be associated with them and I expect great things from both of them.

We presume you’re pleased that this new tournament is being staged in Western Pennsylvania. What are your thoughts on how the Nationwide has progressed over the last 20 years or so?
It’s done very well. The Nationwide Tour has given us a succession of winners, most of whom advance to the regular Tour, which is a sign that it’s a good starting point for people who want to prepare for the Tour.

Arnold Palmer is expecting great things of Rory McIlroy (above)

Looking back over your career, how many stretches of play did you enjoy that compared with Rory McIlroy’s 128 on the weekend at Quail Hollow?
Well, I had a pretty good string of those in 1960, ’61, ’62 and ’63. There were quite of few of those streaks where I got hot and was playing pretty well.

How good do you think he could be, and also how do you think he managed to turn his form around so quickly?
Certainly, he has a tremendous future. He has really played some wonderful golf and the Charlotte victory indicates some marvellous potential from him at just 21 years old.
I expect we’ll see a lot more greatness from him.

You are scheduled to play in the Champions for Change day at Harbor Shores in August, along with Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller and Tom Watson – have you ever previously played as a four together?
No. We’ve all played together individually, but never as a group. I’m looking forward to it. I’m sure we’ll have a lot
of fun together. It should be a special day.

Have you personally designed or built any courses which at the time formed an essential part of a land or community restoration project?
I’ve built golf courses on landfills. There’ve been places
we’ve used golf courses to create a more pleasant environment than what had been there previously. It’s very satisfying. It’s a wonderful thing to restore to the environment something of beauty.

What memories do you have of your US Open victory at Cherry Hills and do you ever visit the club?
I enjoy visiting there on occasion. We’re going there June 13 for a 50th anniversary reunion. And, of course, I’m a member at Cherry Hills and I enjoy that I can go there and play. And my wife’s children live in Denver, so it’s a very pleasant place to visit. I feel a lot of warm nostalgia for Cherry Hills. It’s where I won my only U.S. Open, so it’s always going to mean a lot to me. We had a great time there last fall for the Palmer Cup, too. That was a very special event.

How much are you looking forward to going over for the Champions Challenge curtain-raiser for the 150th British Open at St. Andrews and what else are you planning to do while you’re over in Europe?
I’m really looking forward to that and to going to the University of St. Andrews for an honorary degree [with Padraig Harrington and Tom Watson]. I can’t wait to get back to the Old Course to see it and some of the action there. I hope the volcano doesn’t prevent our visit. That isa possibility. We’ll have to wait and see.

St. Andrews has a special place in the hearts of so many golfers. What are your fondest memories of the Auld Grey Toun?
It’s very unique. I love the whole situation there. The hotels—the old ones and the new ones. It’s such a great place for golf and it’s great to go there and think about the game and all that’s happened there over the years.

Looking forward to the Ryder Cup in October, what sort of a contest do you envisage at Celtic Manor?
I think it’ll be great. I have been there and seen a little bit of the golf course and stayed at the hotel. I expect it’ll be a fine Ryder Cup. I think it’ll be tough for the U.S. The weather is going to be a major factor.

Do you think lob wedges with lofts higher than 64 degrees should be banned and if so why?
I don’t think so. I don’t know if the loft on a club has anything to do with the ability to use it. I’d say no. I’m for banning or restricting a lot of things, but loft on a club isn’t one of them.

I’m guessing the slowing down of the golf ball is one of them, yes?
Exactly. I’d love to see that happen. There’s always a chance it’ll happen. We’ll just have to wait and see. It would mean so much to the game.

Would you like to see the number of official major championships in a year increased from four to, say, six?
No. The four are the ones that should be. They are the recognizable ones and the most rewarding to win. They should just keep it the way it is.

How pleased were you with the way Bay Hill played during this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard?
I thought we had a great tournament. The golf course showed itself very well, and I think it’ll only get better
as the years go on.

Are you planning any further changes for next year’s Invitational, either on or off the course?
No. Nothing for now.

After a creditable early-season showing, what is the next step in the career of your grandson Sam Saunders?
Sam is working very hard on his game and getting the feel for getting on Tour. I think he’s got to get more aggressive with his game. That’s what we’re working on. I’m hoping that’ll show itself soon. He’s got a great swing and I’m not trying to change that. I’m trying to get him to be a little more aggressive with his swing and I think that will help him improve and get him into the state of mind he needs
to be in to compete at the top level.

Palmer has worked hard with his grandson Sam Saunders

We’ve learned a lot about Sam over the past year or so, but what do your other grandchildren do, or aspire to do?
My other grandson, Will Wears, is very interested in golf, too. He’s 15 years old and he’s 6-foot-4. He’s a young guy and he can really hit the ball. I think it’s only a matter of time until he gets to where he can really become a factor in the game. I think the older he gets the better he’ll be. I hope he stops growing. I think he’s now at the right height to get the distance he needs and play the game very well. His younger sister, Anna, is also playing pretty good golf.

Do you think the PGA Tour should evolve into a world tour with perhaps half the events in the US and the other half overseas?
I don’t think the PGA Tour should be doing that. Eventually, we will have some sort of a world tour. I think that’s going to happen. I’m not sure the PGA Tour, the European Tour or any Tour should be a part of it. I think it should be a situation where all the Tours collaborate to contribute something to a world tour.

In this issue of kingdom we have created an imaginary 18 hole course purely from great 17ths. What is your personal favorite 17th hole?
Of course, I love 17 at Bay Hill. It’s one of the best holes in golf. Number 17 at Pebble Beach, another outstanding par 3, is a winner. And I don’t think you can avoid talking about the island green at TPC when you’re talking about great 17s. It’s a fun hole, too.

How important is a good night’s sleep during a tournament, and how did you make sure you got a good night’s sleep during a tournament? We would imagine it would be difficult, with nerves and adrenaline going full-bore.
A good night’s sleep is very important to playing good golf, especially going into the last round of a major championship. I liked getting that good night’s sleep and going into the last round knowing I was well rested and ready for the challenge and the excitement. I never really had too much trouble sleeping. I was very fortunate in that regard.

With golfers like Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam having put great emphasis on physical fitness, how important is it really to great performance in golf? And was it less important to pro golfers when you were coming up through the ranks on Tour?
I think that staying in shape and increasing your longevity as far as playing and walking on a golf course is very important. Keeping in shape without overdoing it is important. You can overdo it and that’s something you need to watch. Some guys are excessive in their exercising. You can get too carried away. I always considered it important. I didn’t do some of the things the guys are doing now, but I worked hard to keep in good shape.

Accordingly, did you make any specific efforts to stay fit while you were competing—going to a gym, eating a specific diet, etc.—and what is your fitness regimen now (if you have one)?
I worked out in gyms quite a bit. But in my youth I worked on a golf course and I pushed mowers. They didn’t have motors and the tractors didn’t have power steering. I was the motor and I was the power. That was my fitness regimen.

There are pictures of you having quite a bit of fun in various aircraft. Do you still make time for recreational flying or is it mainly a means of travel for you now?
I haven’t flown a lot for recreation. I always used my flying as a business tool. The fact that I enjoyed it was just one of the pluses of helping me get around. It’s still a thrill. I still love it.

With VirginGalactic launching soon, and with a host of other private opportunities for space travel likely to emerge over the next few years, have you ever considered booking a trip to fly into space?
Ha! I’ve considered it and thought about it, but I don’t think I’ll ever do it. At my age that would be difficult. I’d like to think that someday we’ll be playing golf in space. I don’t know what it’ll be like, but I’ll bet we’ll all be able to hit the ball a very long way!

Is there anything else you particularly want to talk to our readers about?
No, just to stress again the need for the golf ball to be slowed down. The sooner we get to that the better off all of golf will be.

Thank you, Mr. Palmer. We’ll let you get back to your iPad. How are you enjoying it?
I’m still getting up to speed on it, but I’m enjoying it very much. There’s nothing you can’t bring up on it. Anything you can bring your mind to think of, it’s right there for you.

Traditionally, each new edition of Kingdom tees off with an interview with Mr. Palmer that showcases his views on current issues and trends within the game. For this issue, we caught up with him at his lovely vacation home within the Tradition community in La Quinta, California

Kingdom: How often do you come out here to the Palm Springs area and what is its appeal to you?

Arnold Palmer: I came here for the first time in 1955 to see what was here and I liked it so much I’ve been coming back to play ever since. Back then there were only three courses here—Thunderbird, Tamarisk and O’Donnell, a public course down town. Now we have dozens of courses and I even have a nine-hole par-3 layout I can walk straight on to from my back garden.

Do you dine out much when you come to Palm Springs, or do you prefer to stay at your home and have a barbecue? Which are your favorite restaurants in the area?

Oh yes—I like to go to my own restaurant here quite a lot and I’m always very pleased to recommend it to anyone.

Would you ever act again as the host of the Bob Hope Classic, or was your participation in the 50th anniversary staging last year a strict one-off?

No, certainly not as long as I have to organize and host my own tournament. But I’ll keep coming back here for the Classic because I like it.

Your successor is Yogi Berra. Are you friends and have you ever played golf together?

He is a good friend and a great guy. I have played golf with him and I like him a lot. I don’t remember where or when I first met him—I’m not sure it was on a golf course. It could even have been at a baseball game.

The [British] Open Championship celebrates its 150th anniversary at St. Andrews in July. Do you plan to take part in the Former Champions’ four-hole exhibition that the R&A have planned?

I’m planning to be there and participate in all the general festivities. I’m going to stay until the tournament itself starts. I’m also going to receive an honorary degree from St. Andrews University, though I don’t know at present exactly when that ceremony will take place—presumably during the early part of the week.

What do you plan to do for the rest of the week?

My wife wants to go to Ireland for three or four days while we’re over, so we’ll probably do that once the tournament proper begins. She comes from an Irish background and we’re going to visit some of her relatives down in the south—a place I’ve never been to or heard of before. Mind you, I’ve been to Ireland a lot over the years, especially when I was designing my two courses there [The K Club and Tralee].

Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead (right) get to grips with one of sport’s biggest trophies after wnning the Canada Cup for the U.S. in Ireland in 1960

Wasn’t the first time nearly 50 years ago, just before you made your British Open debut?

Yes, Sam Snead and I played together in, and won, the Canada Cup [now the World Cup of Golf] in 1960 at Portmarnock on the coast near Dublin. This was my first visit to Europe and it was the week before the centenary staging of the British Open at St. Andrews, which was my first appearance in the event.

Snead won at St. Andrews in 1946, straight after the Second World War, and then likened the experience to camping out. Did he advise you against playing there?

[Chuckling] He said a few things, but nothing I would repeat to you.

On the way to making your British Open debut over the Old Course, how did the idea of the modern Grand Slam evolve?

One of my strongest memories was of flying over with my journalist friend Bob Drum from Pittsburgh. He was the guy who got me riled before the final round of the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills a few weeks earlier. I asked him what he thought of my chances if I shot 65 and he said it still wouldn’t make any damn difference. I was seven shots behind after three rounds and went on to win by two. When we were drinking vodka and eating caviar on the flight, we were talking about the Open and I began to philosophize. I said there was no way an amateur would ever win another major championship, let alone all four like Bobby Jones did in 1930, but it wasn’t beyond the realms of possibility that a professional could win a modern Grand Slam made up of the Masters, our Open, the British Open and the PGA Championship, which everyone regarded as a major—perhaps even more so then than today. Eventually Bob came round to my way of thinking and the idea was born.

What are your memories of going over to that first British Open and playing in it?

I remember the weather was fine until just before the final round. In those days, you used to play 36 holes on the last day. It started raining heavily just as I had got in close to the lead. At lunchtime I was in my room in Rusacks Hotel and my father and my wife were with me. They said to me ‘it’s raining so hard you may not play at all this afternoon.’ I replied ‘we will play—they’ve never postponed The Open in this country before.’ I was absolutely ready to play—couldn’t wait to get back out there. As I was saying this, I looked out of the window and saw the Valley of Sin in front of the 18th green had filled up with water. Of course, I was wrong and we had to come back the next day. My momentum had gone and [the Australian] Kel Nagle beat me by a shot.

Do you still keep in touch with Nagle?

I ask and hear about him, send him my regards, but we don’t correspond. He’s a few years older than me and I’ve heard he’s doing okay even though he’s not been too well recently.

The R&A plans to move the championship tee back 35 yards on the 17th so that the hole will now measure 490 yards, yet remain as a par-four. Do you agree with this decision and what effect do you think it will have in the different conditions that can prevail at St Andrews?

It’s a tough and pivotal hole, and it will be even tougher with 35 yards added to it. The road and the [Old Course] hotel will probably come more into play, especially if the wind blows. I don’t know what the yardage of the Old Course is now—it might be as much as 7,200, maybe more, but that’s still not long when you think about it.

What is your overall view of par-4s in championships that sometimes measure in excess of 500 yards, especially as the old rule of thumb had the maximum par-4 yardage at 474 yards?

With the distance these young guys hit it you have to think about how you’re going to maintain the challenge presented by a long par-4. You don’t want them hitting wedges and short irons into every par-4 because that takes away all the competitiveness. Anyway, I’ve always enjoyed long par-4s, especially if the wind’s blowing.

Do you still believe that legislation in relation to the distances the ball can travel is inevitable?

I hope so. I’d really like to see them slow the ball down. The alternative is longer and longer courses and we can’t go down that route because we’ll run out of territory one of these days.

Nicklaus, Player and Palmer still have a ball when they meet up at The Masters

You will be acting as joint honorary starter of the Masters in April with Jack Nicklaus. Will the two of you play a few holes before retiring to the clubhouse or will you just hit your drives and then walk in?

I think we’ll just hit our shots and walk in—at least I know I will. I don’t know what Jack plans to do, but I’ll do it and call it a day. We’ll be doing this at around 7.30 a.m.—just after day break—so I’d be surprised if he decides to play on.

What do you plan to do for the rest of the tournament?

I’ll leave once the tournament is under way. The other highlight for me at the Masters is the par-3 tournament. It’s great fun. Jack, Gary [Player] and I played together last year and I hope we do again this time.

What is your verdict after a few weeks of watching the top players adjusting to the new rules relating to grooves in clubs?

I don’t think there’s going to be a great change; in fact as far as their scoring is concerned it will be much the same. That said, a lot of shots that bounce through the green are inevitably going to be blamed on the grooves.

How are preparations going for this year’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard at Bay Hill?

We feel like we’re in pretty good shape—we redid the course last year, as you know, and it’s coming through well. From the New Year, we cut back on the number of rounds played there. Normally at this time of year [winter through to spring] we have anything between 160 and 200 rounds a day at Bay Hill, but we’ve cut it back to an absolute maximum of 150.

As this will be the first tournament staged at Bay Hill since the recent course changes, how do you think it will play compared to recent years—harder or easier?

Everyone involved in this transformation has a different opinion. Score-wise, I think it will play pretty much as it has for the past few years. At one point I thought it would be easier, but now I’m beginning to think it will be about the same. The main thrust of our changes is that everything on the course—the traps and the greens—is now in clear view from the tees and fairways. The course has been lengthened a little but not very much. From the back tees, if the PGA Tour choose, we can stretch it to 7,400 yards. On the other hand, I think the greens will be a little less firm, in other words they should accept well-struck shots.

At present, do you think there’s chance that Tiger Woods will return to the Tour at the Arnold Palmer Invitational?

I have no idea. I hope so, but I’ve heard nothing from him.

How do you think his delayed absence will affect the PGA Tour in terms of TV ratings, crowd figures and sponsor revenues?

I think it will affect it to some degree, but that said it will not be the end of the Tour by any means. The game was in pretty good shape [before the Tiger Woods furor exploded] and I’m betting it will survive.

This year’s Bob Hope Classic has no title sponsor. The organizers believe they have enough financial reserves to fund the tournament next year as well. Do you think other tournaments might find themselves in this situation this year and if so what steps do they need to take?

I think it’s possible other tournaments will find themselves in trouble. The Torrey Pines tournament [the week after the Bob Hope Classic] only got Farmers Insurance on board at the eleventh hour. But I’m optimistic enough to think the sponsor and business world will come to the rescue. Most tournaments are run to raise and save revenue for the future, and the PGA Tour as a body is looking at the same thing to ensure the preservation of tournaments. At Bay Hill, we always try to get our sponsors in a good position. We’ve got two to three years still to go with MasterCard and we’ve just re-signed with Hertz for another four years.

Tiger’s absence represents an opportunity for a number of players to emerge from his shadow. Which ones would you expect to put their hands up and shine?

There are some good players coming along. I keep expecting the slightly-built lad who hits it a mile—Charles Howell—to break through. But the boy who really impresses me from the current generation is Ryan Moore. He’s up and coming and has real star potential, the potential I would judge to go all the way and win a major. I’m pleased with the way he plays. He has a strong mind and knows what he wants to do, which is very important. He’s quite happy not to have clothing or club sponsors, and I quite like that. Rory McIlroy, the young Irishman, is another to watch. I certainly hope he’ll be playing at Bay Hill in March.

This year’s PGA Championship is returning to Whistling Straits. Have you ever been there or played the course?

I’ve never played it or been there, so I couldn’t possibly comment on it. Even after watching it on television a few years ago, I don’t feel I know it well enough to pass any sort of judgment. I know the owner, Herb Kohler, and see him occasionally at social events. I know he’s a great golf enthusiast, but I’ve never played with him.

The U.S. Open will be back at Pebble Beach in June. What memories do you have of playing there, both in U.S.G.A. events and in the old Bing Crosby tournament?

I have played a lot there—in the Crosby Pro-Am as well as U.S. Opens—but I never won though I had chances a couple of times. Once I think I was leading or tied for the lead in the final round when I hit a 3-wood shot to the 14th green. My ball caught the two tall pines just to the right of the green and kicked out of bounds. That was a disaster and I lost the tournament because of that. That night there was a storm and the following morning, when I was driving away from Pebble Beach, I noticed these trees had blown down overnight, which served them right.

On another occasion, Jack Nicklaus made a par putt from 10ft on the 12th green at exactly the time that I missed a birdie putt from a shorter distance on the 15th, and that turned out to be the difference between us as I lost by one shot.

You have been heavily involved with recent changes to the course at Pebble Beach. Briefly, what changes did you make and why?

I’ve been working on the golf course quite a lot over the last few years and in particular we have changed some of the bunkering and moved a few tee positions. One of the ideas has been to strengthen the fairway bunkering on a number of holes to make players aim a little more towards the sea off the tee, to ask questions of their accuracy if you like. For example, we’ve put in more traps and trees at driver length on the right of the 18th fairway, and anyone who messes with those will most likely have to come out sideways with their second shots. Pebble Beach is always a test for the players, but I think it will be especially tough at the U.S. Open when the U.S.G.A. will do their usual job in growing up the rough.

Have you ever done any ocean game fishing? If so, did you enjoy it?

I’m not a big fisherman. I do some trout and fly fishing, and I occasionally venture out for salmon. I never did much fishing when I was growing up in and around Latrobe. We had a few streams, and they were mostly stocked with bass.

Given that most of the courses you’ve designed have adjoining properties, do you adopt a different approach when it comes to designing a course which has no residential dimension?

It’s always nice to do a course where you’re not obliged to design it for residential purposes. Laurel Valley, a course I designed in Pennsylvania, falls into this category—it has no residences on the course.

As a kid, Mike Weir, famously, wrote to Jack Nicklaus asking whether he should switch to being a right-hander. Nicklaus advised him to stay as he was. Do you think left handers enjoy any advantages over right handers on the golf course, or encounter any problems that right handers don’t?

I think some left-handers have a little advantage in that they seem to swing physically the same way every time and this helps them to play consistently at a high level for a lot longer. Bob Charles is a classic example of this. I’m convinced his longevity [as a player] is due to the fact that he’s left-handed.

Do you think Rio de Janeiro needs a specially built course to host the Olympic golf tournament in 2016 and would you be interested in designing it?

Yes, I would be very interested in designing it and they [the Brazilian Olympic organization] know I’m interested. We’ve already told them! They are definitely going to have to build a new course in order to host an Olympic golf tournament because they can’t really use any of the courses they’ve got at present. I’m hoping they’ll decide soon because it usually takes about three years to create a course from the start of the job to the opening. They will want this course to be open and playable well before 2016. I am already working in Brazil—on a course in Sao Paolo which should open in about a year’s time—so I know the country well.

How big an impact do you think Y-E Yang’s PGA Championship will have on golf in Asia?

It will have a huge effect and it’s a very good development within the game. Asia is going to be a major golfing Mecca in the not too distant future. China we all know about, but India is going to be big as well.

Did you ever imagine that countries like China, Brazil and Russia would be the future of golf course design?

Since I started out as a designer, I’ve been familiar with the international scene. I’ve been going to Japan for more than 40 years, since I designed the first of my 19 courses there. I currently have a couple of projects on the go in China, but also in Sao Paolo, as I’ve already mentioned, Moscow, Romania and Acapulco in Mexico.

The Dominican Republic is a wonderful place to visit and play golf. How much do you think this might be affected by the recent tragedy in Haiti?

The Haiti earthquake was a terrible tragedy, but even before that there was a huge contrast between Haiti and [its neighbor] the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is a very comfortable place with a nice way of life, with the exception of the hurricanes and tornadoes you occasionally get in the Caribbean.

Mr. Palmer’s grandson Sam Saunders is starting to make his way on the PGA Tour

During the build-up to this year’s Bob Hope Classic, you spent time on the range with your grandson Sam Saunders to help him prepare for his PGA Tour debut as a pro. What sort of things did you work on with him and what advice did you pass on?

I’m trying to help him develop his own style and stick with it. I’d say he’s doing pretty well but it’s a little early to assess the results. I’m his swing coach and we’ve been working quite hard together, but it’s not really about basics like grip or stance—more about his overall style of playing. Certainly playing here and in the AT&T Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in a few weeks’ time will give him invaluable experience.

The concept of a slam of four major golf championships had its origins in the mists of antiquity, but it took Arnold Palmer to provide it with a modern definition and, in so doing, inject some much-needed commercialism and vitality into a stagnating game

When the world's leading players assemble at St Andrews for the 150th anniversary of the British Open next July, they will in all probability be contesting a $10 million purse and pursuing a $1.5 million winner's check.

In terms of prize money, global status, media profile and course set-up, the 139th version of the world's oldest championship will be light years ahead of its 89th staging over the Old Course.

The only good thing the British Open had going for it in 1960 was that it was celebrating its centenary. As it proved, this was the allure that teased an entry out of a 30-year-old American who was rewriting golf's history books at a whirlwind rate. And it was not long before the British Open began to feel the benefit of his blast of stardust.

Arnold Palmer had won The Masters for a second time that April and followed up two months later with a thrilling, come-from-behind triumph in the U.S. Open at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colorado–as it turned out, his only victory in his own national championship.

At the time, the only 'grand slam' concept to have entered the sport's thinking was the annexing in one year of The Open and Amateur Championships of both the British Isles and the United States–a feat achieved just once, in 1930, by Bobby Jones and immediately dubbed by writer O.B. Keeler as 'an impregnable quadrilateral'.

As the professional game grew stronger, the two amateur championships took a back seat. The old slam had thus faded into sepia-tinted obscurity and nothing had been devised to replace it in the public consciousness by the time Palmer decided to make his first challenge for the Claret Jug.

After adding the first of his four Green Jackets in 1958 to the US Amateur Championship he won four years earlier at the Country Club of Detroit, Palmer was swiftly installed as the heir apparent to what had hitherto been regarded as the golden generation of American golf–spearheaded by Snead, Hogan and Nelson.

Each of these men was a star performer with a devoted public following, but none could claim with any conviction, even at the height of his fame and prowess, that he was financially made for life. Indeed, Byron Nelson had walked away from the PGA Tour having helped himself to 32 titles between 1944 and 1946 because he reckoned running a farm was a safer and more lucrative way of earning a living.

At the time there was some merit to that view. In the decade or so after World War II, professional golf struggled to shake off its image as something akin to a travelling circus. Titles fell in the main to the usual suspects and the feeling gradually developed that the game was stagnating.

Palmer's first win as a professional was in the 1955 Canadian Open and he claimed a further seven PGA Tour titles before that historic breakthrough victory at Augusta National. Like a meteor, he struck golf's firmament just as Jones had done almost two generations earlier.

In truth, though, it was not until Palmer boarded his transatlantic flight two summers later, in the company of golf journalist Bob Drum from the Pittsburgh Press, that the concept of a modern version of the grand slam began to crystallize.

"My desire to play in the Open in Britain went back to my days as a schoolboy golfer when I read newspaper accounts of top American players like Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen winning there," said Palmer. "I didn't think you could become a world-renowned player unless you participated internationally. With the British Open being the foremost and most prestigious championship in the world, I felt it was one I had to play."

At some stage on their journey–Palmer says it was "during our extended cocktail hour"–he and Drum started talking about Jones's slam and how it could never be repeated. It was then that Palmer revealed his hand: "What would be wrong with a professional grand slam comprising The Masters, both Opens and the PGA Championship?" he asked. Initially Drum was quizzical, but gradually the idea struck a chord with the veteran reporter.

The fact that he had won the first two of these major titles in 1960 was no doubt a motivating factor in Palmer's reasoning. They stopped off in Ireland so he could team up with Sam Snead at Portmarnock to win the Canada Cup [now known as the WGC-World Cup of Golf], and Drum started to spread the idea amongst the British journalists in the press tent.

Winnie and Arnold Palmer cradle the Claret Jug at Troon in 1962

When Palmer arrived in St Andrews to tackle the third leg of his self-defined quadrilateral, he was nearly washed away in a tidal wave of public support. "Everybody picked up on it [the grand slam idea] right away at St Andrews that year," he said. Thus Palmer's concept of the modern majors became popular reality even though, in truth, the fans were equally taken with his swashbuckling style and magnetic personality.

On this occasion, though, his trademark final-round charge was not quite enough to dislodge the 54-hole leader, Kel Nagle, and Palmer came up one stroke shy of the Australian.

But his love affair with the British Open had permanence and he duly lifted the Claret Jug at Birkdale the following year and successfully defended it at Troon in 1962. Both courses received the Royal assent shortly afterwards, and the British crowds loved him: his style, the way he hitched his pants, the way his powerful swing ended in a signature flourish and, most of all, the way he played. Palmer always went for the pin and fans could identify with that. Suddenly, Arnie's Army had troops in a foreign field.

Mr. Palmer waves to the galleries from the Swilcan Bridge 15 years ago on his final British Open appearance over the Old Course

He also found himself a Scottish sergeant at arms in the shape of gnarled St Andrews caddie Tip Anderson, who played Sancha Panza to his Don Quixote for most of his Open tilts.

"He was invaluable on the Old Course. If I'd putted a little better, I would have won that first Open, but Tip was certainly the key to my playing well there," Palmer recalls. "The only times I chose not to take his advice was when he wanted me to lay up and that wasn't an inclination in my repertoire.

"He was also very good at Birkdale and Troon. He knew those courses very well. That was extremely important to me."

Strangely, Palmer was never again a serious contender at the British Open, his best subsequent finishes being an eighth and tie for seventh at Muirfield (in 1966 and 1972) and seventh on his own at Turnberry in 1977.

Appropriately, he bade an emotional farewell to playing in the event from the Swilcan Bridge in 1995 and has not returned since. But he refuses to rule out the possibility of a sentimental visit at some stage. The most fitting time, surely, would be this year at St Andrews where his odyssey began half a century ago. After all, not only did he twice embrace the Claret Jug, he also gave the British Open as a whole the kiss of life.

Ironically, Palmer never completed his own personal grand slam because his best finish in the PGA Championship turned out to be three second places. Instead, he saw his Big Three rivals Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, and more recently Tiger Woods, add their names to that of Gene Sarazen as the only men to have achieved the feat.

So does he still believe, nearly half a century later, that The Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA remain the game's four true majors, a grand slam to stand the test of time? "They stand above all the rest." To this very day, so does he.

The Arnold Palmer Design Company stays on the road with a host of top projects around the world

It wasn’t that many years ago that golf was regarded as a distinctly Western—even a specifically European—sport. No more. Golf is now the world’s game, and the Arnold Palmer Design Company is leading the way in making sure everyone has a place to play.

To that end, APDC has built more than 300 courses in nearly 30 countries around the planet, pioneering the game in the Far East and setting the world standard for what defines a top quality golf experience. That tradition, established nearly 40 years ago, continues today with projects ongoing in South America, China, Cambodia and elsewhere. Time was you only needed a driver’s license and a set of clubs. In the modern game, you’d better have a passport in your bag if you’re going to visit any of the following international offerings from Arnie and his excellent team at APDC.

APDC architect Thad Layton's winning design for the Lido Competition

Home
APDC Executive Vice President and Senior Architect Erik Larsen is set to become president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects after being elected at the organization’s recent meeting. The long-time ASGCA member and current treasurer will be taking the prestigious position once held by Ed Seay, whom he counts as a mentor, and also by Robert Trent Jones and Pete Dye, among others. Larsen plans to promote the “value of the golf course” as a recreational, social and economic amenity.

Also in the spirit of awards and accolades, APDC architect Thad Layton has been picked to judge the 2010 Lido Competition, a prominent golf design contest. Co-sponsored by Golf World and the Alister MacKenzie Society, the competition awards the designer whose hand-drawn entry best utilizes MacKenzie’s design philosophy within the confines of a two-shot par–4. The Lido is based on a magazine design contest MacKenzie won in 1914. His winning hole, a par–4 with triple avenues of play, was later constructed by contest founder C.B. Macdonald on his Lido Golf Club on Long Island, NY. Sadly, the course, and hole, did not survive World War II. Layton, the 2003 Lido Prize winner, is an excellent choice to judge this year’s entries.

The APDC-designed Rivers Edge Golf Club in Myrtle Beach, SC, celebrated its 10th anniversary last September with improvements to the greens and a heartfelt pat on the back from Mr. Palmer himself.

“All of us at Arnold Palmer Design congratulate Rivers Edge on their 10th anniversary,” offered the King. Greens have been transitioned to the environmentally friendly SeaDwarf® Seashore Paspalum turfgrass, a grass APDC has utilized with success at other courses, Palmer says.

“All the courses that we have designed that use paspalum grass are very pleased with the results and we think everyone at Rivers Edge will enjoy the new greens.”

South
Moving south from Myrtle Beach—way south—APDC architect Eric Wiltse has been working on a course near São Paolo, Brazil, called Fazenda Boa Vista. The site, which will feature 18 holes from APDC, reminds Wiltse of the rolling hills of Kentucky and is simply beautiful, he says. Look for more golf in Brazil, with the sport returning to the Olympics in Rio in 2016. Not content to stay in the land of girls from Ipanema, Wiltse is also working on a course in Uruguay. Named “Las Piedras” for its boulder-strewn landscape, this project near Punta del Este will feature rolling hills, beautiful views and a storied atmosphere. Larsen says the project represents authentic golf with minimal impact and a complete sense of respect for both the game and the environment.

“It’s core golf.,” he says. “There’s very little earth movement, wild flowers and native grasses can grow easily and will remain as features of the course. The best word for it: Authentic.”

East
Some 25 years after building the first golf course in China, APDC is continuing to create that country’s premiere golf venues—and the latest have been exquisite indeed. Beijing welcomed the amazing Beijing Cascades from APDC in 2007, and since then the rest of the country is moving to host their own APDC clubs. Future clubs, like a project at Huizhou that would offer views of Hong Kong, are in the works, while The Golf Club at Kunming is likely within a year of opening and should be one the most beautiful anywhere. People with vertigo should be warned: Kunming’s latest gem is going to feature some serious elevation changes. The beautiful lake below should distract from any issues with heights, but craggy cliffs and forced carries might add to the stress a bit.

Brandon Johnson, the APDC architect who’s been working on the project since the start, says numbers 12 and 14 are especially challenging.

“There are big ravines in front of them and it’s dramatic,” he says. “There’s room for error but, yeah, if you miss it there, wide in the right spot, you fall off into oblivion.”

APDC architect David Couch isn’t having the same issues with his project, also in Kunming. While the inspirationally named Chinese Entrepreneur Home Golf Club doesn’t offer the dramatic changes in elevation of its neighbor, it does feature a freshwater lake nearly five miles in length. And with 27 holes, there will be plenty of challenging golf for all.

Yet one more APDC course under way in China, Panda Valley Golf Course should be a stunner. Just 45 minutes from Chengdu, it offers unique mountain play, a fast-moving river and incredible views. Layton, who’s working on the project, explains: “Usually mountains are arranged such that they form ridge lines that connect.” In contrast, he says, “These look like they’re dropped out of the sky… Independent mountains, thousands of feet high.”

Its name comes from its proximity to a panda reserve, near 50 miles away. Incorporating terraced slopes that have held kiwi, rice and other crops, the project is part of a local rebuilding effort following a massive quake two years ago.

Not far from China, Johnson is also continuing work on a project from Cambodia’s Sokimex development group. Construction on the 18-hole wonder should begin this year, and they’re hoping to get a few basics completed before the rainy season kicks off. The incredible downpours Southeast Asia experiences between May and October are followed by severe dry weather, making course maintenance a bit of a headache. However, the fantastic natural beauty makes all efforts worthwhile.

“We took cues from the existing natural jungle terrain,” Johnson says. Because of the thick jungle (chasing balls will be a daunting experience), “There’s big, bold movement in the fairways that will allow people to play, and a lot of strategy around that, too, because your angle of approach could be better from one side of the fairway versus another.” Set on the edge of a national park, and with planned hotels, a casino and entertainment, look for this to be most impressive.

Onward
As engaged as APDC is around the world, there’s more to come. In the meantime, APDC is also getting creative at home. In addition to updating existing designs, the company is moving forward with plans to refit and reposition distressed golf courses currently without stable financial foundations. Bank-held properties that could be viable investments have the potential to benefit from APDC’s design and business expertise. “It’s a response to the economic condition in the U.S.,” says Larsen, explaining that the new effort has the potential to help banks clear their books while also giving communities positive recreational possibilities.

With forward thinking at home and ongoing interest from Mexico, China, South Africa, South America, Russia, India and other locations abroad, the architects at APDC will be busy for a long time coming up with fantastic new projects. We’ll be right there behind them, passports and driver’s licenses up to date, ready to travel as far or near as needed to play their great designs.

“Chris, we’ve got to go out to firestone this weekend and watch this young man named Palmer,” my father said to me. “He has a heck of a swing and can hit the ball a mile! He’ll probably even win this weekend.”

That was 1964 and I was 14 years old. I remember standing alongside my dad on the 16th fairway, a monster of a hole, at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. We watched Mr. Palmer lash at the ball, and hit his drive further than anyone else that day.

After the tournament, we went to the clubhouse, where my mom happened to be employed waiting tables. Shortly thereafter, the players started to arrive. One by one they began to file into the club. Mr. Palmer arrived and my mom went to take his order. As they were talking, I saw him give her a hug. He did that because her name was “Birdie”.

History
The late 1950s and early 1960s witnessed Arnold Palmer making professional golf his own personal showcase. Winning seven majors in six years, he was well on his way to legendary status. As his popularity rose, so did his fan base, which became known as Arnie’s Army Not only did people want to golf like Arnold Palmer, but they wished to model their lives on their hero too. This included drinking the beverages he ordered.

One evening after a long day of designing a course in Palm Springs during the 1960s, Arnold Palmer stepped up to a bar and asked the bartender for a mixture of lemonade and iced tea. A woman sitting next to him overheard what he ordered and told the bartender, “I’ll have that Palmer drink.” From that moment on, this refreshing lemonade-iced tea beverage became known as an “Arnold Palmer,” and its name gradually spread throughout the golfing world and beyond into mainstream America.

Living the dream
Fast forward to 2001. My family and I were now living near Bay Hill Lodge & Club. I was playing a lot of golf. And, by now, I’ve ordered a lot of “Arnold Palmers.” There were many times over the years I wondered about packaging this iced tea-lemonade mix. Over time, the idea began to take shape. During a golf outing rain delay, I shared my idea with my food and beverage industry associates Charley Beck and Mark Dowey. With a golf course as our backdrop, and as I sipped on an Arnold Palmer, we formulated the business plan that would become Arnold Palmer Tea.

We worked with our design team to develop the visuals and our flavor house to develop a great tasting formula. The original concepts took the famous Palmer umbrella and replaced it with a lemon wedge skewered by a golf tea. Our cartons were bright blue, making them like no other currently in the grocery aisle. And, of course, Arnold Palmer’s image was prominently displayed.

The brand was developed and the prototypes were made. Now we had to sell Mr. Palmer.

I was granted a meeting for the Monday morning after the 2001 Bay Hill Invitational—now the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The place was abuzz, as Tiger Woods had won the tournament for the second year in a row. I was meeting with Mr. Palmer and IMG executive Alastair Johnston. I arrived with a business plan under my arm and some samples in my hands. It was the biggest presentation of my life, and it was raining.

Mr. Johnston and I met first, then Mr. Palmer was brought into the room. He shook hands with me and said, “young man, I understand you have something very interesting for me.” And with that, Mr. Palmer was briefed on our plan, and given samples to try. The meeting ended with Mr. Palmer saying, “let’s get this done.” We shook hands and left. Two months later the contracts were signed and the real work began.

We formed our management company, Innovative Flavors LLC. Our plan was built around the idea that we could license dairies and tea manufacturers throughout the country to process and package the product under strict quality assurance guidelines, and market the product using the Arnold Palmer name and images. In return, Innovative Flavors would provide the formula and the ingredients to sell to the dairies and/or the iced tea manufacturers, creating a revenue stream to pay royalties to Arnold Palmer Enterprises. Our goal was to sell Arnold Palmers in every convenience store, supermarket, golf club and restaurant around the world.

We started first with the refrigerated product marketed to dairies—where Charley, Mark and I all had connections. Soon there were half-gallon containers of our Arnold Palmer Tea in grocery stores from California to Connecticut. Everything was moving along nicely. Shortly thereafter, we received an inquiry from the Arizona Iced Tea Co. Arizona was interested in producing a shelf-stable version of the tea and selling it through their distribution channels.

The next year resulted in about a half-dozen dairies being licensed and producing the refrigerated version in half-gallon containers. We were on our way.

Tea time is happy hour for Arnold Palmer and Chris Byrd

Today
One of the largest dairy processors is Heartland Farms in the Los Angeles/southern California market. Today, Arnold Palmer Tea is the number one refrigerated iced tea drink in that market, selling in most, if not all, the supermarket chains in southern California.

The agreement with Arizona Beverages started with the licensing and manufacturing of the shelf stable, 23-ounce commemorative can. Currently, Arizona is close to a billion-dollar, privately held company and the marketer of the nation’s number one ready-to-drink tea. But back in 2001, we were a much smaller entity and readily admit we were merely guessing (based on our enthusiasm) the product might see some success. Good guess.

Arizona has experienced multiple years of 100 percent growth in the line of Arnold Palmer beverages, with an estimated wholesale value of annual sales approaching $50 million. They also sell to stores in Asia, Europe, South Africa, Mexico, Canada and South America. The line now consists of the original flavor (made from five select black tea blends and a lemon extract), along with Green Tea/Lemonade products as well as a Pomegranate/Black Tea version.

Packaging ranges from 12-ounce cans in refrigerated 12-packs, 23-ounce cans, 20-ounce plastic golf ball shape bottles, 34-ounce bottles, 42-ounce bottles, 64-ounce and gallon jugs, as well as the newer mix sticks for mixing into a bottle of water.

The line is, by far, the fasted growing iced tea flavor in America and is expanding from a niche drink to a mainstream beverage.

As of June 2009, Arizona’s Arnold Palmer Teas were the fastest growing ready-to-drink iced tea brands in the country.

Conclusion
When we started Arnold Palmer Tea, I was at a point in my life where my food career was peaking and I needed something new on which to focus, keep me busy and support me in retirement. Well it’s certainly done that, and more!

At lunch a few weeks ago at a Manhattan barbecue joint, my buddy ordered iced tea and lemonade mixed. “You mean an Arnold Palmer,” our young waitress said. When she returned with the drink, I asked her on a hunch if she knew who Arnold Palmer was. “I didn’t know it was a person, I thought it was just a name for iced tea and lemonade,” she replied.

Mr. Palmer has been such a deeply imbedded part of American culture for so long that it’s not surprising some people—especially, those too young to have known him as a golfer—mistake him for a product rather than a person.

In my case, I have spent my whole life watching Mr. Palmer. I lived in a neighborhood close to Bay Hill, his winter home. My children attended school with his grandchildren. I was a huge golf enthusiast, and had ordered many an Arnold Palmer in restaurants. To think all this could come together as one of the greatest tea brands ever is, to me, simply amazing.

I also get the feeling that somehow Mr. Palmer knew it would work and was not as surprised as the rest of us involved. Consumers of all ages love the beverage. College students collect the cans and stack them on the walls. Golfers revive their senses on hot days on the course. Families enjoy it from the gallon jugs while dining on their decks and patios. The drink has a Facebook page with more than 65,000 friends. And soon, Arizona will announce the launch of the Arnold Palmer KidZ line in 10-ounce containers with some of the proceeds, appropriately, going to support the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

It keeps getting bigger, and it keeps getting better.