Tales from the Ranks: Archives
February 18, 2007
My Meeting with 'Uncle' Arnie
Larry Bohannan
The Desert Sun
Arnold Palmer opens the door of his home and is kind of surprised to see a visitor standing there.
"Most people just walk in," Palmer said, completely serious but with a twinkle in his eye that lets you know you really are supposed to just walk into the Palmer household at Tradition Golf Club in La Quinta. You find yourself hoping you haven't insulted him by knocking on his door before entering.
It's that kind of familiarity that has made Palmer more than just a successful golfer for a couple of generations of golf fans. Palmer is your favorite uncle, the one you actually want to come over for Thanksgiving dinner. He's your next-door neighbor, the one you invite over for barbecues and who lends you his lawn mower.
Sitting in the main room of Palmer's modest home at Tradition, just a short walk from the main clubhouse of the project, it's impossible to know that you're in the home of one of the sport's most successful and recognizable players. The room has no visible signs that Palmer won four majors, 62 PGA Tour events or five Bob Hope Chrysler Classics. On a hutch just behind the dining table is the only real acknowledgement of Palmer's profession. It's a frame containing separate pictures of Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gray Player with an engraved plate proclaiming "The Big Three."
Besides those pictures, it could be anyone's house.
Palmer is dressed in a pink golf sweater featuring a small logo of Tradition Golf Club on the front. That logo is a silhouette of Palmer in his characteristic high follow through, and you can't help but think this is one of the few men in the world who can wear clothing with his own likeness on it. Seriously, who else can get away with that? Rappers? Ralph Lauren?
As Palmer talks freely about his time as the game's most popular and in-demand player, he constantly squeezes rubber doughnuts designed to strengthen his famously strong hands and forearms. Occasionally he'll run a hand through his silver hair, one of the signs that Palmer truly is 77 and that his playing days, at least in official tour events, really is over.
Palmer offers you a beer, water, anything you need. He weaves the offer effortlessly between stories of the road, of driving from tournament to tournament, of looking puzzled as he recalls having never played in the South African Open.
He talks of how this is his last full day in the desert for the season. He'll be off to his home at Bay Hill, outside of Orlando, Fla., where in a few weeks the PGA Tour event he has shepherded through the last two decades will debut with a new name - the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
As you leave, Palmer shakes your hand, because part of Palmer's very being is shaking your hand, looking you in the eye and calling you by your name. He tells you to come to the Orlando tournament sometime.
And you hope you aren't insulting him by not booking a flight for Orlando right away.
Posted by scurry at 05:25 PM
March 20, 2006
Father's Greatest Round of Golf
Mr. Palmer, my name is Matt Welter. About eight years ago you gave my father a memory he will never forget. He was given the opportunity he had always dreamed of and that was being able to play Latrobe. He was there with a friend for a business outing. My dad had always considered you the greatest golfer of all time and is your biggest fan.
When he was playing the round he was driving up to the 18th and noticed a cart was already there. He pulled up and it was you, standing on the 18th tee, looking over the course. He always tells me about how he scalded a ball because he was so nervous in front of you but you told him that you could tell that wasn't his best hit because he was so nervous. The funny thing is that he was with a big goofy guy who is pretty bad and he hit the ball of his life and never lets my dad live it down. Anyways, you all chatted for a while and eventually they played on.
A few weeks later my dad received a picture that had been autographed by you and he charishes that moment and that picture unlike anything I have ever seen. I just want to thank you for being such a great guy and for accidently fulfilling one of my father's life long dreams of meeting THE man, Arnold Palmer. And by the way, I am addicted to the Arnold Palmer drink from Arizona tea. That is the best drink I have ever had and it keeps me going out on the links. Matthew Welter
Posted by scurry at 03:25 PM
February 02, 2006
A Legendary Sidetrip
Last summer, on the way back from Washington D.C. to Buffalo , New York, I decided to take a little sidetrip. I had read that Arnold Palmer spends his summers in Latrobe, Pa. I knew all about Latrobe from reading several books about Mr. Palmer. My wife and two daughters were with me as we drove up the drive to beautiful Latrobe Country Club. They waited in the car as I walked over to the Pro Shop. On the way to the Pro Shop I saw a golf cart next to the main building. There were two sets of Callaway Golf Clubs in Arnold Palmer golf bags. I said "He must be here." I bought a Latrobe Country Club golf ball and hat. I asked the Assistant Pro if Mr. Palmer was on the grounds and he said yes. He said he will probably be coming out of the restaurant shortly, but don't tell him I told you. I waited near his cart anxiously. After about ten minutes Arnold Palmer emerged by himself and started to get into his cart. I was about ten yards away. I wasn't sure what to do. I figured it's now or never. I said excuse me Mr. Palmer, as I walked toward him. I think I surprised him a little bit. I shook his hand told him what a great fan I was since I was young and that my father was born and recently buried in Brockway, Pa. He said he knew where it was . I did most of the talking, probably a little nervously. He looked great,fit and was very nice. I asked him if he would autograph the hat personally that I bought in the Pro Shop and he took out his Sharpy and wrote on my visor. "To Steve, Best Wishes, Arnold Palmer". We shook hands and he drove off in his cart. I couldn't believe I just met Arnold Palmer one on one at Latrobe Country Club. My feet never left the ground as I walked back to the van. My wife said I had one huge grin and she knew before I told her that I had met Arnold Palmer. I got into the van and showed my cap. What a side trip, what a day.
Posted by scurry at 01:53 AM
January 04, 2006
Memories of a Lifetime
My name is Bill Lucas, probably better known to Mr. Palmer as "The Hat Guy" he met at the pairings drawing dinner. Yes, I was the "redneck" from Kentucky who got caught by "The King" himself wearing my golf hat inside the Bay Hill Club!! Although after being told the rules (no hats) by Mr. Palmer himself, it turned out that I had the opportunity to meet him and share a few unforgettable moments speaking with him about our wonderful experience while at Bay Hill. Not only did I get to meet him, I also had the ultimate golfers dream experience of playing in the '05 Bay Hill Invitational with Brad Faxon. I have to admit that I don't remember much about playing that day due to the fact that I must have looked like a "deer in the headlights" trying to take in every moment. I do recall praying to God that I didn't kill anyone on the first tee thank God!!
The week spent at Bay Hill was made even more special because I got to share it with my best friend, my step-dad Charles Vanover. Just to see the look on his face while I was being announced was a priceless memory, and for him to meet Mr. Palmer was a memory we both will share for the rest of our lives. From my very first plane ride from Ky. to Bay Hill, to the gifts I received, to the lessons at the Palmer Academy, playing on "golf's version of heaven" Bay Hill, sharing a day with Brad Faxon, and getting to see Mr. Palmer himself play, these are memories I will cherish for a lifetime. In fact, I actually have a "mini-shrine" in my golf room that holds all the memento's I received. All of this was made possible by our medical supplies company here in Ky. winning the national promotion put on by Invacare.
Sadly, although we had made plans to bring along my mother and my wife this year, we did not qualify this year to be able to share this "dream" with them again. But with that said, I just wanted to thank Mr. Palmer, and the entire staff at Bay Hill for giving us a memory that most golfers only dream about. I will never forget this and will have this to share one day with my grand-kids, although I'm sure the stories will grow "a little" by then.
Again, thank you for everything, and we hope to see you again.
Thank You Mr. Palmer, you truly are "The King"!
Merry Christmas
Sincerely,
Bill Lucas
"The Hat Guy"
Posted by scurry at 11:59 AM
September 15, 2005
A young little boy (Caddy) who met the BIG GUY...
It was the summer of 1960, and I was 11 yrs old and a caddy at Madison Golf & Country Club, in Madison, Ohio. My older brother was a caddy too and a good golfer, so he and his buddy got tickets to watch ARNOLD PALMER golf an exibition with two of our members and our club pro. I told him I was going to caddy that morning and see if I could see Mr. Palmer before leaving for the day.
Well after I caddied my morning round a friend of mine (Gary, the brother of our Club Pro) asked me if I wanted to help him caddy for Arnie.
Now I was about 4ft.5in., a freckle-faced, bucked-teethed boy with a polo-shirt and jeans, who thought that, next to Mickey Mantle, and my Dad, Arnold Palmer was the biggest thing in the world! Gary told me that I would need to do little things for him - like clean a golf ball or two, get water for him - things like that. So I said sure!!
The next thing I knew I was standing next to Arnold Palmers golf bag, that was almost as big as me, watchig them tee-off on the first hole. There was a creek that ran across the first fairway and I had never seen anyone drive their ball over the creek, but Mr. Palmer did it! So, after they had all driven their shots, they started walking down the fairway and so did I. In fact I was walking right next to ARNOLD PALMER! I looked up at him and said "Wow, I never saw someone drive over that creek!" And he looked down at me and just started to talk to me like I was a regular person.. Like we were friends.. (I get tears in my eyes when I think of that moment in my life.) He was warm and human. He made me feel like I had never felt before. This little kid, who was just a caddy, and not even his caddy (just a helper), and we were walking down the first fairway, with all of these people on both sides, and me and Arnold Palmer were just talking to each other.
Now there was the rest of the 18 holes to go and he made alot of good shots, but the one on the 14th hole, where he was behind a tree and told the crowd that he would try to shoot the ball through an opening in the tree to the green was the one I will always remember. He did what he said, but as the ball went through the opening of leaves it knicked a branch and landed about three feet from the hole.. I asked him if he planned to knick the branch and he winced with his eyes tight and and chuckled (meaning he had almost goofed). I understood exactly what that meant. I will never forget that day...
I always wanted to tell Mr. Palmer about what that day meant to me, so I hope he will get a chance to read this note. (Now I am now almost 57 Yrs old and only 5ft.7in.) But he made me feel like a big guy that day.
Thanks Mr. Palmer!...
Tom Lilly,
Posted by scurry at 08:06 PM
September 01, 2005
I Named My Child Palmer!
Not that I'm obsessed with golf, but I have 2 young boys and have named them Nicklaus and Palmer. I always thought it would be great for the kids to have an autograph of each of the players for when they get older. So a couple of years ago Arnie was playing in the Cincinnati area at a course he designed, the TPC at Riverbend. The Kroger Classic. So I watched and tried to figure out how to get his attention. I have never gotten an autograph from anyone before so I didn't really know how to go about it. I finally saw a spot where all the players carts parked on this particular hole (#9), and decided that I would sit there and wait until Arnie finished the hole and was getting in his cart and ask him to autograph a picture for my son Palmer. Well as luck would have it, it wasn't one of Arnie's better holes. He had put one in the water and had 3-putted to make things worse. I could see steam coming out of his ears as he walked toward me and the cart. He flopped down in the seat and looked right at me and said "I wonder if I can just quit right now?" I replied, "No sir, there are still 9 holes left!" He looked at his caddie and said "lets get on to number 10 then!" I didn't have the heart to ask him to sign the photo after the bad hole, but enjoyed the chance to talk to him personally, if only in passing. He showed his sense of humor even when he was having a bad day! I guess that's why he is the fan favorite! I am proud to have my 2 year old named after him, and maybe someday will figure out a way for them to meet or at least get that photo signed!
Posted by scurry at 05:50 PM