Arnold Palmer News: Archives
« September 2006 |
Main
| November 2006 »
October 16, 2006
"It's Time" -- Palmer Ends Tournament Career
Arnold Palmer declared that "it's time" to bow out of individual tournament golf after withdrawing from the Administaff Small Business Classic on Friday, October 13, in Houston, Texas, ending a competitive career that began in Western Pennsylvania when he was a high school amateur in the late 1940s.
"Right now, I have no thoughts of playing any more tournament golf," said the 77-year-old Palmer, who has played professionally since giving up his amateur status on November 18, 1954. "I'll play some father-son and skins game events, some charity events, and that's it."
It was not an easy decision for him, even though he had been drastically cutting back his tournament schedule in recent years and had played only one earlier tour event this season (Constellation Energy Classic in Baltimore.) He was emotional as he talked about it after, his body aching, he hit two balls in the water at the fourth hole in the Administaff tournament's opening round, stopped keeping score and accompanied playing partners Lee Trevino and John Mahaffey the rest of the way.
"To know it's really over, that's tough," he said. "It's been my life. To stand out there and not be able to make something happen is very traumatic. When the people all want to see a good shot, you know it and you can't give it to them, that's when it's time."
The legendary Hall-of-Famer never used the word, retirement. Not only will he play occasionally, as he mentioned, in team and charity events and casual golf with his friends and associates, he will remain fully active in business. Particularly with his Arnold Palmer Design Company, which has been involved with nearly 300 projects in its 35-year history and has just moved into new quarters at his Bay Hill Club in Orlando, Florida.
"I'm going to concentrate on designing and building golf courses now and really spend a lot of time doing that. That's going to be my major passion now. I have a great crew and I am going to spend a lot of my time with them."
For the record, Palmer completes his career with 92 professional victories, posted between the Canadian Open in 1955 and the Crestar Classic on the Champions (Senior PGA) Tour in 1988, and a host of amateur titles, most notably the 1954 U.S. Amateur Championship.
He won four Masters (1958-60-62-64), two British Opens (1961-62) and the 1960 U.S. Open on the PGA Tour and two Senior PGA Championships (1980-84), two Senior Players Championships (1984-85) and the U.S. Senior Open (l981) on the Champions Tour.
Posted by dgiffin at 03:29 PM
October 13, 2006
ADMINISTAFF SIGNS ARNOLD PALMER TO LIFETIME ENDORSEMENT CONTRACT AS NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON
HOUSTON – Oct. 13, 2006 – Administaff, Inc. (NYSE: ASF), a leading provider of human resources (HR) services for small and medium-sized businesses, today announced that it has extended its endorsement contract with golf legend and small business owner Arnold Palmer.
Palmer, who has been the Administaff spokesperson since 2004, will continue to be the face of the brand through the company’s unique, multifaceted marketing program.
“Administaff and Arnold have proven to be a great team, and we’re delighted that this winning combination will continue for many years to come,” said Paul J. Sarvadi, chairman and chief executive officer of Administaff.
“I am proud to continue my association with Administaff, both as a spokesperson and as a client,” said Palmer. “My involvement with the company was an easy decision due to our shared values and beliefs.”
The contract was finalized during the Administaff Small Business Classic™, a PGA Champions Tour event in which Arnold Palmer is participating as one of an elite field of champion golfers.
About Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer is one of the best-known sportsmen and small business owners in the world today. As a professional golfer, he has won 92 national and international championships – 61 of them
on the U.S. Tour. His golf titles include four Masters, two British Opens and the 1960 U.S. Open. He also has represented the United States seven times in the Ryder Cup Matches as either a player or captain. He was recognized for his achievements in an Associated Press poll as the “Athlete of the Decade” for the 1960’s. During his illustrious career, Palmer has received virtually every national award in golf as well as the Hickok Athlete of the Year and Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in 1960. Palmer is president of Arnold Palmer Enterprises, a multi-division structure encompassing much of his global commercial activity that is centered in Cleveland. He has been involved in automobile and aviation service firms over the years and still is the principal owner of Arnold Palmer Motors (http://www.arnoldpalmermotors.com), an automobile dealership in his hometown of Latrobe, Penn. In addition, Palmer owns two country clubs, Latrobe Country Club and Bay Hill Country Club (http://www.bayhill.com) as well as a golf course design business (http://www.palmerdesign.com). For more information on Arnold Palmer visit http://www.arnoldpalmer.com.
About Administaff
Administaff is the nation’s leading professional employer organization (PEO), serving as a full-service human resources department that provides small and medium-sized businesses with administrative relief, big-company benefits, reduced liabilities and a systematic way to improve productivity. The company operates 41 sales offices in 22 major markets. For additional information, visit Administaff's Web site at http://www.administaff.com.
Posted by scurry at 05:36 PM
October 09, 2006
STONEHOUSE PUBLISHING INKS LICENSING DEAL WITH THE “KING”
World Class Panoramic Golf Course Photographer Patrick Drickey to Immortalize ‘Arnie’s Greatest Moments and Greatest Course Designs”
Omaha, NE —Stonehouse Publishing Company announced today that it has become an official licensee of Arnold Palmer Enterprises and, as such, will create a signature line of prints commemorating the King’s greatest moments in golf. In addition, Stonehouse will have the right to use Palmer’s authentic and lithograph signature and brand logos on prints featuring courses such as Bay Hill, Pebble Beach and Latrobe County Club.
Stonehouse will create a series of prints utilizing its trademark panoramic golf course photography to capture Palmer’s major championship victories at the Open Championship, U.S. Open and PGA Championship venues. Great courses such as Cherry Hills, Royal Birkdale and Royal Troon will be spotlighted in the collection. The prints will be available on www.stonehousegolf.com, www.arnoldpalmer.com and through select On and Off Course golf retailers.
“It is an honor to develop a line of Stonehouse prints that celebrates a legend the likes of Arnold Palmer, and we are thrilled to be working with him and his team” said David Vogrin, President of Stonehouse Publishing. “We are confident the Palmer series will rekindle memories of Arnold’s triumphs with members of his Army, and create an interest with younger fans that did not have the chance to witness one of golf’s most exciting players firsthand.”
The newly executed deal is for the period of three years, and Stonehouse expects to release the first of the Palmer series on November 1st in time for the 2006 holiday season.
To check out the entire Stonehouse portfolio, visit www.stonehousegolf.com. Stonehouse panoramic golf course prints range in size and price from the 9” x 15” framed Miniature Edition, available for a suggested retail price of $45.00, to the 30” x 50” framed Ltd. Edition bearing Mr. Palmer’s authentic signature for a suggested retail price of $1,999.99. For more information on Arnold Palmer’s businesses visit www.arnoldpalmer.com.
About Stonehouse Publishing, Co.
Based in Omaha, Nebraska, Stonehouse Publishing, Co. was founded in 1995 by Photographer Patrick Drickey to deliver “the fine art of golf” to consumers. Stonehouse Publishing goes to great lengths to ensure that each of its panoramic images of the finest golf holes in the world are shot in the perfect light and from the golfer’s perspective. All of the Stonehouse Publishing prints are printed and assembled by hand in the United States. To view the Stonehouse collection first-hand and for more information on the company, visit www.stonehousegolf.com.
About Patrick Drickey
Patrick Drickey is a Pioneer of Panoramic Golf Course Photography and his portfolio includes images from the world's great destination and championship courses, including Whistling Straits, Pebble Beach, Pinehurst and many others. His panoramic format is ideally suited for vividly capturing the scope and breadth of a golf course and his 25 years of experience as an architectural and landscape photographer apply well as a golf course artist. While capturing light and landscape is important, Patrick’s attention to the reproduction of each image is unsurpassed. He personally oversees the preparation of every fine art lithograph and collector watercolor rendition. These reproduction processes are very rare and far more costly than usual photographic reproductions that are mass-produced, but the results are self-evident. Patrick is the founder of Stonehouse Publishing, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.
Posted by scurry at 02:07 PM