No, we’re not talking about Oakmont C.C., site of the 2007 U.S. Open. Oakmont’s tee sheet that week is, of course, booked by the world’s top golfers striving to make their mark on a course whose name reverberates through golf history as one of the game’s most hallowed sites.
But just an hour east down the Pennsylvania Turnpike is another legendary golf name that is welcoming golf pilgrims from around the world.
The course is Arnold Palmer’s Latrobe Country Club.
“We get calls from people all over who are amazed that they can be our guest for a day at Latrobe,” says Randy Bisi, the man who holds the head pro position once occupied by Deacon Palmer, the man who taught Arnold Palmer how to golf.
While the club’s primary responsibility will always be to respect the priorities of its valued members, the club will work with guests to ensure that those interested in playing will be given the member sponsorship necessary to secure tee times, according to Jerry Palmer, Latrobe Country Club General Manager. “We have a magnificent golf course and we’re very proud of it. We want people who’ve always dreamed of playing Latrobe to have the opportunity to do so all summer long. We understand how much this means a lot to golfers all over the world and we want them to have the chance to enjoy the club the way we and the members do every day.”
The club has four finely appointed guest houses on property for visitors to stay overnight. Bisi says those accommodations are booked through Open week, but good tee times are available. “Even on days when we’re crowded, there are still tee times available after 4 p.m.,” he says. “Golfers could enjoy Oakmont in the morning, drive to Latrobe, and still have plenty of summer sunshine left to play a round at the club where Mr. Palmer learned the game.”
And, make no mistake, it’s no exaggeration to say that the name Latrobe resonates with golfers just as much as St. Andrews.
“A man who’d never heard the history of golf described it as, ‘A game invented by Arnold Palmer up in Pennsylvania where you make a long putt on the last hole and win a lot of money.’”
That’s what tournament organizer Gene Hallman told reporters in 1993 after Palmer’s presence at the Bruno’s Memorial Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, resulted in a 15 percent surge in ticket sales.
Reached today, Hallman says he remembers talking with a local reporter when the quote came off the top of his head, but that the essential truth of the statement still stands.
“Oh, absolutely,” he says. “Arnold Palmer’s the most enduringly popular athlete of all time and to a lot of people -- even non-golfers -- the name Latrobe ranks right up there with St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and Augusta.”
The difference between those places in general and St. Andrews in particular is that Latrobe is an eight hour drive from 40 percent of the U.S. population and that you can play it for about the same as it would cost to park your car at an international airport for the days it would require to fly to Scotland and play a couple days of golf.
Oh, and there’s one other difference: Latrobe has Arnold Palmer.
“It’s not just his trophies and memorabilia you see here at the club, a lot of times you see Mr. Palmer,” Bisi says. “He’s here almost all summer. He’s on the course, he’s in the grille room, he’s on the putting green. To walk in his footsteps is a thrill to a lot of golfers who grew up idolizing him, but to have him walk up, smile and shake your hand and welcome you to Latrobe Country Club is as good as it’s ever gets for many golf fans. It’s something they’ll never forget.”
To arrange tee times and accommodations and member sponsorship throughout the year, contact the pro shop at Latrobe C.C., 724-539-8588 or visit www.latrobecountryclub.com.