Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmeris a retired American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in professional golf history. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955. Nicknamed "The King", he is one of golf's most popular stars and its most important trailblazer, because he was the first superstar of the sport's television age, which began in the 1950s...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionGolfer
Date of Birth10 September 1929
CityLatrobe, PA
CountryUnited States of America
My father started on this golf course at Latrobe when he was sixteen years old. He was digging ditches when they were building the golf course.
I started [flying] by being scared. When I was an amateur I played a couple tournaments and I had to fly, and got into weather and stuff, and it scared me, and I decided that would not work, I had to learn to fly, I had to find out about airplanes and aeronautical engineering and what it was all about.
I worked for dad on the grounds and I was in high school and I said I wanted to go to college, and he said, well, you figure it out. He said I will pay for your college but you're going to go to St. Vincent. St. Vincent College right here. That's about as much as I can afford, you work here, right here at home. I said, what if I can get somewhere else? And he said if I can get there, that's your call.
I wanted to emulate my father. I wanted to be as tough as he was. I wanted to do the things that he did. I watched him.
It is such a disappointment in American political reaction and actions. When some of our politicians are flying around the country in private airplanes all the time, using public services as their mode of private transportation, and then criticizing us who are in business.
A lot of tournaments that I can remember I made a few bad shots and I was afraid I would lose the tournament and it seemed to work, the putts seemed to go in. Just the Desire.
I had a system, and the system worked.
I remember ones I lost [shot]. I remember the ones I won, but I remember the ones I lost, something that I will never forget. Did it ruin me or hurt my career? It taught me about life, how to take the bad with the good.
I would never felt good if I hadn't experienced losing, because losing is part of your life. And it something that if I could teach people to understand that I think it could help them a lot.
You can describe my round as having moments of ecstasy and stark raving terror. I looked like I knew what I was doing at times and at other times I looked like a twenty handicap player.
I never rooted against an opponent, but I never rooted for him either.
As long as I can stay competitive and have fun doing what I'm doing, I guess I'll keep doing it.
Golf never ceases to be a challenge, even when it really is just you and the ball out there and nobody else.
I received many years of good advice from my father - how to live, how to play, how to be a gentleman.