The King The King is a nickname that can refer the many different people in several different disciplines,

but when it comes to golf it refers to only one man: Arnold Palmer. Hailing from a small town in Pennsylvania, Arnold worked hard to cultivate his golfing ability until he became one of the greatest to ever play the game. While doing this, he also helped to boost the public interest in the sport as he rose to stardom at the beginning of the television era. But Arnolds legacy does not even begin to end with his professional career as he has involvement in numerous other activities and interests that continue to fill out his incredible life to this day. Arnold Daniel Palmer was born on September 10, 1929 in Youngstown, Pennsylvania1. He grew up in Latrobe, PA where his father, Deacon, worked as a greenskeeper at the towns local country club. Deacon would take young Arnold to work with him, which is where he was first introduced to the game. He was given his first set of golf clubs at the age of tree and soon after began taken lessons from his father3. Arnold was hooked immediately and supposedly used to sneak onto the country club to play at every chance that he got. He then got even more experience by becoming a caddie at the club which allowed him to study and learn different tips and techniques from people who had been playing the game for a long time and has valuable secrets. Once he was old enough, Arnold began playing for the Latrobe High School golf team and in his for years, only lost one match. With this record, Arnold was poised to earn a scholarship from some college to play for their golf team. Due to some urging by his friend Bud Worsham, Arnold decided to accept a scholarship offer that he received from Wake Forrest University. Unfortunately, in Arnolds senior year, Worsham was tragically killed in a car accident that deeply affected Arnold. In response, he made the decision to drop out of college and join the Coast Guard. Arnold served in the ranks for three year, practicing his game when he could, until he returned to the university to finish his schooling2. Now back in the groove with his playing, Arnold entered the 1954 US Amateur Championship and emerged victorious. Since this was arguably the highest level attainable by an amateur, Arnold made the decision to turn pro in 1954. Then in his rookie season on the PGA Tour, he won the 1955 Canadian Open and his fame immediately began to take off. Aside from his incredible golf prowess, one of the major contributing factors to his quick rise was his charming charisma. At a time when TV was just becoming popular and televised sports were still fledgling, Arnold was exactly the kind of personality that stations wanted to cover and interview to draw in and entertain the viewer. What he did for the popularity of golf during this time is a large part of where his The King nickname comes from. In an interview later in his career, Mark McCormack would list five attributes that he though made Arnold so marketable: his good looks; his relatively modest background; the way he played golf, taking risks and wearing his emotions on his sleeve; his involvement in a string of exciting finishes in early televised tournaments; and his affability2. Arnolds first key victory, and his first major, came at the 1958 Masters Tournament and this not only cemented his position as on of the most popular and well-known golfers but also and one if the best at the time. From here Arnolds career took off at a blazing speed and during one stretch from 1960-1963 he won 29 PGA Tour events in four seasons, a number unheard of in todays day and times4. In all, Palmer finished his distinguished career with 62 PGA Tour wins

with 7 of those being major championships. One of the few things missing from his trophy room was a British Open title, which he missed narrowly on several occasions. All these accomplishments led Arnold to be called one of the Big Three along with Jack Nicklaus and Gray Player, denoting not only three of the best players ever but also three of the best ambassadors to the game2. This however was only the first act of Arnolds great impact on the game of golf. After he left the PGA Tour, he became one of the founding members and promoters of The Champions Tour (formerly the Senior PGA Tour) where he went on to win 5 more major titles. Arnold finally retired from tournament golf in 2006 when he refused to continue keeping score in the middle of a tournament because he was unsatisfied with his own play2. Other contributions that Arnold left with golf when he retired are The Golf Channel, which he helped to found in 1995, and numerous courses that he designed with the Company he founded: The Arnold Palmer Design Company. To this day he still serves as one of the honorary starters for the Masters tournament. Needless to say, Arnold holds a place in golfs Hall of Fame. Arnold now resides near the golf course that bears his name, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Country Club and Lodge, in Orlando, Florida. He enjoys watching his grandson Sam Saunders follow in his footsteps, as he became a professional golfer in 2008 after attending Clemson University4. In his free time, Arnold was always an avid pilot and was still making flights as late as 2011 at the ripe old age of 82. As to what Arnolds lasting legacy will ultimately be, I dont think theres any doubt that he will always bethought of as one of the greatest to ever play and promote the game.

References
1

Encyclopedia Britannica. http://www.biography.com/people/arnold-palmer-9432357?page=1

2 3 4

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Palmer http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ni-Pe/Palmer-Arnold.html#b http://www.golflegends.org/arnold-palmer.php