Arnold Palmer is most often referred to as “The King” when his name comes up in conversation. And Palmer was a great player. But he was also one of the most visible players. In the early twentieth century, in order to know of the players before Palmer, you would have had to attend a tournament or read about it the next day in the newspaper, or perhaps hear of it on the radio. Arnold Palmer is one of the most famous golfers of our time, largely because he is one of the first major golf stars of what is known as the television era.
He was inducted into the Golf Hall of Fame in 1974 and has won a number of golf awards such as the PGA tour and the Champion Tour. Arnold Palmer was the recipient of the PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, one of the highest compliments a golfer can receive.
Like many athletes, Arnold Palmer learned golf from his father. He used to accompany his father, Deacon Palmer, to work at Latrobe Country Club in Pennsylvania where his father worked as the head pro and was also the club’s green’s keeper. Times have certainly changed! When Arnold was young and went to the club with his father, his tee time was only available when the members had completed playing themselves, limiting him to early morning tee times or tee times late in the afternoon.
Palmer had his best professional years from 1960-1963. During these four years playing professional golf, Palmer won 29 PGA tour events. He was also awarded the Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated Magazine in 1960. In 1967, he was the first man to reach a profit of one million dollars in earnings from PGA tour winnings. Marking his 50th appearance in the Masters Golf Tournament at the prestigous Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta Georgia, Palmer competed in 2004 for the last time. A four-time winner of the highly-prized green jacket, Palmer has been serving as the Masters Starter since 2007.
If you have a family member that is a huge Arnold Palmer fan or just a golf nut, treat them to a golf vacation at what used to be the nine hole golf course where Arnold Palmer learned to play and got his start as one of the most prolific golf players of all time, the Latrobe Country Club in Pennsylvania. Or why not consider going to visit the Golf Hall of Fame? While you are there you can present them with some personalized golf tees as souvenirs of the trip.
