millbank Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Can't help but feel privileged to be able to hear and see Arnold Palmer on air this week on Golf Channel , and now NBC, casually speaking and commenting about the proceeding. Listening how evident it is , why he greatly admired. He a man of directness , but having great humility. It feels special to have this opportunity to hear and one of all sports greatest ever.
The Senator Posted March 28, 2009 Posted March 28, 2009 Can't help but feel privileged to be able to hear and see Arnold Palmer on air this week on Golf Channel , and now NBC, casually speaking and commenting about the proceeding. Listening how evident it is , why he greatly admired. He a man of directness , but having great humility. It feels special to have this opportunity to hear and one of all sports greatest ever. I was at the US Seniors Open at Salem Country Club a few years back - bastard hit right into us. (Seriously, I love Arnie - got to stand about 10 feet from him as he hit back onto the fairway. Really nice man, a living legend.)
millbank Posted March 28, 2009 Author Posted March 28, 2009 whew, I see bastard, i think you going to me he really a bastard. It to me is special to sit a listen to this man talk for a few hours. hardly the norm with such people. I was at the US Seniors Open at Salem Country Club a few years back - bastard hit right into us. (Seriously, I love Arnie - got to stand about 10 feet from him as he hit back onto the fairway. Really nice man, a living legend.)
The Senator Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 whew, I see bastard, i think you going to me he really a bastard. It to me is special to sit a listen to this man talk for a few hours. hardly the norm with such people. No not a bastard - was just kidding because his golf ball almost hit me. It was more like... Legend and super-nice guy that he is, I felt privileged just to exchange a few polite words with 'The King' and stand so close as he took his swing.
millbank Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 No , I understood you were, just alluding to the first few words.... Like the story of Jason Gore, currently in third place at this tournament. Jason Gore and Arnold Palmer JASON GORE: When I was 11 years old, all my family is from Pittsburgh, so I was just starting to play golf. My uncle John Kovak was a teacher, wasn't a PGA teacher, but we went back to Pittsburgh for a month for the summer, and I was just getting into golf and he was helping me, yada-yada, started to absolutely love it because I could drive a golf cart there. This was back when I thought Pinnacle 384s were the best ball in the world. My mom and I went for a ride up to Latrobe, wasn't that far away. We found Latrobe Country Club and drove in like we owned the place. I was wearing a light blue Town & Country surf design tee shirt with a big ugly emblem on the back, and I had these shorts on that had yellow and pink and blue and red, I don't know what they were, obnoxiously terrible. Never been on a surfboard in my life, but I looked like a surfer. So we walked into the pro shop at Latrobe Country Club, members only, walked into the pro shop, and we kind of in a stupid way said, "Is Mr. Palmer going to be here?" They said, "As a matter of fact, he is." So we waited around. He drove up in a tractor-like golf cart. I just remember he was nice enough, he took a picture with us, signed a scorecard, and he said, "Son, I'm going to go hit balls. Would you like to come watch?" "Well, yeah, I'd love to." So he went down, took a whole leather bag of shag balls, dropped them on like the ladies' part of the first tee, the lower tee, and he sat the caddie down there and hit balls and I sat right on the little slope right behind the first tee and watched Mr. Palmer hit balls for about 45 minutes, and from that point on I knew I wanted to be a professional golfer. Q. Have you told him that story again? JASON GORE: I told him that story, we had an outing at Calusa Pines last year, and I told him that story, and it was like a fireside chat is what it was. We were all inside, and he was telling stories about the Ryder Cup and all this stuff, and I finally just said, "I've got to reiterate this story," because that hour of my life changed my life completely. I told him the story, and I look over at him, and I can see him kind of starting to well up a little bit. It might have been what I wanted him to do, so I might have been making it up (laughter), but he got up, shook my hand, pulled me in, gave me a hug, and that's just the kind of person he is. This guy is the -- the littlest things he does for a punk dressed in surf clothes who was trespassing on his property changes lives. He's got that power, and that's what makes him The King, and that's why he's the greatest person to this game. I went up and saw him a couple weeks ago down in Seminole. We played in a pro-member, and I knew I had gotten a sponsor's invite. I drove out there and said, "Mr. Palmer, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to play your golf tournament." He looked at me and winked, and he said, "I never forgot that story." I think he doesn't even know who I am or remember that moment, but he did, and it's a very touching moment, and it changed my life forever. So there's the long story. Good luck printing that one. No not a bastard - was just kidding because his golf ball almost hit me. It was more like... Legend and super-nice guy that he is, I felt privileged just to exchange a few polite words with 'The King' and stand so close as he took his swing.
buckeyemike Posted March 29, 2009 Posted March 29, 2009 I'm not sure if there's a person on this earth that hates Arnold Palmer. He started golf on its way to the sport it has become. He was always charging on Sunday, it seems. Sometimes his charges would be backward as much as they were forward. He blew a big lead in 1966 in one of the majors (U.S. Open, I believe), something like 7 shots with 9 holes to play. People forget he never won a major after 1964. It's his behavior, humility, and love of the game that made Arnie what he still is today. John Feinstein's book "A Good Walk Spoiled" tells of how Palmer made the cut at his tournament in Bay Hill in 1991 -- when he was 61 years old. There was an impromptu party, thrown by the other golfers, that congratulated Arnie on making the weekend for the first time in many years. Being it was Bay Hill made it all the more special. Also, without Arnold Palmer, there is no Champions tour. His enduring popularity led to its creation. And he also co-owned the Golf Channel when it started. Arnie sold his share to Comcast and made millions off it. It will be a sad day in sports, not just golf, when Arnold Palmer passes on. He's nearing his eightieth birthday.
millbank Posted March 29, 2009 Author Posted March 29, 2009 Like photo of him on tractor.... nice to listen to extended conversation with him . Secondarily it appears Tiger is going to make things very interesting down the stretch today. Down 5 at start currently 2 back after 7. Always interesting to see golf courses, feel envious of those with such lovely looking homes overlooking them. Palmer's back on NBC right now.
buckeyemike Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Like photo of him on tractor.... nice to listen to extended conversation with him . Secondarily it appears Tiger is going to make things very interesting down the stretch today. Down 5 at start currently 2 back after 7. Always interesting to see golf courses, feel envious of those with such lovely looking homes overlooking them. Tiger wins! Remarkable comeback...a good save from the bunker on 17 and that putt to win on 18, with all the camera bulbs flashing through the dusk, is one I'll have in my head for a long, long time. I've always wanted to play Bay Hill. Looks like a beautiful course! Maybe someday, if my golf game gets better and I win a couple of huge cases...you never know. BTW, I saw possibly the most gorgeous course I've ever seen on the Golf Channel today. It's Punta Espada Golf Club at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. The Champions Tour event was there this week. Sand, green grass, palm trees, right up against the Caribbean Sea...what more do you need in life?
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 BTW, I saw possibly the most gorgeous course I've ever seen on the Golf Channel today. It's Punta Espada Golf Club at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. The Champions Tour event was there this week. Sand, green grass, palm trees, right up against the Caribbean Sea...what more do you need in life? I've played there, actually. It was a GREAT course and truly a wonder to behold. Shot a 87 but it was worth it just for the experience.
millbank Posted March 30, 2009 Author Posted March 30, 2009 Great four days of golf, with Arnold Palmer on air most days sharing experiences, the video images of golf course beautiful, what Tiger did today , impressive is a understatement. How special would it be to retire , your home overlooking such beautiful surroundings.
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Was there any doubt that Tiger was going to bury that put? Wow. The guy has got the biggest stones of maybe any athlete that I've ever watched in my lifetime.
John Adams Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Was there any doubt that Tiger was going to bury that put? Wow. The guy has got the biggest stones of maybe any athlete that I've ever watched in my lifetime. My favorite part of the below column is the Nickalus quotes--I'm sure Reilly has a full inbox this week after forecasting Tiger's decline. http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3992192
H2o Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Was there any doubt that Tiger was going to bury that put? Wow. The guy has got the biggest stones of maybe any athlete that I've ever watched in my lifetime. He has put on the greatest moments, IMO, that I can recall in sports. He is the single most clutch athlete that I've ever seen. Better than Jordan, Bird, Elway, Montana, or anyone that I can think of. Today is just another one you can chalk up and put in the highlight reel of the greatest golfer to pick up the clubs. It would be interesting to see how the guys of yesteryear like Snead, Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus would've fared if they had all of this modern equipment when they were in their respective primes.
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 He has put on the greatest moments, IMO, that I can recall in sports. He is the single most clutch athlete that I've ever seen. Better than Jordan, Bird, Elway, Montana, or anyone that I can think of. Today is just another one you can chalk up and put in the highlight reel of the greatest golfer to pick up the clubs. It would be interesting to see how the guys of yesteryear like Snead, Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus would've fared if they had all of this modern equipment when they were in their respective primes. Tiger is the perfect storm of hard work, grit, determination, athleticism, talent, personality, sportsmanship, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. He has every single quality that you like to see in an athlete and he is the best to ever swing a club to boot. The most amazing part is that he plays a sport normally considered "dull" and has still managed to become the single most recognizable face in the world of sports. We will never see another one like him, so enjoy it while you can!
dpbillsfan Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Sometimes I just sit and watch in awe as Tiger plays. What was he 50 for 50 this week on putts 6 feet and in? Unreal.
H2o Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Tiger Woods was the reason I even began to play golf. I always considered it a sport for old men in tacky trousers. When Tiger broke out onto the scene it created a buzz that stirred my interest. I remember me and all of my friends got clubs around the same time and started hitting up a local par 3 course. It progressed to the point that we would try to play 18 holes atleast once a week at the local courses, two or three rounds if possible. He has singlehandedly revolutionized a game and made it the "in thing" to play, watch, and enjoy.
KD in CA Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Tiger is the perfect storm of hard work, grit, determination, athleticism, talent, personality, sportsmanship, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. He has every single quality that you like to see in an athlete and he is the best to ever swing a club to boot. And desire. The guy absolutely hates to lose....be it the Masters or a game of checkers, and he uses that to elevate his game. Very much like Jordan in that respect.
deep2evans Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 He has put on the greatest moments, IMO, that I can recall in sports. He is the single most clutch athlete that I've ever seen. Better than Jordan, Bird, Elway, Montana, or anyone that I can think of. Today is just another one you can chalk up and put in the highlight reel of the greatest golfer to pick up the clubs. It would be interesting to see how the guys of yesteryear like Snead, Hogan, Palmer, and Nicklaus would've fared if they had all of this modern equipment when they were in their respective primes. Well said. When his career is over, you can probably make a highlight reel of just ridiculous shots (chip in on #16 at Augusta) and clutch putts (endless) to span for 4 hours. He's the greatest, most impressive athlete I've ever seen. Gives me the chills man....the guy is special.
ACor58 Posted March 30, 2009 Posted March 30, 2009 Was there any doubt that Tiger was going to bury that put? Wow. The guy has got the biggest stones of maybe any athlete that I've ever watched in my lifetime. All I could think about what was going through O'Hairs mind the moment that Tiger struck that putt. Probably something like "Oh F**k."
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