A legend has passed -- Arnold Palmer
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Soonersincefitty
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Tough day for the sport of golf. We lost one of our great ambassadors and truly great gentlemen of the game.
IMO, not a greater era of golfing than when Jack and Arnie were at their prime...
If they had today's equipment back then, they would have set records that would never be broken...
If they had today's equipment back then, they would have set records that would never be broken...
As I watched a tribute to his life last night, I was touched by his decency, and contrast to too many of today's athletes, whose role model told them that it's okay to insult and denigrate your opponent, so long as you back it up , by beating the hell out of him.
Palmer had plenty of early success before he was well known. His father told him, "don't tell anyone how good you are. Show them how good you are."
I miss the days before trash talk, when an athletic contest was about besting someone in a worthy way, rather than trying to humiliate him.
Palmer had plenty of early success before he was well known. His father told him, "don't tell anyone how good you are. Show them how good you are."
I miss the days before trash talk, when an athletic contest was about besting someone in a worthy way, rather than trying to humiliate him.
Some may call Palmer and those of us who admire him as both a man and an athlete as being "old school".
I refer to it as having a sense of decency and good sportsmanship.
Nowadays, it's the trend to taunt and trash opponents and to bring as much attention as possible with on-field celebrations.
I read where Arnold was the highest paid sports figure on endorsements. For the life of me, I can't remember any of them....Help.
STP, maybe?
STP, maybe?
Love watching those old, black-and-white golfs shows from the 50s and 60s with Arnie, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player. Classic!
He got him a Mercury...
Then it was a slick black Cadillac... maybe blue... Ha!
Then it was a slick black Cadillac... maybe blue... Ha!
Soonersincefitty
Sooner starter
Good sports still exist in spades. You're just witnessing 100x more sporting than you could decades ago, so the bad apples are amplified 100x.
I got to meet The King several time at the Bob Hope Classic, there was no better person on the face of the planet!!!! He never turned down an autograph or just a hand shake. And he always looked you straight in the eye when he did either!
You've never read golf magazines. But I remember many Palmer endorsements back in the day. But he's responsible in essense for the legends tour. For the players having control of their game, by electing their own PGA leadership, and for the beginning and sustenance of The Golf Channel.
The players speak of him reverently, and there were so many old school things that he insisted upon. Watching the old black and white videos of they young man, and a couple of amazing stories I'd never heard before about his incredible strength. I had no idea.
Some of that is true, some of it isn't. He was a true gentleman of the game and created the first cult following for it. He was the first superstar of the game where people would follow in huge masses that might not even play the game.
If you're talking about the Seniors Tour, i would say Trevino, Chi Chi and a few others had as much or more to do with it. I met Arnie on a couple of occasions (barely more than a handshake) but that man had a handshake at 80 yrs old that would make another man cringe.
Golf lost a huge icon, gentleman, family man and friend. It's a huge loss to the game.
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