For the 31 we lost in 2016 – Thanks for the Memories!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
As each year passes, we mourn the loss of loved ones. People we knew, or people we did not know personally but knew through the magic of television. Many became heroes, some became legends! To all of those who touched our lives in more ways than they will ever know, thank you so much! RIP, 2016! Thanks also go to Cliff Schrock of Golf Digest, who reminds us that all things must pass.
For the 31 we lost in 2016 – Thanks for the Memories!
Arnold Palmer.
Thanks for the memories, Arnie!
A King, a General, and a Bull died in 2016. But he was one and the same with a distinctly singular name, Arnie. Known by those titles (yes, Bull was early and lesser known), when golf immortal Arnold Palmer passed away on Sept. 25 at age 87 from heart issues, it was more than just the death of the year. It was the end of the game’s focal point for the last 60. If golf history ages well from this point on, Arnie will certainly remain as vibrant. And as much of a measuring stick of how a pro golfer interacts with the public as he ever did. Yet it is a real dilemma we are just now starting to comprehend: How will golf go forward without the Golfer of the People and what his presence meant to the game?
Arnold Palmer was the common man’s pro!
A seven-time major champion, Palmer was the reason golf exploded out of the elitist realm it lived in to be a populist sport. He did it by a combination of a bold, spirited performance on the course with a touchy-feely hold on the fans. He made the game feel fun because you could sense he felt it permeate his spirit right down to the blood rush he’d get on both great and poor shots.
Palmer was iconic in so many ways: his connection with the Masters, his place among the Big Three and his 1960 U.S. Open charge. He was Ike’s pal, an expert pilot and an advertising giant, a matinee idol, a course designer and a charity leader. Arnie helped revive the Open Championship and made hitching your pants a thing. Proudly called Latrobe his home and Winnie his wife, had a drink named for him and an Army that stood at attention wherever he played.
All of it is familiar because he let it be so, his openness to the world a result of traits he learned from his mother but the toughness and determination from his Pap. Palmer enjoyed it all and wouldn’t have changed his life path to gain a few more majors if it meant losing fans. He will endure in the minds of all golfers present and future as the most beloved golfer in history. A king whose realm wasn’t walked but felt in the heart.
Other deaths of notable golf personalities in 2016 include:
Jules Alexander.
90, Aug. 19: The notable golf photographer whose best known images were of Ben Hogan, beginning with the 1959 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, but whose career also lasted through Tiger Woods.
Phil Cannon.
63, Oct. 27: Volunteered at the Memphis PGA Tour stop at age 14 and stayed involved with the event for much of his life, working as tournament director from 1999-2015.
Dawn Coe-Jones.
56, Nov. 12: An LPGA player from 1984 to 2008, Coe-Jones won three times on tour, had 44 career top-10 finishes and is a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Left us far too early!
Steve Cohen.
76, Aug. 12: Founder of the Shivas Irons Society nearly 25 years ago, created based on the book Golf in the Kingdom.
Bob Cupp.
76, Aug. 19: A former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the 1992 Golf World magazine Golf Architect of the Year, he designed courses for 40 years, including Liberty National, Pumpkin Ridge and Old Waverly.
Jack Davis.
91, July 29: A prolific illustrator who worked for decades at Mad magazine and who did work for magazines such as Time and Golf Digest, where his style was used to illustrate unusual feats.
Manuel de la Torre.
94, April 24: The Spanish-born teaching legend and son of Spain’s first golf professional, Angel de la Torre, Manuel was a constant presence on the Golf Digest list of 50 Best Teachers since the inaugural group in 1999. De la Torre attended Northwestern and settled in as a longtime fixture at Milwaukee Country Club, becoming well known for teaching amateurs and stars alike, notably Carol Mann and Loren Roberts. He is a member of the World Golf Teachers Hall of Fame.
What a legend!
For the 31 we lost in 2016 – Thanks for the Memories!
Dwight Gahm.
96, March 7: The founder of Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, who hired Jack Nicklaus to design the course and has a statue of himself and the Golden Bear at the club.
Rudolph (Hubby) Habjan.
84, July 5: A PGA member since 1955, he was the noted golf pro at the Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Ill., and the creator of highly sought custom-made golf clubs.
Thomas Hartman.
69, Feb. 16: The monsignor, who with Rabbi Marc Gellman was part of “The God Squad,” often appeared at golf events, he would be the straight man in their religious dialogue.
Peggy Kirk Bell.
95, Nov. 23: One of the greatest women’s figures in golf history, she starred as an amateur standout before becoming a renowned teacher, owner of the Pine Needles resort and an advocate for women in the game. Among her honors was the USGA’s Bob Jones Award in 1990.
Peggy Kirk Bell became a legendary teacher after a stellar playing career!
Bill Kratzert Jr.
87, Aug. 21: A PGA member since 1960, he was the father of tour players Bill Kratzert III and Cathy Kratzert Gerring and was the longtime head pro at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Country Club.
John Margolies.
76, May 26: A legendary photographer of vernacular architecture, his 1987 book Miniature Golf is a treasure of golf nostalgia.
Hubert Mizell.
76, March 3: Writer and columnist who worked for the St. Petersburg Times for 27 years, and in 1973-1974 was an Associate Editor at Golf Digest; he wrote 23 pieces in all for the magazine.
The 3 Best Business Lessons we can all learn from Arnold Palmer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Every single golfer on the planet loved Arnold Palmer! That is a statement I can make with confidence. And Arnold amassed a fortune with his swashbuckling style, good looks, and magnetic personality! But Arnold was smart enough to know that just playing golf and winning money was not enough. So he slowly and methodically built a huge business empire of products all across the spectrum through TV commercials and magazine ads. If you want to learn about business, learn from this great man! Thanks to Tanner Simkins for Entrepreneur for sharing this educational article!
One of the last pictures of Arnold!
In September earlier this year the world lost golf’s patriarch, Arnold Palmer. His stellar playing career aside, Palmer’s biggest achievements stretched well beyond the game. Known today as the originator of sports marketing, Palmer was one of the first athletes to turn his name into a brand. Using his image and business acumen, Palmer’s empire was valued at approximately $700 million upon his death.
Here are three lessons business owners can learn from Arnold Palmer.
1. Take measured risks, explore new opportunities.
At a time when athletes focused simply on their performance, Palmer opted to create a brand out of who he was on and off the fairway. This approach was not only entirely new to golf, it made him one of the most successful athletes of any sport well after his playing days ended. In his lifetime, he earned almost $4 million on the golf course; while earning more than 100 times that off it. In 2013 alone, Palmer made $40 million despite not playing a round of competitive golf since 2006.
It was was unheard of for golfers to become household names, but Palmer was the first golfer to successfully break out of the golfing mold and gain widespread popularity among a variety of people. Later in life, Palmer attributed his brand equity to his willingness to stretch his business endeavors outside the narrow realm of golf.
Business Ventures.
Palmer’s business ventures and diverse portfolio of endorsements all flowed through parent company Arnold Palmer Enterprises. This enabled Palmer to put his branded signature on golf clubs, lawn mowers, sunglasses and other products from cardigan sweaters to cigarettes and everything in between. Over the years Palmer was endorsed by Coca-Cola, Rolex, Cadillac, Hertz, United Airlines, Penzoil, Heinz, Callaway and many more. Palmer’s branding genius even extended to his self-made lemonade/ice tea blend dubbed “an Arnold Palmer”; now commercially licensed to AriZona Beverage Co. In 2015, the “Arnold Palmer” beverage alone eclipsed $200 million in sales.
Early stage companies can look to Arnold Palmer as a model of effective diversification.
The King is Dead – Long live the King! The Career stats of Arnold Palmer. Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another! All of us agree that Arnold Palmer had a fantastic career, no doubt about it. But in a time where wins and money on the PGA mean the measure of a golfer’s greatness, Arnold Palmer had an even more amazing stat. From 1974 to 2004, a span of 30 years, Arnold did not have a victory but still made more money in endorsements than any other golfer on the planet! Why? Because everybody loved Arnold Palmer and would buy anything he put his name on. From car dealerships (I bought my Cadillac from an Arnold Palmer dealership in 1997) to car and tractor oil, golf course design, etc. Heck, he even had a drink named after him! I don’t know of any person alive or dead with the charisma, charm, and aura that Arnold had. Thank you so much, Brentley Romine, of Golfweek for these amazing career stats. Thanks for everything you have done for the game of golf, Arnie! You will be sorely missed.
Arnold Palmer, pictured at the 2016 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Getty Images)
Here is a look at Arnold Palmer’s legendary golf career, by the numbers.
• • •
Brief look
Major championships: 7 (Masters: 1958, ’60, ’62 and ’64; U.S. Open: 1960; British Open: 1961 and ’62)
Professional victories: 95
PGA Tour victories: 62 (fifth most all-time)
Champions Tour victories: 10 (five majors)
Ryder Cup appearances: 6 (1961, ’63, ’65, ’67, ’71, ’75; U.S. went 6-0; 22-8-2 career individual record)
World Cup appearances: 6 (1960, ’62, ’63, ’64, ’66, ’67; U.S. went 6-0)
Amateur victories: 26 (includes 1954 U.S. Amateur)
One of the most famous scorecards in golfing history!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Wow, when I saw this article by John Strege of Golf Digest, I just had to share! Look at the signatures on that scorecard, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Norman Von Nida and Georgia golfer Charles Harrison! This has to be one of the most famous scorecards in golf! Not only did Charles have the privilege of playing with the game’s greats, but he also beat them soundly! As they say in the south, “He opened up a can of whoopa**” I hope he also kept the $35 he plucked from Hogan’s pocket! That should be in a frame along with the scorecard. Congratulations, Charles Harrison, you are my idol!
Charles Harrison is a Georgia golf icon, a career amateur who is in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur 16 times and played in two Masters.
Harrison had many memorable moments in golf, but maybe none as impressive as the round he played at Augusta National on April 1, 1960.
It was the Friday before Masters week and he was playing a practice round with Arnold Palmer, Ben Hogan and Australian professional Norman Von Nida.
On Thursday, the website ClassicGeorgia posted on Instagram a photo of the scorecard from that round. It shows Harrison shooting a 65 and beating Palmer by eight shots, Hogan by seven and Von Nida by nine.
Golf’s Greatest Rivalries of all time – I didn’t know about #3!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
I grew up in the era of Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and then eventually Jack Nicklaus. These were known as the “Big 3.” They were good friends outside the ropes, but on the course, the gloves were off. They were fierce competitors, and each wanted to beat the other two every time they teed it up together! Joel Beall of Golf Digest has put together a great list of 14 of the greatest rivalries that could match a Clemson-South Carolina game anytime!
The final week of the college football regular season is renowned for its rivalries. Alabama-Auburn, Ohio State-Michigan, USC-UCLA. Clashes where the record means nothing, and the game’s outcome everything. Which got us thinking: What are some of the best rivalries in the history of golf?
1. USA vs. Europe
The Ryder Cup at first wasn’t much of a rivalry, as the U.S. boasted an 18-3-1 record through 22 matches against Great Britain and Ireland. However, once the Ryder Cup committe decided to change the event’s format to America versus Europe, the latter owns a 10-7-1 mark. Always competitive — and at times, contentious — the biennial event is one of the best Hatfield-McCoy stories in all of sports.
2. Arnold Palmer vs. Jack Nicklaus
Arnie was — and still is — the King. But when a boy from Ohio challenged his rule over golf, Palmer’s reign became a divided kingdom. For nearly a decade, Palmer and Nicklaus battled each other for the game’s crown. While Nicklaus eventually usurped Arnie’s sovereignty, their dual helped shape, and spur, the sport’s popularity.
(Original Caption) Dot Germain, of Philadelphia; Phyllis Otto, of Atlantic, Iowa; Mrs. George Zaharias, the former Babe Didrikson, of Los Angeles; and Louise Suggs, of Lithia Springs, Georgia (left to right). Examine their trusty putters after they won their second round matches and entered the quarter-finals of the 45th Annual Amateur Tournament of the Women’s Western Golf Association.
3. Louise Suggs vs. Babe Didrikson Zaharias
Suggs was jealous of Babe’s dominance and popularity, calling her “not a golfer; she’s a showman.” Suggs once said she would refuse to sign Zaharias’ scorecard. Disputing a drop the Babe got in 1953. Even in death, the rivalry was still there: Suggs did not visit Babe in the hospital when the latter was dying of cancer, telling friends, “I decided I’m not going to be a hypocrite about this thing.”
Body rotation is the key to real power – Watch Arnold Palmer!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Back in the day, Arnold Palmer was known as a long hitter. He really pounded the ball. I remember reading a comment by Jack Nicklaus about Arnold Palmer the very first time he saw him. He said Arnold was on the range, practicing under a tree. It was raining, and Jack could hear the sound of the club’s impact on the ball from the clubhouse veranda. He had never heard such a sound! “Who is that?” said Jack. “Arnold Palmer” was the reply. According to Somax Performance Institute, Arnold Palmer had the most efficient golf swing they had ever measured. Watch and learn.
Arnold Palmer was able to generate tremendous club head speed by rapidly turning his hips on his downswing. He took full advantage of the natural speed multiplier inherent in every golfer and hit drives up to 346 yards with the old equipment. You too can launch long drives by mastering Palmers impressive hip speed.
I Love it when People Mistake Arnold Palmer for ‘Tom Collins’!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Time for your daily laugh.
I’ve always loved those man-in-the-street clips by people like Jay Leno. This one involves an intern from Golf Digest and South African Pro golfer, Louis Oosthuizen.
It is all about identifying famous golfers. The one where New Yorkers are shown a picture of Arnold Palmer is hilarious. And Oosthuizen’s behavior reveals once again why he is loved by peers and fans worldwide.
When and where did the “Arnold Palmer” drink originate?
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
When? In the 1970s. Where? Well, there were 2 places.
One, in his kitchen in Latrobe, PA when he asked his wife Winnie to make him an iced tea and added some lemonade to it. And 2, in Palm Springs, CA when he had ordered the drink, explained to the waiter what he wanted, and later a lady at the next table said to the waiter “I’ll have what he’s having. I’ll have an Arnold Palmer” The rest is (Soft drink) history!
Arnold Palmer is one of the five most important figures in golf history. What he did off the course, however, might be just as important as what he did on it. This story isn’t about one of those important things, but it’s still fun. Palmer discusses the origin of his famous lemonade-tea drink and why it’s still so popular.
Arnold Palmer’s 10 Rules for Golf Etiquette – #4 is Important!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
Knowing the rules of golf is Important if you are going to play this game competitively.
However, just to play golf, even recreationally, you need to know proper golf etiquette! One of the finest and most honorable gentlemen in the game, Mr. Arnold Palmer, gives us his 10 most valuable tips on good golf etiquette. Thanks to Golf Digest for this great article!
I. DON’T BE THE SLOWEST PLAYER.
In my casual games at Bay Hill, we get around in under four hours — and that’s in fivesomes. Evaluate your pace of play honestly and often, and if you’re consistently the slowest one in your group, you’re a slow player, period. Encourage everyone to move quickly enough so you find yourself right behind the group in front several times, both early and late in the round.
Remember the old staples of getting around in good time: Play “ready golf” (hit when ready, even if you aren’t away) until you reach the green, be prepared to play when it’s your turn on the tee and green, and never search for a lost ball for more than five minutes.
II. KEEP YOUR TEMPER UNDER CONTROL.
In the final of the Western Pennsylvania Junior when I was 17, I let my putter fly over the gallery after missing a short putt. I won the match, but when I got in the car with my parents for the ride home, there were no congratulations, just dead silence. Eventually my father said, “If I ever see you throw a club again, you will never play in another golf tournament.” That wake-up call stayed with me. I haven’t thrown a club since.
Throwing clubs, sulking and barking profanity make everyone uneasy. We all have our moments of frustration, but the trick is to vent in an inoffensive way. For example, I often follow a bad hole by hitting the next tee shot a little harder — for better or worse.
Arnold Palmer’s 10 Rules for Golf Etiquette – #4 is Important!
III. RESPECT OTHER PEOPLE’S TIME.
Because time is our most valuable commodity, there are few good reasons for breaking a golf date. Deciding last-minute to clean the garage on Saturday, or getting a call that the auto-repair shop can move up your appointment by a day, just doesn’t cut it.
Always make your tee times, and show up for your lesson with the pro a little early. Social functions are no exception.
IV. REPAIR THE GROUND YOU PLAY ON.
I have a penknife that’s my pet tool for fixing ball marks, but a tee or one of those two-pronged devices is fine. As for divots, replace them or use the seed mix packed on the side of your cart.
Rake bunkers like you mean it. Ever notice that the worse the bunker shot, the poorer the job a guy does raking the sand? Make the area nice and smooth — don’t leave deep furrows from the rake. Before you exit the bunker, ask yourself, Would I be upset if I had to play from that spot?
V. BE A SILENT PARTNER.
During one of my last tour events as a player, I noticed another pro making practice swings in my field of vision as I was getting ready to hit a shot. I stopped, walked over and reminded him (maybe too sternly) that it was my turn to play. The point is, stand still from the time a player sets himself until the ball has left the club.
Even with the advent of spikeless shoes, the etiquette rule of never walking in someone’s line of play on the putting green is an absolute. The area around the hole in particular is sacred ground. The first thing to note when you walk onto a green is the location of every ball in your group, then steer clear of their lines to the hole.
Know where to stand and when to keep quiet. Position yourself directly across or at a diagonal from a player setting up. Never stand on the line of play, either beyond the hole or directly behind the ball. When a player is about to hit a shot, think of the fairway as a cathedral, the green a library.
Top 10 Moments of the Open Championship – #7 is my favorite!
Golf Chats is a website to encourage discussions on various subjects relating to the game of golf. I am Mel Sole, Director of Instruction of the Mel Sole Golf School and SAPGA Master Professional. I invite you to enter into a discussion on this or any article on the golfchats.com website. The input is for the entire subscriber base to learn something new each time! Please post your comments below. Keep it clean and tasteful. We are here to learn from one another!
The Open Championship is full of excitement and memories of the great Bobby Jones winning here in 1930 as an amateur.
All the greats played here from Old Tom Morris, Young Tom Morris, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods. The list goes on, but the trip to St. Andrews is one that will never be forgotten.
We count down the most memorable Open Championship moments witnessed at the Home of Golf.
