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| A Golfer's Life Arnold Palmer |
| Author: Arnold Palmer Paperback: 420 pages List Price: $10.59 Availability: In Stock at Amazon Barnes & Noble |
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Synopsis:
From his first steps onto the public stage, this true icon of sport
exuded an aura more inviting than off-putting, and his
substantial record--92 titles worldwide, four Masters
championships, a U.S. Open crown, and back-to-back British
Open victories--speaks for itself.
So does his autobiography. It is friendly, chatty, honest,
passionate, long on spirit, and deft with the anecdotes it shares.
As a storyteller, Palmer is as down the middle with the failures
and hard times as he is with the remarkable triumphs. He
writes thrillingly about golf at its most competitive; probingly
about his rivals, particularly Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus;
revealingly about the extended slump that followed the '64
Masters, his last win in a major; fairly and nobly about his own
legendary status; emotionally about his family and his complex
relationship with his father; and quite movingly about both his
and his wife's battles with cancer: "The very word . . . used in
the same sentence as Winnie's name struck cold terror in my
heart."
From his first steps onto the public stage, this true icon of sport
exuded an aura more inviting than off-putting, and his
substantial record--92 titles worldwide, four Masters
championships, a U.S. Open crown, and back-to-back British
Open victories--speaks for itself.
So does his autobiography. It is friendly, chatty, honest,
passionate, long on spirit, and deft with the anecdotes it shares.
As a storyteller, Palmer is as down the middle with the failures
and hard times as he is with the remarkable triumphs. He
writes thrillingly about golf at its most competitive; probingly
about his rivals, particularly Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus;
revealingly about the extended slump that followed the '64
Masters, his last win in a major; fairly and nobly about his own
legendary status; emotionally about his family and his complex
relationship with his father; and quite movingly about both his
and his wife's battles with cancer: "The very word . . . used in
the same sentence as Winnie's name struck cold terror in my
heart."
| New for 2011 |
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, by its candor and by how
well-written it is. It minimized many warts, but there is still some
bite to it.
Arnold Palmer defines what charisma is. Charisma has nothing to
do with skill, he was not the most skilled or accomplished golfer. His
talent and achievements fall short of those of Nicklaus, Hogan and
even Gary Player. Yet Palmer with his amazing charisma can
arguably be considered the most important golfer in the last 50
years.
A few years ago I was watching a Senior tournament. My wife came
by and became enraptured by what was on. That was extremely
odd, she usually does not watch golf. She asked me who the man on
the screen was that was so fascinating. It was Arnold Palmer.
The portraits that Palmer draws of his parents, especially of his
father, are wonderful. His stories of growing up are wonderful and I
feel a good sense of the man and his roots. And he spares no words
in discussing the death of his best friend while he was at school at
Wake Forest, a death he still somewhat blames himself.
Palmer brings up an interesting theory about his career, that his
decision to stop smoking played a factor in it. Nicotine creates a
dependency, physical and psychological, no doubt about it. Palmer
feels that cigarettes helped him concentrate. But I admire him for
not starting again, even if it cost him some strokes. So do his
grandchildren and his fans, if he had not stopped, he would not be
here today.
Palmer talks about several people in the golf world at length. He
speaks highly, yet evenhandedly, of Clifford Roberts and the
Masters. I daresay that there are others who would not agree with
that opinion.
It is obvious that Arnold did not get along with Ben Hogan, but few
people did. Hogan was a hard man and while Palmer speaks highly
of Ben's skills, you can see that he did not like him personally.
The section about Nicklaus is fascinating. There is a major rivalry in
many ways between the two of them; there is no question about it.
Palmer makes some very astute observations about their divergent
styles and personalities. There is much greater kinship with Gary
Player and the stories about Player are quite funny.
People have tried to analyze Palmer's appeal for years. One of the
ideas is that he comes across as a blue-collar worker in a rich man's
sport. It was him that drew fans across income and class lines. To
many people, Arnold Palmer is old-line establishment. He was a
close friend of Eisenhower, and of Bob Hope. The book slows when
he talks of the rich people he is friends with.
Palmer is not overly introspective, so he does not try analyzing his
popularity very much. He does say that he loves to perform, to
show off and entertain people. He talks of his joy the first time that
happened. A section of Feinstein's "A Good Walk Spoiled" discusses
Palmer from a fan's perspective and also from a fellow player's. It
gives a different perspective on the man.
At the time this book was written, his wife Winnie had been
diagnosed with cancer. She is no longer with us and my heart aches
for Mr. Palmer and his loss. Palmer also talks little of his fight with
cancer and the remarkable recovery he has made. Nor does he talk
about all the money he has raised for research of prostate cancer.
There is very little about his daughters as well, or his family life
beyond his early married days. In an ESPN show, one of those
daughters said on-camera that her dad loved being Arnold Palmer.
There are countless people who can testify of how nice a man he is.
*****__ A Customer
well-written it is. It minimized many warts, but there is still some
bite to it.
Arnold Palmer defines what charisma is. Charisma has nothing to
do with skill, he was not the most skilled or accomplished golfer. His
talent and achievements fall short of those of Nicklaus, Hogan and
even Gary Player. Yet Palmer with his amazing charisma can
arguably be considered the most important golfer in the last 50
years.
A few years ago I was watching a Senior tournament. My wife came
by and became enraptured by what was on. That was extremely
odd, she usually does not watch golf. She asked me who the man on
the screen was that was so fascinating. It was Arnold Palmer.
The portraits that Palmer draws of his parents, especially of his
father, are wonderful. His stories of growing up are wonderful and I
feel a good sense of the man and his roots. And he spares no words
in discussing the death of his best friend while he was at school at
Wake Forest, a death he still somewhat blames himself.
Palmer brings up an interesting theory about his career, that his
decision to stop smoking played a factor in it. Nicotine creates a
dependency, physical and psychological, no doubt about it. Palmer
feels that cigarettes helped him concentrate. But I admire him for
not starting again, even if it cost him some strokes. So do his
grandchildren and his fans, if he had not stopped, he would not be
here today.
Palmer talks about several people in the golf world at length. He
speaks highly, yet evenhandedly, of Clifford Roberts and the
Masters. I daresay that there are others who would not agree with
that opinion.
It is obvious that Arnold did not get along with Ben Hogan, but few
people did. Hogan was a hard man and while Palmer speaks highly
of Ben's skills, you can see that he did not like him personally.
The section about Nicklaus is fascinating. There is a major rivalry in
many ways between the two of them; there is no question about it.
Palmer makes some very astute observations about their divergent
styles and personalities. There is much greater kinship with Gary
Player and the stories about Player are quite funny.
People have tried to analyze Palmer's appeal for years. One of the
ideas is that he comes across as a blue-collar worker in a rich man's
sport. It was him that drew fans across income and class lines. To
many people, Arnold Palmer is old-line establishment. He was a
close friend of Eisenhower, and of Bob Hope. The book slows when
he talks of the rich people he is friends with.
Palmer is not overly introspective, so he does not try analyzing his
popularity very much. He does say that he loves to perform, to
show off and entertain people. He talks of his joy the first time that
happened. A section of Feinstein's "A Good Walk Spoiled" discusses
Palmer from a fan's perspective and also from a fellow player's. It
gives a different perspective on the man.
At the time this book was written, his wife Winnie had been
diagnosed with cancer. She is no longer with us and my heart aches
for Mr. Palmer and his loss. Palmer also talks little of his fight with
cancer and the remarkable recovery he has made. Nor does he talk
about all the money he has raised for research of prostate cancer.
There is very little about his daughters as well, or his family life
beyond his early married days. In an ESPN show, one of those
daughters said on-camera that her dad loved being Arnold Palmer.
There are countless people who can testify of how nice a man he is.
*****__ A Customer
About the Author
While his peak playing time was some 30 plus
years ago, Arnold Palmer remains a beloved
figure and a symbol of the grace of golf.
He grew up poor in Youngstown, Pa, where
his father eventually became course
superintendent and head pro at the Latrobe
Country Club. From the time he could hold
an iron, Palmer spent as much time as
possible playing the game with his "Pap,"
a hot-tempered disciplinarian.
On seeing Babe Didrikson Zaharias play,
Palmer realized "how great it would be to
make lots of people, complete strangers,
Ooh and Aah over a golf shot."
After attending Wake Forest on scholarship
and spending some time in the Coast Guard,
Palmer went on the amateur circuit, barely
stopping for a honeymoon with Winnie, his
wife of nearly 50 years.
The rest is history, including his first
victories on the tour, his relationship with
rival Jack Nicklaus, his friendship with
Dwight Eisenhower, and the decline of his
game in the mid-1960s.
Most thrilling to fans is his shot-by-shot
perspective on legendary golf matches, such
as the 1960 U.S. Open, where Palmer, Hogan
and Nicklaus converged.
years ago, Arnold Palmer remains a beloved
figure and a symbol of the grace of golf.
He grew up poor in Youngstown, Pa, where
his father eventually became course
superintendent and head pro at the Latrobe
Country Club. From the time he could hold
an iron, Palmer spent as much time as
possible playing the game with his "Pap,"
a hot-tempered disciplinarian.
On seeing Babe Didrikson Zaharias play,
Palmer realized "how great it would be to
make lots of people, complete strangers,
Ooh and Aah over a golf shot."
After attending Wake Forest on scholarship
and spending some time in the Coast Guard,
Palmer went on the amateur circuit, barely
stopping for a honeymoon with Winnie, his
wife of nearly 50 years.
The rest is history, including his first
victories on the tour, his relationship with
rival Jack Nicklaus, his friendship with
Dwight Eisenhower, and the decline of his
game in the mid-1960s.
Most thrilling to fans is his shot-by-shot
perspective on legendary golf matches, such
as the 1960 U.S. Open, where Palmer, Hogan
and Nicklaus converged.
