In the modern day and age we declare athletes as “great” all too easily and while it is tough to outline what exactly constitutes being a great of a particular sport, there are a select few people from years gone by who, without a shadow of a doubt, fit the bill.
Arnold Palmer is just such a sportsman and in honour of his 84th birthday we thought we’d take a look at some of The King’s best quotes throughout the years…and how they might translate to us mere mortal golfers!
“The most rewarding things you do in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.”
Never say never according to Arnie.
“I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn’t have a chance to win.”
Meaning after three-putting on the first green, it’s not time to throw in the towel and mope around the next 17 holes!
“What do I mean by concentration? I mean focusing totally on the business at hand and commanding your body to do exactly what you want it to do.”
We can focus totally on the business at hand and HOPE our bodies do what they are told!
“Concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger.”
It’s hard to be confident after wildly hooking every ball you hit during your warm up on the range but we amateurs are certainly good at working up a hunger on the course…19th Hole here we come!
“What other people may find in poetry or art museums, I find in the flight of a good drive.”
Any golfer can relate to this one.
“I have a tip that can take 5 strokes off anyone’s golf game. It’s called an eraser.”
Thanks Arnie…this practicing malarkey everyone talks about wasn’t doing me much good!
“How did I make a twelve on a par five hole? It’s simple. I missed a four-foot putt for an eleven.”
Unabashed honesty from The King.
“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.”
Amen Mr. Palmer!
“They’d have to carry me out here before they would get me in a golf cart.”
Arnold on the time when golf carts were first permitted on the Senior Tour.
“Putting is a fascinating, aggravating, wonderful, terrible and almost incomprehensible part of the game of golf.”
We all know this to be true!
“The only really unplayable lie I can think of is when you’re supposed to be playing golf and come home with lipstick on your collar.”
Some off the course advice from a true golf legend.
“I don’t look at it as a gamble, really. I just look at it as a harder shot. Why hit a conservative shot? When you miss it, you’re in just as much trouble as when you miss a bold one.”
This is one piece of advice we hackers should definitely ignore…If in doubt, hack it out!
“Trouble is bad to get into but fun to get out of. If you’re in trouble, eighty percent of the time there’s a way out. If you can see the ball, you can probably hit it; and if you can hit it, you can move it; and if you can move it, you might be able to knock it in the hole. At least it’s fun to try.”
Having said that, Arnie’s right. It is fun to try!
“Maybe it’s because I’m in the rough so much that I get to know them all personally.”
Palmer on his relationship with Arnie’s Army.
Now that we’ve heard from the man himself, let’s take a look at what others have said about The King…
“Arnold’s place in history will be as the man who took golf from being a game for the few to a sport for the masses. He was the catalyst who made that happen.”
~ Jack Nicklaus
“All good things come to an end, so someday Arnold [Palmer] won’t be playing golf anymore. And that will be a very sad day for all of us, when we don’t see Arnold on the golf course. He’s our foremost ambassador to the world and the international symbol of excellence in golf.”
~ Gary Player
“Arnold Palmer is the most aggressive player in the history og golf. Some guys, if they’re behind six or seven strokes, they start playing for fourth place. Arnold could be behind six or seven strokes and the last day he’d go out and try to shoot zero.”
~ Charlie Sifford