Arnold Palmer speaks of golf and his association with Jack Nicklaus Part 1
Arnold Palmer, “the King” of the sport was approached recently to get a firsthand knowledge of what he has been up to after his appearance at the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year.
Now aged 81, Palmer rarely makes any public appearances and has been keeping a low profile due to his lingering health problems. The multi-million course design company is looked over mostly by his associates and employees and Palmer just resides over major
decision making.
Asked about his recent indulgence in the sport and how often does he walk down the fairways to make a putt, Palmer replied that he has not been in a good form lately and jokingly referred that he can even hear the ball fall after making his tee shot.
The former world number one revealed his close association with his father which led him to take up the sport as a career. Palmer said that he never cared as much for the swing as many of today’s golfers do and tried to stick to the first lesson he ever
received from his father.
“I've worried more about the things my father taught me when I was growing up. I remember he put my hands on the golf club when I was a young boy and showed me exactly how he wanted me to hold it. He gave me a stern look and said, ‘Now, don't you ever change
that’ I tried not to,” said Palmer.
The King rarely considers anyone close to his style of playing and shrugged off the idea that many drew similarities between his and Phil Mickelson’s style of playing. Palmer said that he ever saw someone playing to his style and he would be the first one
to point that out, but for the moment, he has never seen anyone.
Palmer insisted that he is currently in his best physical form without any major complications, although he has been facing chronic back problems lately. He also advised the young players as well as common folks to get a physical checkup at least once every
month to ward off any possible lingering diseases. He insisted on taking particular care of a prostate cancer which has the tendency to surface at anytime and in any age group.
On a question referring to the recent mental melt downs of top ranking players like Nick Watney and Dustin Johnson in the final rounds, Palmer pointed towards lack of concentration as the single most primary factor which causes the slump. He reminisced about
his times when he was able to win seven majors in his stellar career and the amount of hard work he had to put in to make it work.
Palmer won a whopping 94 events in his professional career. He had a habit of looking deep into the crowd which thronged the course to watch him play and still managed to maintain his concentration during the round. Palmer was among the three notable players
of the sport who took the popularity of the game to altogether new heights. Palmer alongside Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus not only helped increase the purse of the events but also lured in several high profile sponsors for the sport.
Palmer shrugged off any conflicts between him and Nicklaus and said that they remain close friends and associates.
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