In the greatest republic on earth, there has always been room for a king. That is why every president of the United States since Dwight D. Eisenhower has actively sought out Arnold Palmer’s company, either as a human being or as a fellow golfer — or both.
For Palmer, the White House has become almost more of a second home than Augusta National, so often has he gone there for fireside chats as well as state occasions. And some of his fondest memories both on and off the golf course involve the numerous presidents he has known in more than half a century as a public figure.
John F. Kennedy solicited Palmer for swing tips, Bill Clinton pleaded with him for advice on how not to stray to the right. Gerald Ford flew to Pebble Beach for a game with Palmer the night the president stepped down from office, and Richard Nixon asked for Palmer’s views on how to end the Vietnam War.
But by far the closest bond between the King and a president was the one Palmer enjoyed with Eisenhower, a great World War II general who went on to oversee America’s resurgence during the 1950s.
Eisenhower was old enough to be Palmer’s father and, with due deference to Deacon Palmer, soon became unofficial commander-in-chief of Arnie’s Army.
Their friendship began as a direct result of Palmer winning the 1958 Masters, the first of his seven “major” triumphs.
“After I won, I was told that he [Eisenhower] was going to be there to play golf the following Monday, and they wanted to know if I wanted to stay and play golf with him,” Palmer said. “I said, ‘certainly!’, so I did, and that kind of started our relationship.
“And it was really a great one through the years. We became very close friends, and we spent a lot of time just talking as well as playing golf. As the years went by, we did various things, from entertainment to a lot of charity work.
“Then, he got sick. He couldn’t play anymore, so we used to just visit. We’d spend hours talking personally, about things that were happening, about things that I wouldn’t reveal even today, likes and dislikes, and little things that were not a big deal but important to both of us.
“That cemented our relationship. Then, he passed away. He was at Walter Reed [Hospital] in Washington, and Winnie [the first Mrs. Palmer] and I went to see him. He was the same, the same spirit and laugh and smile, as he was all the time. I considered him a really good friend.
“Far too soon, a nurse appeared and politely informed us it was time to leave. The President had pills to take and needed time to rest. We stood. He kissed Winnie again and we once more clasped hands. Beaming at us as always, he assured us that the next time we saw him it would be back home at his farm in Gettysburg.
“With tears welling in my eyes, I told Winnie on the way out that I hoped he was right. But it was the last time we saw D.D.E.”
Apart from being nagged by Eisenhower to give up smoking during the 1960s, Palmer’s fondest memory of the great man dates back to his 37th birthday on 10 September 1966. Unbeknownst to him, Winnie had arranged for the President to be flown across Pennsylvania in Palmer’s new aircraft, a Jet Commander, from York to Latrobe. Palmer’s house was secured by the Secret Service without his knowledge, even though he was there the whole time; and when the knock came on the door, Winnie insisted he answer it.
“I was startled to discover President Eisenhower standing on our porch clutching a small overnight bag,” said Palmer. “‘Say,’ he said with that quiet photogenic smile of his, ‘you wouldn’t have room to put up an old man for the night would you?’
“One of the nicest weekends of my life followed. For my birthday, he presented me with a small oil painting he’d done of a barn on his farm in Gettysburg. We hung it on the wall of our dining room and it’s there to this day.”
During the 1970s, Palmer turned down
a serious approach from Texan oil tycoons and financial heavy hitters to run for office, but that did not prevent him from accepting an invitation to address Congress on 27 March 1990, the 100th anniversary
of Eisenhower’s birth.
“Winnie and Doc [Giffin, Palmer’s right-hand man to this day] fretted for days on what I should say, and Doc worked up a beautiful tribute speech for me to read. However, I hated reading from prepared texts and in the end I took Doc’s notes and added some of my own.
“Before I was called to the podium, I was asked by aides for my speech so Congress could read along and copies be given to the press.
“I don’t know if that rattled them or not, but it proves I would ultimately have been a terrible politician. At any rate I gave the speech, spoke from the heart about a man I loved like a second father, and Congress gave me — or should I say President Eisenhower — a standing ovation.”
The association between the two men continues to this day at the state-of-the-art Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, which houses the Arnold Palmer Prostate Center.
Eisenhower’s successor in 1960 was Kennedy, a president who was keen to improve his handicap despite the onerous duties of his office. He had played college football to a respectable standard at Harvard, though that side of his life was brought to an abrupt halt by the back injury that afflicted him for the rest of his life.
So Kennedy turned to golf and hired Cecil Stoughton, the White House photographer, to take some 8mm film as he played at Hyannis Port, Mass. Stoughton’s film suggests that Kennedy had an elegant swing and a deft touch on the greens.
The film was then sent to Palmer, the pro Kennedy admired the most, so he could watch it and come up with a plan for improving the First Swing.
Kennedy invited Palmer to visit the White House in December 1963 to give him a lesson, but, alas, that meeting never took place because of the tragic events the previous month in Dallas.
Lyndon Johnson (1963-68) was a golfer with a reputation for “creative” scorecards and it seems Palmer did not know him well, but the same was not true of Richard Nixon (1968-74).
“I liked him despite his quirks and
apparent lack of warmth,” Palmer recalls. “We actually played golf together only once, nine holes somewhere.”
To this day, Palmer believes that Nixon abandoned golf because he did not want to be seen indulging himself at a time when the American body count in Vietnam was at its peak. “It probably wouldn’t have sat well with the parents of those young people to know the commander-in-chief had taken the afternoon off to beat a ball around Congressional or Burning Tree,” he said.
Famously, Vietnam rather than golf was on Nixon’s mind when he flew Palmer and Bob Hope to his San Clemente home in a U.S. Marine helicopter during the Desert Classic, the annual PGA Tour event in the Palm Springs area that still bears the name of the late, great comedian.
To Palmer’s astonishment, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Vice-President Gerald Ford were also present. “It seemed,” Palmer says, “that the President wanted to pick our brains... about how to end the war in Vietnam.
“I do remember the lengthy discussions about various strategic approaches... including the idea of bombing Hanoi back to the Stone Age to try to end the miserable, protracted war in southeast Asia.
“When it finally came my turn to express an opinion, everyone looked at me. ‘Well,’ I started, a touch reluctantly, ‘if the decision were mine to make, I guess I wouldn’t pussyfoot around. Let’s get this thing over as quickly as possible, for everyone’s sake. Why not go for the green?’”
Palmer’s remark was greeted with laughter, but as he said later to Hope, “I really wasn’t trying to be funny.”
Eventually Watergate brought down Nixon, and Ford, an unashamedly enthusiastic golfer, was sworn in.
“For such a strong man with an athletic background, Ford’s game was frankly a bit of a puzzle to me,” says Palmer. “In a nutshell, he should have been better than he was, and no president ever tried harder at the game.”
In recognition of 15-handicap Ford’s love of the game, Palmer enrolled him as the First USGA Member at a White House ceremony.
So when Ford left office after losing the election to Jimmy Carter in January 1977, it was typical of the man that he should jet across the country that night to partner Palmer the next day in the Crosby National Pro-Amateur Championship at Pebble Beach.
Naturally, Ford and Palmer drew one of the largest galleries ever seen at the tournament; the weather was spectacular and it seemed everyone had a camera. With volunteers trying to keep the crowd in line and the Secret Service guarding Ford, the scene was more carnival than golf tournament. People were climbing trees to get a view and Bing Crosby and wife Kathryn were also in the crowd.
What shone through, though, was Ford’s joy — he and Palmer laughed and joked from start to finish. He adjusted quickly to life as an ex-President and kept in touch with the game right up to his death, aged 93, in December 2006.
Carter (1976-80), not known as a golfer, has but a tenuous association with Palmer through La Quinta Inn & Suites Atlanta in Conyers, Georgia (Carter’s home state). The property includes the Palmer-designed Cherokee Run course and Jimmy Carter Presidential Library among its many facilities.
Ronald Reagan (1980-1988) preferred riding horses and working on his ranch to playing golf, but a warm friendship developed between the Reagan and Palmer families. “Nancy and Winnie particularly hit it off, and some of my fondest memories of those years came out of the many state dinners we got invited to and attended,” says Palmer.
The links between the Bush family and golf are well documented. George Bush (1988-92) was the grandson of the founder of the Walker Cup and has been a regular golf companion of Palmer’s over the years.
“If he worked on it he could be a far better than average player… But I’ve come to realize after many enjoyable rounds it isn’t the scores he’s after, it’s the companionship that matters most to him. George Bush reminds me more and more of President Eisenhower: he has the same easy grace, keen mind and unpretentious charm.
He is also driven by a deep sense of honor.”
In Palmer’s opinion, the best presidential golfer he has played with was Bill Clinton (1992-2000). “Without question he’s the best ball striker of any president I’ve known. I was pleased to discover in Clinton a golfer who really loves the game. He’s got a big swing that can send the ball a long way, and a surprisingly gentle touch around the greens.”
Palmer enjoys telling how once Clinton sliced his ball irredeemably into trees and quipped, as he reloaded: “Hey Arnie, I’m glad those reporters aren’t back here to see that. They’d have me drifting to the right!”
The warmth Palmer feels for Clinton is clearly mutual. At the inaugural National Sports Awards reception at the White House on 28 June 1993, Clinton said,
“Hillary and I are delighted to… pay tribute to those outstanding Americans rightly called ‘the great ones.’
“Arnold Palmer revolutionized his sport. It’s been said that when television discovered golf, the world discovered Arnold Palmer. Fans all over the world grew to love his unique style, his boldness, and his daring. To many he is the American ideal: the perpetual underdog falling behind and then charging down the stretch and tearing up the golf course. I can identify with that…
“We thank him tonight for all he has given us, for all the thrills. And I can tell you that… he’s just as much of a gentleman and a competitor in private as he always seemed to the public. Congratulations, Mr. Palmer.”
That wasn’t the end to Palmer’s honors from the White House. On 23 June 2004, he was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush.
“For all who love the game of golf… there has never been a sight in the game quite like Arnold Palmer walking down the fairway toward the 18th green. The announcer Vin Scully once said: ‘In a sport that was high society, Arnold Palmer made it ‘High Noon,’’ said the President.
“For more than 50 years, over thousands of miles of fairway, and in 92 professional championships, Arnold has given his all, playing with style and a daring that changed the game of golf. He drew millions of fans, and every big crowd we see at a golf tournament today started with Arnie’s Army.
“The father who had taught him to play golf at Latrobe Country Club would be very proud today of Arnold Daniel Palmer.”
Deacon Palmer would indeed be proud, but he would also be quick to recall Rudyard Kipling’s famous lines:
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And-which is more-you’ll be a Man, my son!
The King is indeed just such a Man — a friend and hero to Presidents and to ordinary folks alike.
News:
Palmer named host of 2009 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
Golf and Palm Springs icon Arnold Palmer will host the 50th anniversary of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, to be played Jan. 19-25, 2009.
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IN ADDITION, 25% of all subscription revenue will be donated equally between Arnie’s Army Battles Prostate Cancer and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando.