Monday, March 13, 2017

Book Review: Arnie...The Life and Times of Arnold Palmer

My Dad worked in the radio department on corporate jets for Firestone, in the days when Akron Ohio hosted The World Series of Golf at the Fireston CC. My Dad enjoys telling the story when he met Arnold Palmer.

Arnold borrowed Firestone's hangar for his Cessna Citation. When he stepped of the plane, Arnold looked at the big hangar, looked at my Dad and his radio crew, and said " this would be a good spot to put a tennis court"...Dad and his crew, not knowing of his wit, let alone the fact that Arnold was engaging them in conversation, were perplexed. Then came Arnold's big grin....and true to Arnold Palmer form, had corraled another group of regular folk into Arnie's Army. Mt Dad never held a golf club in his life, yet now at 87....still tells that story like it was yesterday.

Just before the 2017 Masters, there is a biography of Arnold Palmer in your bookstores that you should read. It is a walk down memory lane of people that have crossed his path in life,sharing stories of what Arnold meant to them in their lives.

Where the books strengths are, however, is in the great stories from the author Tom Callahan...a personal friend of Arnold Palmer, and a very good writer. The book flows from the perspective of seminal years in Palmer's life...uncovering little nuggets of "wow!-I-didn't-know-thats"....as well as some of his lessons of etiquette.

A sure-fire bet to warm the heart of anyone, you don't have to be a memeber of Arnie's Army to enjoy this book.

My Dad is getting a copy.


Keep it in the short-grass,

JFB

2 comments:

Iain said...

I never realized how much Arnold Palmer did for the game of golf. Having always been an avid Jack fan, it was not until later on in life how big Arnold was for the game of golf. His swashbuckling days and charisma is what find is really missing from the golf pros of today, except for one individual "Tiger Woods" Thanks for the post.

Colton-LF said...

Great recommendation! This guy truly was a legend. Like Iain said, I cant imagine the world of golf without his influence. I do think some of the newer golfers out there like Spieth and Fowler could be a similar influence as they age with the sport.