Kevin Walsh: An unforgettable encounter with Arnold Palmer

Share

With the passing of Arnold Palmer, CSN's Kevin Walsh looks back on an unforgettable encounter he had with the golf legend

It was May 2000.  I had just finished playing golf at Pebble Beach.  I walked out of the clubhouse and a Lincoln Town Car pulled up to the putting green, Arnold Palmer hopped out. It was as if he’d fallen out of the sky. 

I had my tape recorder with me and asked if I could ask him a few questions about being a caddy in his younger years in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. 

“Yes, but I have only about five minutes,” he said.

I was very nervous and having trouble putting the cassette tape into the recorder.  He eventually took it out of my hands and did it for me. 

My nerves were gone.

So we’re talking and the door to The Lodge bursts open and a guy yells “Hey Arnold!  We’re in the bar having a beer!”

“Well,” Arnold yells back, “Order me one!”

Arnold was hard of hearing.  He saddled up next to me, and tilted his head so I could talk right into his ear. I couldn’t believe I was talking directly into Arnold Palmer’s ear. He was practically stepping on my feet. He wore tiny hearing aids that were only visible if you were as close as I was.

After ten minutes of talking, I reminded him that he had friends waiting, and a beer that was probably warm by that time.  He wanted to make sure that I had enough.  I did and I was beaming.  I’m not sure my feet touched the ground on the walk back to the car.  

Contact Us