Manatee County golfers remember the legend, Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer’s passing at the age of 87 late Sunday night brought an outpouring of reaction and tributes from players, fans, the sports world and public figures on social media.

In Manatee County, fellow golfing icon Tony Jacklin and others shared their memories of The King on Monday, less than 24 hours following the announcement that Palmer passed away.

“He was golf’s greatest ambassador, really,” Jacklin said. “I can’t think of anybody who has done more for the game of golf than Arnold over his lifetime.”

Known for his charismatic charm, swashbuckling golfing style and the business empire he created following his peak playing days, Palmer is considered the sport’s first superstar.

And Jacklin, a Bradenton resident who won two major championships and is widely considered the force behind making the Ryder Cup — which is played later this week — what it is today, shared a couple stories with the Bradenton Herald from the past 50 years that he’s known Palmer.

The first was when Jacklin found himself paired with Palmer and fellow golfing legend Jack Nicklaus in the Canadian Open in 1967. In those days, Jacklin said, the final three holes of the tournament were broadcast on television.

Playing to the camera is where Palmer shined.

“Jack whispered in my ear, ‘Watch him when the red light comes on,’ ” Jacklin said. “And of course there’s a big old camera at the end of the tee. And Jack was right. As soon as (Arnold) saw that red light come on, he started hitching his pants up and giving that twirl at the end of his swing. He sort of had that tough guy image. And the public loved it.”

Then there was the time Palmer, who once set an aviation speed record for flying around the world in just over 57 hours in 1976, bought a new learjet.

Jacklin, who was preparing for his first Ryder Cup in 1967, was asked alongside Jimmy Demaret and a couple others to join Palmer. They hopped aboard the jet with Palmer flying over the course.

“Before we knew what had happened, we turned around and we were coming over the thing at 500 feet doing 400 miles an hour,” Jacklin said. “And he took it up virtually vertically and we’re spinning the thing. My God, it was the most frightening time I ever had. And I can see it now, him looking back down the aisle from the pilot seat laughing like hell. He thought it was the funniest thing. ... And we get back down and the local aviation authority were on the phone at the golf club. ... And Arnold took the phone off (co-pilot) Darryl, to his eternal credit ... and Arnold took the rap. I think Jimmy Demaret wrote letters and had a bit of influence with the people and powers to be. ... I was very young at the time, 23 or so, and I thought it was quite funny to see Arnold, ‘Yes sir. Apologizing for his crazy behavior.’ But it was a long time ago and he loved to kid around.”

Sarasota’s Paul Azinger, who resides in Bradenton, said in a text message to the Herald that he first met Palmer when he was 19 years old working at the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy.

“He was a very giving and considerate man,” said Azinger, a former PGA Championship winner and the last U.S. Ryder Cup winning captain. “Arnold was a transcendent figure. Our parents loved Arnold. Our entire generation revered Arnold and he revered us back. When golf changed, Arnold changed with it, marveling at how the best players played the game. Arnold aged gracefully and always gave me the feeling that wherever he was, it was exactly where he wanted to be. My best wishes to Arnold’s family at this very difficult time.”

A Pennsylvania native, Palmer’s legacy reverberated around the world, while holding a special place to those in the Keystone State and where he ended up relocating: Florida.

West Florida Golf Tour tournament director Christian Bartolacci, a Philadelphia native, said when he was still attempting to play professional golf, he went through a warm-up session in 2007 at Bay Hill’s driving range in Orlando with a friend of his in awe of Palmer.

“It was just us three on the range and he’s about 10 stalls away,” Bartolacci said. “I remember hitting balls, not caring where they are going, thinking, ‘I’m hitting balls with possibly one of the greatest players to ever play the game.’ ”

Back in the late 1990s when Lakewood Ranch began to build up, Palmer’s golf course design company entered the area to design the Legacy Golf Club.

Later, the three courses at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club received the Palmer company’s design work.

In fact, one of those courses is called the Kings Dunes in honor of Palmer.

That aspect of Palmer, his branding, began during his playing career when he met Mark McCormack, who started IMG — the International Management Group — and the sports agency took off with a partnership with the two.

Palmer even launched The Golf Channel to bring the sport even more to the masses.

“Today marks the passing of an era,” said Alastair Johnston, Palmer’s longtime agent at IMG, in a press release. “Arnold Palmer’s influence, profile and achievements spread far beyond the game of golf. He was an iconic American who treated people with respect and warmth, and built a unique legacy through his ability to engage with fans.”

One of those fans is Sarasota’s Tom Ward.

Ward first met Palmer in Latrobe, Pa., during his time in the aviation business and had a 5-10 minute conversation with Palmer, who was enamored with aviation.

Then a few years later, Ward saw Palmer at a tournament in Orlando. His daughter, Renee, was on his shoulders as they walked. She kept twisting his neck, so he turned around and there Palmer was, talking to his daughter, playing games. He took her visor off and signed it.

“Still got it to this day,” Ward said. “That was probably back in the 70s. Yeah, he was a great guy. A real idol of mine.”

This story was originally published September 26, 2016 at 9:02 PM with the headline "Manatee County golfers remember the legend, Arnold Palmer."