| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : MAY 10, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
| ||||||||
 | ||||||||
| BOOKS
Deft Strokes A GOLFER'S LIFE By Arnold Palmer with James Dodson Ballantine 420pp $26.95 Although his golf game has been in decline for decades, Arnold Palmer remains the champ of merchandising. You name it, Palmer has pitched it--from watches and luxury cars to motor oil and snow tires. And listen to some of the endorsement deals he has turned down: Arnold Palmer orange groves, Arnold Palmer bomb shelters, and even a proposal for a line of Arnold Palmer manure spreaders. In his autobiography, A Golfer's Life, Palmer retells familiar tales from his legendary career: anecdotes drawn from his four Masters victories, from the spirited rivalry with Jack Nicklaus, and from his come-from-behind victory at the 1960 U.S. Open. Those chapters are engaging enough, yet they reveal little that hasn't been told many times. The better sections of the book offer glimpses of Palmer off the golf course. Tales of his education as a businessman are especially noteworthy. In 1956, a young Mark McCormack introduced himself to Palmer, who was practicing on a Masters tournament putting green. Three years later, after McCormack had graduated from Yale Law School, Palmer retained him to manage his business opportunities, as McCormack was beginning to do for other players. As a model for the relationship, Palmer says he looked to the way Clifford Roberts, the iron-fisted chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, had handled business affairs for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Palmer and McCormack turned out to be a dynamic pair, virtually inventing the field of sports marketing. At one point, Palmer relates how it was he himself who came up with his now-famous icon, the multicolored golf umbrella. Every notable pro has such a symbol, from Jack Nicklaus' golden bear to Lee Trevino's wide-brimmed sombrero. Palmer--among the first to develop such a brand--rejected several ideas during a brainstorming session with business aides. Out of the blue, he proposed the umbrella, but ''nobody thought it was close to as good an idea as I did.'' The logo, however, stood the test of time and now appears on most items carrying the Palmer name. There's also a peek at Palmer's family life. He writes adoringly of ''Deacon'' Palmer, his late father and golfing mentor, and of his wife, Winnie. The Palmers have two daughters, Peg and Amy, who are married and have families of their own. When Amy was a small child, Arnie writes, she once observed her father speaking with a group of reporters. She asked her mother: ''Why does Daddy always have all those detectives asking him questions?'' Palmer was born during the Depression, and occasionally he projects a mild stodginess. For example, he seems to feel every fan request must be accommodated, rebuking the occasional PGA Tour player for not paying attention to autograph seekers: ''Where, I wonder, does that fortunate young man think the next generation of golfers will come from, to say nothing of the game's fans?'' All the same, what better footsteps for a golfer to follow in than Arnold Palmer's? BY MARK HYMAN _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
|  |
 | |
RELATED ITEMS Deft Strokes PHOTO: Cover, ``A Golfer's Life'' INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online | |||
