Arnold Palmer leaves an amazing legacy | Tim Talk | Tim Hunt | DanvilleSanRamon.com |

Local Blogs

Tim Talk

By Tim Hunt

E-mail Tim Hunt

About this blog: I am a native of Alameda County, grew up in Pleasanton and currently live in the house I grew up in that is more than 100 years old. I spent 39 years in the daily newspaper business and wrote a column for more than 25 years in add...  (More)

View all posts from Tim Hunt

Arnold Palmer leaves an amazing legacy

Uploaded: Sep 27, 2016
I have few regrets in this life, but one of them just became real Sunday. I never had the opportunity to meet “The King,” Arnold Palmer.
Mr. Palmer passed on Sunday, a day before a planned surgical procedure and several months after his health issues had worsened. I saw it from a distance via television as he grew increasingly fragile physically despite his wonderfully positive mental outlook.
I have been seriously engaged in the golf industry for the last eight years and followed it as a fan for more than twice that long. Arnold’s legacy, aside from my almost daily viewing of the Golf Channel that he co-founded, sharpened for me when I did a feature on his restaurant in LaQuinta in the Coachella Valley. It is the only restaurant to bear his name—he and his advisors choose not to expand or franchise the restaurant.
I learned that he had a home in La Quinta and frequented his restaurant. The menu has his favorites such as meat loaf, pot roast, baby back ribs and filet beef stroganoff as well as a Latrobe, Pa (his home town) banana split and his favorite ice cream with berries.
We ate there twice—once for a feature for my web site (www.acesgolf.com) and once on our own. As you would expect, it has plenty of memorabilia and both public and private dining rooms in addition to the bar and a wonderful patio.
Since our first experience there, I have dreamed about being down there in in January or February when Arnold frequented La Quinta.
That will not be because timing just did not work.
One observation from the restaurant that says much about Arnold—there were many exclusive and expensive wines on the menu, but those bearing Arnold’s own brand (in partnership with Luna) were reasonably priced at around $30. It speaks to Arnold’s humble beginnings and his touch and willingness to engage throughout his life with every man and woman and treat them as he would want to be treated.
As Golf Channel has chronicled, his impact will go on for generations—he set the plate for the incredibly prosperous and charitable PGA Tour today. And his philanthropic efforts are an amazing legacy and were established well before the current day efforts of some technology titans such as Bill and Melinda Gates.
Mr. Palmer gave back throughout his life and used his fame to benefit so many other people.
So I will lift an Arnold Palmer today in salute to The King.

Democracy.
What is it worth to you?

Comments

Posted by promoterry, a resident of Highland Oaks,
on Oct 3, 2016 at 6:41 pm

promoterry is a registered user.

Thanks, Tim

A warm story, I, too, would have enjoyed meeting Arnold Palmer.

Terry


Follow this blogger.
Sign up to be notified of new posts by this blogger.

Email:

SUBMIT

Post a comment

Sorry, but further commenting on this topic has been closed.

Stay informed.

Get the day's top headlines from DanvilleSanRamon.com sent to your inbox in the Express newsletter.

Premiere! “I Do I Don’t: How to build a better marriage” – Here, a page/weekday
By Chandrama Anderson | 0 comments | 1,649 views

Community foundations want to help local journalism survive
By Tim Hunt | 20 comments | 1,364 views

Pop open the beer at the holiday table
By Deborah Grossman | 1 comment | 532 views