Arnold Palmer Design: Latest News

That Arnold Palmer plans to be on hand when The 2006 Ryder Cup is held September 22-24 at Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland, is appropriate, not only because of his affection for one of the great events in golf and his exceptional performances in it, but also because his golf course, The K Club, is playing host to the biennial matches between Europe and the United States.

“I am very much looking forward to watching the matches and seeing how the players respond to competing on what I consider one of my best golf courses,” Palmer, who will be 77 on September 10, said with notable anticipation in his voice. “With some of the changes we made for the Ryder Cup, The K Club has so many strong holes, and I think it’s going to produce an exciting competition. I think the golf course will hold up quite well when it’s all said and done, and I think the players will enjoy the challenge there.”

The United States leads the Ryder Cup series 24-9-2, but Europe has won four of the last five, including a dominating 18½-to-9½ triumph two years ago at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The only United States victory in the last 10 years came in 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. The Americans have not won abroad since 1993 at The De Vere Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England.

The K Club is a parkland-style course that measures 7,355 yards and plays to par 72. Palmer, the winner of 63 PGA TOUR titles, including seven majors, designed the layout in 1991, but late last year he and his design team revised it. Among the alterations: new bunker placements or the addition or removal of bunkers, redesigns of greens, the addition of trees in a few areas and added length to eight holes.

Palmer’s record in the Ryder Cup is one of the most distinguished in the history of the event. In six appearances starting in 1961 and ending in 1973, Palmer played in 32 matches and won 22, the most ever for a U.S. player. His 23 points is second only to Billy Casper, who scored 23 ½ for America. His 11 singles matches and six victories are both all-time highs for the U.S.

The U.S. won each of the six times Palmer competed. In addition, he was the winning captain in 1975 when his U.S. squad swept to a resounding 21-11 decision at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, not far from Palmer’s hometown of Latrobe.

“I’m extremely proud of my Ryder Cup record. It meant a lot to me and it still means a lot to me,” said Palmer, who played in 1961, ’63, ’65, ’67, ’71 and ’73. “From the day I first started playing, I thought that representing your country in a major golf tournament was one of the most important things I could do in the game. I still get all choked up now thinking about how much I enjoyed it, how much fun I had playing, and how I enjoyed winning for my country.”

Palmer said he enjoyed his many matches playing with contemporaries like Jack Nicklaus, Dave Marr, Julius Boros, and Billy Casper. “You play golf with these guys all the time, trying to beat one another as we play against each other, but the Ryder Cup then puts you in a different situation,” he said. “It’s a fun thing, but you’re still very intent on winning. I enjoyed the whole experience of getting to play with various players instead of against them.”

As a captain, Palmer said one memory stands out, aside from the honor of leading a U.S. team so close to home. “The most interesting thing about Laurel Valley was that Jack was on the team, and he was my strong guy,” Palmer recalls. “He played very well in the team matches, but there he was getting beat twice in one day in singles by Brian Barnes. I was glad we didn’t need those points. It turned out that we won, and we won handily.”

Palmer didn’t have any advice for current U.S. captain Tom Lehman to turn around America’s recent ill fortunes. “All I can say to Tom is that once the matches begin there isn’t much he can do, which can be frustrating,” Palmer said. “All he can do is help the guys prepare as best they can and try to put together some teams that click. The rest is up to the guys on the course. I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting week, and we’re going to see a lot of great golf out of both sides, and I expect a close contest. It will be interesting to watch it all unfold, and as the guy who designed the golf course, I suppose I’ll have a little extra curiosity about what goes on.”

The Arnold Palmer Design Company, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, but moving in October to Orlando and Palmer’s Bay Hill Club operations, is a complete worldwide golf course planning and design organization. Its design and business philosophy has been the genuine, traditional, and sound standard of excellence that Arnold Palmer has demonstrated throughout his life and his career.

The staff of the Arnold Palmer Design Company is driven by professionalism and urgency to meet their clients’ needs and requirements. Whether the course is private, resort, or public, the traditional Palmer philosophy is the foundation of every design. “All of the great courses blend in naturally with the existing environment,” Palmer said. “My belief is in straight-forward design that produces courses with lasting quality that are exciting and enjoyable for all players. The designs are founded on the principles and strategies of the game and are sensitive to the land and the environment.”

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Media Contact:
Bev Norwood
216-436-3409
bnorwood@arnoldpalmer.com

Corporate Headquarters As of October 1, 2006
572 Ponte Vedra Boulevard 9000 Bay Hill Boulevard
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082 Suite 300
904-285-3960 Orlando, FL 32819

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