LET'S TALK TO GORD IN ONTARIO. ARNOLD'S BEING SILLY AT THE BREAK, FORGIVE MY GIGGLING. GORD, ARE YOU THERE?
GORD FROM ONTARIO
YES, THANKS PETER FOR TAKING MY CALL.
PETER KESSLER
YOU'RE WELCOME.
GORD FROM ONTARIO
UM, I'LL BE VERY QUICK. MR. PALMER, AS YOU ENTER YOUR YOUNG 70'S, WHEN YOU LOOK BACK ON YOUR CAREER, WHAT WOULD BE THE GREATEST CONTRIBUTION THAT YOU'VE MADE TO THE GAME OF GOLF, YOUR OPINION?
ARNOLD PALMER
OH, MY OPINION, I'M NOT SURE THAT I'VE MADE IT YET, BUT IF I CAN GO AWAY LEAVING THE TRADITION AND THE INTEGRITY OF THE GAME STILL INTACT, I WOULD BE VERY, VERY HAPPY. AND I MEAN THAT VERY SINCERELY.
PETER KESSLER
HOW IS THE STATE OF OUR GAME?
ARNOLD PALMER
WELL, IT IS FANTASTIC. BUT WE - LIKE ANYTHING THAT IS GROWING AS FAST AS GOLF IS . AND OF COURSE, THE NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION WILL TELL YOU THAT WE'VE LEVELED OFF IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO .
BUT WE'RE GROWING AND MORE PEOPLE ARE COMING INTO IT. AND WE REALLY NEED, VERY DEFINITELY, TO TEACH THEM TO RESPECT THE GAME AND THE - IN THE .
ALL THE THINGS THAT HAVE MADE THE GAME SO GREAT, UH, THE TRADITIONS. AND IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ALL THOSE THINGS, THERE WOULDN'T BE AS MANY PEOPLE OUT HERE FOLLOWING IT AS THERE ARE.
SO WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT THAT. BUT TO - RIGHT NOW, I WOULD SAY THAT .
THE BUSINESS OF GOLF IS A BIT TOUGH, UH, BECAUSE THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THE BUSINESS OF GOLF. WE NEED TO LET THE - THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW THE BUSINESS RUN THE BUSINESS.
AND WE NEED TO UH, MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP UH INTACT THE TRADITION, THE DRESS CODE. I MEAN, PEOPLE GO OUT THERE HALF NUDE NOW AND PLAY GOLF. THAT BOTHERS ME.
I LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE DRESSED PROPERLY. AND I LIKE TO SEE THEM FEEL SOME FEELING FOR THE GAME AND MEANING AGAIN . AND I GO BACK AND IF I REPEAT MYSELF, I'M SORRY .
BUT INTEGRITY FOR THE GAME AND THE TRADITIONS. UH, I SAW UH, COSTNER WEARING A NECKTIE THIS WEEK. I DON'T THINK THAT WAS ALL BAD. I THOUGHT HE LOOKED PRETTY GOOD WEARING A NECKTIE.
AND THAT ISN'T SOMETHING THAT WE'RE ALL GONNA DO. BUT I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT PART OF THE GAME KEPT INTACT.
PETER KESSLER
LET'S SEE WHAT TONY IN SASKATCHEWAN WANTS TO ASK. GO AHEAD TONY.
TONY FROM SASKATCHEWAN
HI PETER, HOW ARE YOU?
PETER KESSLER
VERY WELL, THANK YOU.
TONY FROM SASKATCHEWAN
THANK YOU, MR. PALMER, FOR THE GOLF CHANNEL, NUMBER ONE.
ARNOLD PALMER
THANK YOU.
TONY FROM SASKATCHEWAN
MY BEST FRIEND, TWILA (SPELLING-???), SAYS 'HELLO' TO YOU TOO. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A YOUNG PLAYER WHO IS TIRED OF PLAYING THE CASUAL AND WANTS TO GET COMPETITIVE AND PERHAPS BE ANOTHER YOUNG ARNOLD PALMER LIKE YOURSELF?
ARNOLD PALMER
WELL . I WAS TEACHING MY GRANDSON UH YESTERDAY. AND I - AND UH,
AND I WAS GIVING HIM THE BEST I HAD TO GIVE HIM, AND YOU KNOW I WOULDN'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING ELSE. BUT UH, THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS OF THE GAME AND PRACTICE THEM, KEEP THEM, STAY WITH THEM .
WHEN YOU PRACTICE. AND DON'T CHANGE EVERY TIME SOMEONE COMES WITH A SUGGESTION ABOUT 'THIS IS GONNA MAKE YOU PLAY BETTER',
JUST STICK WITH THE BASIC FUNDAMENTALS. AND I'M GONNA TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN CREATE IN YOUR OWN BODY AND MIND SOMETHING THAT WILL LAST FOR A LONG TIME.
BUT IF YOU CHANGE EVERY TIME YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION, YOU COULD BE IN VERY SERIOUS TROUBLE.
PETER KESSLER
WHEN WE COME BACK, I UNDERSTAND YOU'VE INVITED A FRIEND OF YOURS TO DROP BY.
SO WE WILL INTRODUCE HIM AND HAVE A LITTLE CHAT WITH HIM AND TEASE EACH OTHER. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH ARNOLD'S BUDDY, GARY PLAYER.
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