“Meeting An All-Time Great”
By George Crocker
Monday, May 12, 2008
One of the perks of my job is that from time to time I get to meet one of the all-time greats in sports.
I’ve been very fortunate through the years. I’ve played two rounds of golf with Michael Jordan. I’ve met and interviewed Tiger Woods. Former Dallas Cowboy’s coach Tom Landry had always been my hero, and I had a chance to meet him.
Then came Friday at Innsbrook. I walked on a golf course with a true legend of his sport, Arnold Palmer.
Palmer’s plane was late that morning, so the schedule was off a bit. Still, when Arnie arrived all eyes were on one of the sports greatest. Palmer took a short ride around the back nine. He then played the ninth hole, before going back to number one for his exhibition.
Palmer looked and played great at the age of 78. His time was limited, so we grabbed a quick interview with him after one of his tee shots.
“I really like what I see,” he said, talking about his latest signature course at the Innsbrook Golf and Boat Club. “The course has really filled in nicely. The winds will make it difficult at times, especially from the tips.”
Palmer was ever bit the gentleman that I had seen on television for years. He truly played to the crowd, and everyone in this version of “Arnie’s Army” really enjoyed the exhibition.
Innsbrook is located between Windsor and Edenton. It’s about an hour drive from Greenville, but well worth the trip. It’s as plush of a golf course that I’ve ever seen in person. At times, it looked like Arnie was hitting off of a green carpet.
The organizers of the event put on a great show. It was a day I’ll remember for quite a long time.
It’s certainly not every Friday that you meet a man like Arnold Palmer.
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