A King, An Army and Little Things

"The King is dead... the Army marches on...  and little things matter." - Anonymous




An umbrella seems like a little thing - until it rains. Seeing a 'thumbs up' sign might seem like a little thing - unless you're one stroke down, in the rough with one hole to play - and the sign comes from Arnold Palmer. And whether you call a man Arnie, Arnold, The King or some other popular moniker might be a small matter - but not if he deserves to be called Mr. Palmer.

I was a young executive with IMG when I first met Arnold Palmer in 1986. He was bigger than life and even nicer than his press clippings declared. I could see why they called him The King in an instant.

Here was a man, who could 'walk with kings and keep the common touch'. By now everyone knows Arnold Palmer was a transformative figure. Not only did he alter the game of competitive golf and shift the balance of power, but he did it while opening the game to a new generation of golfers. He did it by being the 'everyman' who walked into a country club setting and claimed his place - politely, with respect... but make no mistake, forcefully.



"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated" - Arnold Palmer

My favorite story about Mr. Palmer is not about his golf prowess, his excellence as a businessman or the way he defined the American Dream. It is not about his overwhelming charisma, his humble nature, or how he helped invent modern day sports marketing.

My story is about the day he took time out from his very busy schedule to pose for a photograph with my wife Sally... and later signed it to her dad Ken, for his 75th birthday. Unbeknownst to Arnold, Ken had once golfed with his father Deke at Latrobe G&CC in 1960 (give or take a year or two).



But that's just a part of the story. Fifteen years later, I asked Mr. Palmer if he might send a note of congratulations to Ken on is 90th birthday. Arnold agreed, on the condition that I send him some information about Ken, so he could send a customized note.

True to his word, shortly before Ken's birthday a letter arrived on APE letterhead bearing the signature of one Arnold Daniel Palmer. In the long letter, he complimented Ken on his many holes-in-one (more than I have had!) congratulated him on continuing to play into his nineties and encouraged him to keep it up. "It will keep you young" he said in closing.

A man who is among the most famous sportsmen of all time, doesn't have to take the time to send a personal note. But to this man... it was simply a part of who he was.

Little things.

Arnold Palmer and Mark McCormack formed a team that created an entirely new industry. IMG was an audacious experiment in 1959 when it was formed by a handshake between these two men.  It became an amazing agency... one that created the opportunity for me to earn a living, doing things I loved, in an electric environment. I owe much that I have accomplished and the lions share of what I have learned in business to these two giants.




















So we lost a King last week, one that led an army of people into a new age of golf, leaving a legacy that transcends the game and one that firmly proves that "Nice guys can finish first."

To me he will forever be Mr. Palmer.

Just one of those little things.