Transcript of Arnold Palmer’s Opinion on Modern Technology (cont.)

ProGolfTalk: ...got around it (the limitations on the ball) by other means”.

Palmer: “That’s exactly right. So you could put restrictions up and they’ll find a way to beat those restrictions whether it be the aerodynamics of the golf ball…you know when they built the first two piece golf ball, hell that was the worst thing you ever had but that’s the reason why the ball goes so far today, well part of the reason, it’s that two piece and the engineering and research and science, the 3-piece golf ball (wound ball) is almost gone forever now.

And so now, whatever you do they’re going to beat it. Now the next time we do it with the golf ball (adjust limitations), if we ever do, we need to bring it back to where a good drive was, you know, in the 60’s and late 50’s I could, hit a ball, hell, they were awful, they were soft like PoDo’s but I could hit it 290.

The fact is that these young people are so strong that we need to engineer this thing backwards a little bit. But still, whatever you do, they’re going to hit it a long way. But we’ve got the golf courses to where they’re long enough.

Question to Arnold Palmer at press interview Bay Hill Invitational 3-18-03

ProGolfTalk.com: Mr. Palmer, Do you think that the changes in equipment that are happening in the game, the ball is going so much farther, the courses are being lengthened, etc., …. Is that something that exists in the nature of the game, the way it changed when you were younger, your equipment got better in your early days and scoring was better. But do you think the changes in equipment that are happening now are such that they are going to alter the fundamental nature of the game and take away shotmaking and take away the ability of the “non-long” hitter to play the game at the highest level?

Palmer: Well, I wish I could answer that question. I can only give you my opinion.

The game has been through constant changes from the day I started playing professional golf. With equipment changes, with golf course changes, with the new, let’s call it “modern” architecture, which has changed certainly the view of a lot of courses and when we go back to some of the golf courses we played in the early days, whether it be Oakmont, or Winged Foot, or Merion or you name it. Most of these clubs had made changes.

I think that we will continue to see changes in golf courses and I’m not talking about lengthening golf course particularly. I think that at some point we’re going to have to stop just lengthening golf courses to appease the players. There will be some of that in years to come but it won’t be a major thing. I think we’ll probably see the roughs get a little tougher. We’ll see the fairways get a little narrower. We’ll see the greens get a little faster and harder and we can do that right now.

But if I were to rule the situation and had the ultimate say as to what was going to happen in the future, I would have to slow the golf ball down.

I just think that everything- we’re going to get better players. You can’t stop the people from being more physical, more mentally alert, more sharp playing the game. That’s going to continue and we want it to.

But the one thing we can pull back and keep the golf courses, the old, good golf courses and the new golf courses that we’re building right now competitive with the game and the strength of the players is to slow the ball down.

And that doesn’t mean just for professionals. That means everyone. The poorer golfer won’t notice it. He won’t notice the slow down in the golf ball.

ProGolfTalk.com: Do you believe that we’re headed toward maybe two different standards, professional and amateur standards, maybe a professional and an amateur ball?

Palmer: Well, I was hoping you wouldn’t ask me that question because I don’t like that thought. I certainly think that is one of the creations we’re looking at and that would be two different standards.

I really would not like to see that but it may be inevitable. It may be something that is going to happen.