Connected to The King The Greenbrier’s long and storied history is interwoven with Arnold Palmer’s.
There probably isn’t a golf course in the United States – or anywhere around the world, for that matter – that hasn’t been impacted by the life of Arnold Palmer in some way, but the legacy of “The King” at The Greenbrier is one that dates back to the beginning of Palmer’s legendary career and continues to this day.
Palmer, who passed away in 2016, would have celebrated his 90th birthday this week on September 10, and The Greenbrier will celebrate the life and the lasting legacy of a man who had a special connection with America’s Resort™.
“Arnold Palmer meant everything to anybody who has been around the golf, and The Greenbrier is certainly no different,” said Robert Harris, Executive Tournament Director, A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier. “Everybody at The Greenbrier seems to have an Arnold Palmer story, and his impact is felt here every day.”
Palmer played professional golf for more than half a century, entering the pro ranks in 1954 and not retiring until 2006, but one of the first professional paychecks the Latrobe, Pa., native ever received was handed to him at The Greenbrier.
Palmer was invited to play in The Greenbrier Open, a pro-am tournament hosted by The Greenbrier’s legendary professional Sam Snead. The tournament was held May 12-15, 1955, and Snead personally invited Palmer and his wife, Winnie, after developing a relationship with the couple at The Masters the month before.
28 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier Official Program Palmer was paired the first two days with an amateur named Spencer Olin, the chairman of a large chemical firm. Together, the two tied for first in the team competition. Palmer finished in a tie for seventh overall after four days, earning $280 of the $10,000 purse, but Spencer gave the young golfer half of his winnings from the Calcutta he had entered, and Palmer left The Greenbrier with nearly $10,000 in his pocket.
“When we got back to Latrobe, Winnie and I decided to buy a car, and we went to Forsha Motors and bought a brand new 1955 Chrysler New Yorker with some of our Greenbrier earnings,” Palmer remembered in his book, A Life Well Played. “It was the first new car I ever owned. It was tan with a beige interior. Man, it was a sweet car.”
A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier Official Program 29 After such a strong early impression, Palmer was a regular fixture at The Greenbrier, making many return trips to the famed West Virginia getaway.
He played competitive rounds in The Greenbrier Open in 1961 and returned in 1986 for The Greenbrier American Express Championship, a Senior PGA TOUR event held on The Greenbrier Course.
When The Greenbrier Classic first began in 2010, Palmer was there to watch his grandson, Sam Saunders, try to navigate those same Old White TPC fairways more than 50 years after Palmer’s rounds with Olin.
Palmer’s most recent visits to The Greenbrier came over the course of his last few years as he met with his longtime friends Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino.
Palmer’s history with The Greenbrier stretches from his first days as a professional to his final days on this earth, with many stops in between. That’s a big reason why one of the game’s most legendary figures mentioned The Greenbrier — along with Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Latrobe Country Club, Pine Valley, Cherry Hills Country Club and St. Andrews — in the final chapter of his book as some of the most meaningful golf courses in his life.
As much as The Greenbrier meant to Palmer, he meant even more to the thousands of ladies and gentlemen he interacted with on his numerous visits to America’s Resort™.
Happy birthday to the King!
30 A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier Official Program