Few names, if any, have captured such widespread, devoted and
instantaneous recognition in the world of golf as the name of Arnold Palmer.
This colorful and productive athlete earned and maintains today the prominence
of being the “King” of golf.
His brilliant career in tournament golf- which includes the
winning of virtually every major golf tournament in the United States and around
the world – has given him the opportunity to create and expand a vast golf
business enterprise. While many of the business enterprises he has become
involved in centering on golf are well known, his talent and dimension in the
area of design and the construction of outstanding golf courses is among the
leaders of the profession today.
With the expertise of Ed Seay, golf course architect and director
of design of Palmer Course Design Company, the Palmer-Seay touch has left its
mark on courses located throughout the world. Seay, who is a past president of
the American Society of Golf Course Architects, had the distinction, before
joining Palmer in 1971, of designing many well-known courses. The most prominent
of these is Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida which was the site of the
Tournament of Players Championship from 1977 to 1981, as well as some 75 other
courses and residential developments in the United States.
The Palmer Course Design Company has been involved in over 100
golf course projects covering 21 states, as well as internationally in Japan,
Thailand, Mexico, Canada, China, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand and Taiwan.
A unique achievement was the awarding of the remodeling contracts
to the Palmer-Seay team for both the United States Open Championship at Cherry
Hills in Denver and the PGA Championship at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont,
Pennsylvania in 1978.
In separate sessions, Southern LINKS publisher Mark Brown and
editor Brett Borton both had the opportunity to chat with Palmer about his
endeavors in golf course architecture and his thoughts on the future of course
design.
