Golf Books #287 (Arnold Palmer: Homespun Stories of the King)

About 40 miles east of Pittsburgh is the small town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, a place Arnold Palmer called home for the entirety of his lifetime. “It is impossible to understand Palmer without first understanding Latrobe,” Jim Nantz once said.

The world knew Palmer as The King. The Palmer Latrobe knew was funnier, goofier, saltier, and less grandiose than the one justifiably loved around the globe.

While the recipe for a classic Arnold Palmer Tea calls for one part lemonade, three parts tea, a more suitable blend might be three parts beer, one part champagne–at least when it comes to encapsulating the man those closest to him knew.

In Arnold Palmer: Homespun Stories of the King, journalist, Latrobe resident, and accidental Palmer insider Chris Rodell draws upon over 100 interviews with the golf great conducted over 20 years, providing an intimate, charming, and at times irreverent glimpse at the icon outside the spotlight. Interspersed with fascinating insight into Palmer’s dominance on the course, what emerges is a singular portrait of a true legend that no golf fan will want to miss.

Publication date: May 15, 2018 (source)

About the Author

Chris Rodell is an essayist and journalist whose writing has appeared in publications including Sports Illustrated, Esquire, Men’s Health, Golf, and Arnold Palmer’s Kingdom Magazine. He is the timeline curator for www.ArnoldPalmer.com. A resident of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Rodell is the author of Use All the Crayons!: The Colorful Guide to Simple Human Happiness, and The Last Baby Boomer: The Story of the Ultimate Ghoul Pool.