‘Playing boldly is a philosophy’: Life lessons from golf legend Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer is one of golf’s greats—a Tiger Woods of the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.

My father taught me a number of things, to have sportsmanship, to have discipline.

My father always told me, “If you are good at something, you don’t need to tell anyone.” That was his way of keeping me humble.

The turning point in my golf career was winning the 1954 US amateur championship.

A good long golf drive is good for the ego and also for your nerves.

Jack Nicklaus, a friend and an intense competitor, had excellent concentration. He could shut everything off.

I could have won more tournaments if I was sharp in my concentration and thinking.

We stop being sharp because there is a certain amount of satisfaction that creeps in.

I was runner up as many times as I was winner. When you are runner up so many times you realise that it is about getting the job done, and that’s purely mental.

Every teacher thinks he has a system that is the best. This is true for golf teachers also.

The main thing my dad told me when I started golf was “stick to the basics—the fundamentals” and you cannot go wrong.

He also told me “Be tough, go out and play your game. A number of people will tell you what you should do, don’t listen to them.”

Finally you have to trust yourself, you have to deliver.

I had lunch with Tiger Woods in 1991 and he said it wasn’t fair to a 21-year-old to be in the limelight and to do the things for sponsors, events, etc.

I told Tiger he was not another 21-year-old. No 21-year-old has $50 million in his bank account. You can choose not to take sponsors and go home.

Most people want to take the benefits of success but don’t want to give back in return, and meet the obligations of taking.

There is a sweetness to the risks I took on the golf course while ignoring its dangers.

Playing boldly is a philosophy of play, not a style. Boldness is a liberating philosophy in life, not a confining one.

At one tournament I beat myself by having a casual attitude on the final day. That’s not good.

The harder you work at anything, the more it will relax you.

For many players golf is a way of making a living. For me golf was a way of being alive.

Losing is a part of life, you have to learn from it. I became a better person by learning from losing.

The greats of the game, those that were seen as cool for the game, always played the game as an expression of who they were.

One of the gifts we can give our friends is to let them know how special they are.

Know your priorities. Know them and live them. You will be surprised how much time you have for things when you are clear on your priorities.

If you don’t like what you are doing in life, then you should not be doing it.

I want my legacy, to be thought of as a caretaker of the game.