EDITOR’S LETTER
From one perspective it is incredible to consider that Arnold Palmer would have been 90 years old this September 10th. Whatever effects his age might have brought to his later years, I remember him only as vibrant, engaged, and driving forward—charging forward en route to another victory, be it on course or in business or simply in turning what would have been an otherwise ordinary day into an extraordinary memory for those in his orbit. In Arnie’s case, as R&B singer Aaliyah sang, “Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number.” His is a timeless soul with timeless impact, exemplified in the efforts of the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation, which continues his philanthropic legacy, and in the wide array of Palmer-honoring celebrations that occurred around the September birthday. We look at those and at other celebrations on page 78, while comebacks worth celebrating are recounted on page 40. Tiger Woods, a man who knows something about both comebacks and celebrations, appears on page 52, while the state in which his newest course design is set to appear (Hawaii) is dreamily offered up on page 86. When Palmer was born in 1929, Spain was still years away from the civil war that would define much of its 20th century. How much it has changed, but then how much of its ancient spirit remains in the spirit of its people (p94). Other good news for wine lovers is found on page 164, where Bay Hill’s own Wine Spectator Award-winning sommelier offers tips on holiday pours (find advice on holiday fare on p160). The Women’s Golf Journal team offers perspective on p120 and business leader Paul Sarvadi charts a path forward for success on p138. In the end, if one tried to calculate the sum total of good information and advice that occurred over the 90 years since Arnold Palmer was born, it would take far more than a single issue of a magazine to contain it. Still, with a glass of Ketel One raised high in Palmer’s honor, we hope that this issue of Kingdom provides a fulfilling fireside companion, whether you’re wintering by an actual fireside or—as Arnie did—closer to a beach somewhere.
“I’m not much for sitting around and thinking about the past or talking about the past. What does that accomplish? If I can give young people something to think about, like the future, that’s a better use of my time.”
Happy holidays to you and yours, and may your birthdays be toasted long after you’ve stopped counting the candles on the cake.
— Arnold Palmer