johnrubatt

[johnrubatt]

How Arnold Palmer Broke Through and Made an Impact on Golf

One of the most impactful figures in boosting golf's popularity in the United States, Arnold Palmer, burst onto the amateur scene in 1954. The son of a greenskeeper, Palmer had served in the Coast Guard and held a position selling paint in Cleveland. He was a dark horse entry in the 54th US Amateur, going against 1,278 fellow competitors, including notables Billy Jo Patton and Harvie Ward.

Playing on a par-70 course that had been extended to 6,875 yards for the event, Palmer garnered attention for the aggressiveness with which he attacked holes. As his then 16-year-old caddie Jimmy Gill later described it, "If he missed the shot, he knew he would make it up later. He had something about him. That walk of his, the way he attacked the ball."

A defining moment came in the fifth round, when Palmer went against longstanding nemesis Frank Stranahan, both vying to reach the quarterfinals. Stranahan had narrowly defeated Palmer in past amateur competition, extending to 1950, but here the upstart had his number, winning three to one. After defeating 1953 Canadian Amateur champion Don Cherry in the next round, Palmer called his parents, who lived in Pennsylvania. Announcing that he was on to the semifinals, his supportive parents got in their car and drove eight hours to be there for the next 36-hole round. As Palmer described it, "That meant more to me than you can imagine."

What followed was the lengthiest semifinal match in the Amateur's history to that point, with Palmer and magazine publisher Ed Meister trading the lead seven times. On the final 36th hole, all square, Palmer faced near defeat as he overshot the green and wound up buried in a sand trap. However, on the next shot, he angled a miracle shot to within five feet of the hole. He then made a tricky downhill putt with his trademark pigeon-toed stance. As Palmer himself described it, it was the difference between a legendary career in golf and likely toiling in obscurity as a lifetime amateur. The golf club later commemorated the event by placing a plaque at the spot in the sand where Palmer made his miracle shot with a sand wedge.

The match provided more hairbreadth moments, with Meister only a four-putt shot away from defeating Palmer on the first extra hole. On the third hole, Palmer decisively broke the stalemate, launching a 300-yard tee shot and making a birdie on a par 5.

This placed the emerging golfer heads-up against Robert Sweeny, a globetrotting investment banker who had won the 1937 British Amateur and was a regular sparring mate of Ben Hogan. As Palmer later recounted it in one A Golfer's Life article, "To look at us side by side, you might well have thought we hailed from different galaxies." Sweeny came out the gate on fire, building a quick three-stroke lead. However, Palmer doggedly made up ground, pulling even on the 32nd hole. On the 35th hole, Sweeny hit a ball into trees and thick rough and conceded the match when unable to recover. At this point, a 12-piece brass band on the clubhouse terrace started a rousing rendition of "Hail to the Chief," while Palmer's father had a few choice words for his son, newly crowned champion: "You did pretty good, boy."

This unexpected victory upended Arnold Palmer's life as, instead of returning to his paint sales job, he joined the Waite Memorial invitational the next week and, in the course of that event, met his future wife of 45 years. Three months later, Palmer announced he was following in his father's footsteps and turning pro.

Palmer's next milestone, winning the Masters, occurred four years later when he edged Ken Venturi by a single shot at Augusta. The 1958 event pioneered the tradition of offering soldiers stationed at Camp Gordon free admission so long as they ran the leaderboards. The soldier's support was firmly on the side of Coast Guard veteran Arnold Palmer, and they swarmed the green when he made his victory shot. From that time on, "Arnie's Army" was a regular feature of competition that became ever more popular as matches were shown on television. Along with close friends Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus, Palmer came to embody the era of golf's ascent in the public imagination on the national stage.

[johnrubatt]

Tips for Consistency in Faith

People make time for what they care about. Someone who values their faith will make time for God. They seek him consistently in word and deed. Unfortunately, many believers struggle to be consistent with their faith.

The first step to being consistent at anything is to prioritize it. That means doing it even when one doesn't feel like doing it or even when there are no tangible results. For a believer, that means making space for God in their schedule, in both good and bad times.

The best way to make seeking God a habit is to start small. Setting out to read five chapters every day or praying for an hour every day is a relatively high gear to start for most people. It's unsustainable, unlike, say, reading just a verse and saying the Lord's Prayer every night before going to bed.

Breaking big goals into simple tasks that one can stick to and master makes a seemingly overwhelming task less so. Reaching small milestones gives one a sense of tangible success, builds confidence in the process, and helps build momentum.

Reading the Bible shouldn't be mechanical - something one does just so they can cross it off their to-do list. It should be purposeful. One should aim to come away with something each time they read the Bible.

Prayer, too, should be purposeful. Going into prayer with items to pray about makes it meaningful. For example, one might pray for the desire to seek God, to read the Bible, and to practice God's teachings.

It's not enough to read the scripture and pray. True believers practice what they read and pray about. It's the only way to make a virtue stick. The best way to cultivate and embody Christian virtues, such as patience, courage, love, forgiveness, and kindness, is through practice. One should also be intentional about living a moral life by avoiding sin.

Serving others and the community is another way to cultivate consistency in faith. Service to humanity puts one's faith in action. It demonstrates love for others - the mark of someone who truly loves God. Serving others also helps build relationships with other believers, which is crucial for spiritual development.

Praying, reading the Bible, and meditating on the word of God is great. There are, however, levels one can only reach by worshiping and fellowship with others. Besides, working the faith journey alone can be overwhelming.

Joining a community of like-minded people, where one can share their challenges and ideas and get support, helps make things interesting. Fellowships through Bible study, going for missions, or interacting with neighbors also help keep one accountable.

Consistency is about progress, not perfection. One might occasionally forget to pray or read the Bible. Other times, one may forget to be kind, patient, or forgiving of others. They may even miss church or Bible study due to other commitments.

One should give oneself grace and not beat oneself up for missing fellowship. The trick is not to let a slip turn into a catastrophic fall by returning to rhythm as soon as possible. It may be helpful to create triggers that remind one to pray or read the Bible and to track progress.

Seeking God and building a relationship with Him is a lifelong pursuit, not something one does when it's convenient. That's why many people struggle to be consistent in their faith. Some only read the Bible, pray, or ask others to pray for them when things are bad. Others only go to church when everything is going well. It takes intentionality and commitment to go from a fair-weather believer to a devoted one.