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Cole frolicked with Palmer on and off the course, beginning when he was a youngster.
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Eric Cole loved a house recreation of kinds final week on the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which could appear unusual whenever you understand the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year at present resides in Delray Seaside, Florida — an almost 3-hour drive from Bay Hill Membership and Lodge.
What made it a “residence recreation” is Cole’s connection to Orlando and the match’s namesake. Sure, that match namesake. Cole was born in Palm Springs, California, however spent his adolescence in Orlando, taking part in golf on a junior membership at West Orange Nation Membership.
It was throughout highschool that Cole befriended one other freshman by the identify of Sam Saunders. Cole and Saunders have performed loads of rounds collectively through the years, together with greater than 50 with Saunders’ grandfather: Arnold Palmer. Lots of these rounds with “The King” occurred at Bay Hill and Latrobe Nation Membership in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Requested lately what stood out from his time taking part in with Palmer, Cole dug by means of the reminiscence financial institution and selected one from their time off the course within the bowels of Bay Hill’s membership room — a spot Palmer frequented when he wanted to regrip a membership or tweak a lie angle.
Palmer was the epitome of a “gearhead” who beloved to speak store about instruments previous and current. One have a look at the membership assortment he amassed at “The Barn” in Latrobe confirms his place on the head of the gearhead desk. Throughout a latest interview on GOLF’s Fully Equipped podcast, Cole admitted he by no means caught the gear bug, however watching Palmer work on his instruments stays one of many highlights of their interactions.
“It was one thing I knew was particular, even at the moment,” Cole stated. “You attempt to take a second and understand how cool it was. However wanting again on it, I most likely ought to’ve requested him extra questions and valued it extra.”
Youngsters hardly ever ask questions, Cole included, however no less than the 35-year-old was clever sufficient to glean just a few bits of drugs intel from Palmer that stick to him to today.
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“He was very old skool with the way in which he [built his clubs],” he stated. “A number of guys as we speak use one piece of tape below the grip, whereas he’d use a spiral wrap design that plenty of gamers again then used. He had huge arms, so he made the membership look actually small. It seemed like a toy.”
The “spiral wrap” was a Lamkin leather-based that Palmer and Jack Nicklaus most popular throughout their heyday. The leather-based was added to the tip of the grip in a “wrap type” that took endurance and precision to get excellent. Even when the business moved to rubber grips that have been extra economical and simpler to use, Palmer used a wrap-style rubber version when he was an honorary starter on the Masters.
“It was actually cool to be within the room with him telling tales about how totally different golf golf equipment was, and the consistency of golf equipment now versus then,” Cole stated. “A number of these tales I’ll bear in mind ceaselessly.”
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