Director of Golf at Lough Erne Resort, Lynn McCool has revealed this week how herself and golfing legend Arnold Palmer “just struck it off” when they met eight years ago.
Since then she had met ‘The King’ of golf a few times before his death on Sunday and she joked, I used to say to him here comes “your little Irish best friend”.
Arnold Palmer is widely credited as the man who brought the game of golf to an international audience and helped commercialise the sport, turning it into the multi million pound brand it is today.
He passed away on Sunday aged 87.
Lynn first met the man she refers to as “Mr Palmer” at the PGA Golf Show when it was hosted at Arnold’s Palmer club at Bay Hill in the United States.
The second time she met the golfing legend, the former Ladies PGA professional got to play in front of him and admitted it was a nerve wracking experience.
“I had written an article on putting for Mr Palmer’s magazine Kingdom Magazine and was at Bay Hill with my husband when he was holding a corporate golf event for the magazine. I was invited to play and he came out to watch me hit a shot to a par three and I was shaking. He has such an aura about him and was so friendly and welcoming,” explained Lynn.
She added: “He was totally revered in the United States but what set him apart was what he gave back to everybody, there is no security at Bay Hill, it is one like big family and I was always made feel very welcome and he always went out of his way to help you and talk to you. I think he was the same with everyone, to be honest and that is why he was so popular.”
Lynn last met Arnold Palmer in January of last year.
“I was playing Bay Hill with my father and we had just finished the front nine when I saw Mr Palmer but my dad had walked on to the 10th tee.
“I told Mr Palmer that I had my dad with me and he came back down that evening and met my dad. That meant a lot to me and was typical of the way Mr Palmer went out of his way to meet people. It is so sad that he has passed away but he has definitely left a legacy.”
And that legacy will be evident at Lough Erne Resort with the annual King’s Cup played in honour of the great man.
The inaugural King’s Cup was played at Lough Erne this year and featured amateur golfers of all handicaps playing in teams from the United States and Ireland in a Ryder Cup style event.
It was a great success and the second staging will take place next year with provincial qualifiers for the Ireland team taking place around the country before a final qualifier at Lough Erne before the final team is named.
As such then the Palmer legacy with the game of golf, with Lynn McCool and with Lough Erne Resort is set to keep on going.