Far Hills, N.J. (May 18) – The United States Golf Association has extended an invitation to all golfers to participate in a very special project that celebrates the life of Arnold Palmer.
Arnold Palmer will mark his 80th birthday on Sept. 10, 2009. To honor the occasion, the USGA Museum today launched an online Arnold Palmer Memory Book at usgamuseum.com/arnoldpalmer. The Web site invites people around the world to share personal stories and memories of Palmer in the form of words, photos or video, and allows the public to view other fans’ appreciations of an American sports icon.
The site, jointly designed and developed by the USGA and IBM, moves Palmer’s legendary career and life into the social media world. Now fans can be part of “Arnie’s Army” through an interactive, online tribute to one of golf’s most celebrated players.
“Even if you’ve never had the opportunity to meet him, it seems that almost everyone in and around the game has their own Arnold Palmer story,” said Rand Jerris, the USGA’s director of Communications and the USGA Museum. “Perhaps he was a childhood hero, maybe you once saw him play, or you just have a favorite story about him. The key is that we’re looking for personal memories – honest, from-the-heart sentiments that capture the essence of what Arnold Palmer has meant to the game.”
Later this summer, the USGA Museum will assemble the most memorable submissions into a bound volume, for presentation to Palmer as an 80th birthday present.
To participate in the Arnold Palmer Memory Book, visit usgamuseum.com/arnoldpalmer.
About the USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History
The USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History is home to the world’s premier collection of golf artifacts and memorabilia. The greatest champions and greatest moments in American golf history come alive through entertaining and engaging exhibits. The USGA Museum features a world-class collection of more than 70,000 artifacts.
Visitors also have the opportunity to tour the USGA Research and Test Center and play a round on the Pynes Putting Course, a Himalayas-style green that is open annually from early spring through late fall.
The USGA Museum is located in Somerset County, N.J., near the intersection of Interstates 78 and 287. For more information, please call (908) 234-2300 or visit the Museum Web site at www.usgamuseum.com.
About the USGA
The USGA is the national governing body of golf in the USA and Mexico, a combined territory that includes more than half the world’s golfers and golf courses.
The Association’s most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open. Ten USGA national championships are exclusively for amateurs, and include the U.S. Amateur and the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, provides expert course maintenance consultations, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System®, celebrates the history of the game, and administers an ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program, which has allocated more than $63 million over 12 years to successful programs that bring the game’s values to youths from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities. For more information about the USGA, visit www.usga.org.
Contact:
Dave Fanucchi (dfanucchi@usga.org)
Web Address: www.usga.org
USGA Phone: (908) 234-2300