NGCOA Honors Arnold Palmer with Award of Merit and Golf Course of the Year Award

Contact Wendy Saari
512-258-3809
wsaari@ngcoa.org

CHARLESTON, S.C. (January 4, 2002) -- The National Golf Course Owners Association is honoring Arnold Palmer with its Award of Merit and the Course of the Year Award. The awards will be presented at the Awards Banquet on January 23 at the 20th NGCOA Annual Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix, AZ. Mr. Palmer will accept via video.

The Award of Merit is the NGCOA's longest running award. It is given to recognize long-term and significant contributions to the game of golf. The Golf Course of the Year award, which honors a single course for exceptional quality of the course, exceptional quality of the management, outstanding contribution to its community, and significant contribution to the game, will be presented to The Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, FL.

"I am very flattered that the National Golf Course Owners Association Board of Directors has chosen me as this year's recipient of their Award of Merit, NGCOA's longest standing award. It is an honor to be added to the ranks of such noteworthy past recipients," said Mr. Palmer. "I was equally pleased to learn that my Bay Hill Club & Lodge had been selected to receive their Golf Course of the Year Award. I can think of no better compliment for all the hard work my team has done trying to make Bay Hill an enjoyable and memorable place for anyone who visits."

"Golf will forever be in Mr. Palmer's debt for its popularity. His style and charisma made watching golf appealing to the masses, even those who didn 't play the game," said Bill Stine, president of Golf Enterprise and president of the NGCOA Board of Directors.

Arnold Palmer is not only one of golf's all-time greatest players, he is also one of the most beloved players in the history of the game. He has won 92 tournaments worldwide, including eight major championships and ranks fourth on the all-time PGA Tour victory list with 60 titles.

Bay Hill was built in 1961 and in 1965 Palmer played in a golf exhibition at the course with Jack Nicklaus. Palmer fell in love with the course and decided to make Bay Hill his winter home. Together with a group of partners, he purchased the club and lodge in 1970. Today Palmer is the primary owner along with three other businessmen. He is the president of the Bay Hill Club and has a very active role in the day-to-day operations.

The 27-hole course is host to one of the PGA TOUR's most popular events - the Bay Hill Invitational. Bay Hill hosts the "Champions for Children" tournament to benefit the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Women & Children in Orlando and hosts a tournament to benefit cystic fibrosis research. The course also donates over 100 watercolor prints of the 17th hole to local charities, which in turn auction these collector items to benefit their work.

The National Golf Course Owners Association, representing 4,500 golf courses, is an international association devoted exclusively to promoting the interests of golf course owners and operators.

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