Arnold Palmer Statue Unveiling Set For Oct. 18
10/11/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Oct. 11, 2013
By Gary Petit, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMGolf)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Wake Forest plans to unveil the statue of Demon Deacon legend and golfing great Arnold Palmer on Friday, Oct. 18 at 5:30 p.m.
The unveiling, which is part of Homecoming Weekend, will take place at the Arnold Palmer Golf Complex on campus. Fans attending the event should be advised that parking will be limited.
Palmer will be joined by other Demon Deacon greats including legendary head coach Jesse Haddock, who along with Palmer's help, molded Wake Forest Golf into what it is today.
Created by renowned sculptor, Bruce Wolfe, the statue, weighing 1,392 pounds, stands nine feet tall with an overall height of 12'9" to the top of the golf club. The creation of the statue began in Wolfe's native Northern California. Wolfe, who works from life in clay on all his sculptures, began the process almost two years ago and spent 200 hours on the concept alone, taking more than 100 photographs of Mr. Palmer. Another 50 hours went into creating and perfecting renderings before the sculpting process commenced. Wolfe and his team then spent 8 months developing the clay model. Once it was completed, the clay mold was transported to a foundry in New York where an additional 9 months was spent on casting and finishing. From concept to delivery, the statue has traveled more than 4,200 miles.
At Wolfe's direction, the statue was installed so that Mr. Palmer faces south in order to capture the most sunlight on his face throughout the day. Upon completion of construction of the Golf House, the statue will be moved to its permanent location near the main entrance of the house. There, Mr. Palmer's likeness will not only welcome visitors to the complex named in his honor, but will also serve as a constant reminder of the proud history and tradition of Wake Forest Golf.
