Wake Forest Joins Latrobe for Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience
5/18/2023 9:44:00 AM | Men's Golf, Women's Golf
Wake Forest fans and alumni are invited to Latrobe Country Club the first weekend of June for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to take a walk through history by participating in the Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience in Support of Wake Forest Golf.
Those attending will tour Arnold Palmer's office and workshop and be able to hold his actual clubs in their hands while hitting off the driving range. Saturday will conclude with dinner and cocktails, and a round of golf at Latrobe on tap for Sunday.
"Latrobe, for anybody who likes golf, is a bucket list-type of experience," said Jason Peevy, Vice President, Outreach for the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. "It's really a place where one of the most significant sports figures in American history learned how to play the game.
"We're excited to have our friends from Wake Forest there. It's going to be a great couple of days with some golf mixed in. It's a chance to go behind the scenes and see Mr. Palmer's famous office."
Palmer's desk in his Latrobe office holds special historical significance, given the way he corresponded with other important figures at that time.
"He was a prolific letter writer," Peevy said. "He never sent an email or text, but he wrote thousands of hand-written letters from his desk in Latrobe to dignitaries and sports figures all over the world to whom he was connected. It really is a special experience to go and see his office.
"He also was a tinkerer with his golf clubs and collected putters and clubs. He was constantly reconfiguring them to suit his eye. His workshop is also an interesting place to check out."
The warehouse that will be part of the tour is absolutely sprawling with artifacts and trinkets.
"There's a warehouse on the property that is hard to put into words," Peevy said. "He was a collector and kept everything. Walking through that space and seeing the rows and rows of shoes, golf bags and clubs — there's snowmobiles and the Penzoil tractor from that commercial. It really is a walk through time in golf history and is just incredible."
Wake Forest men's golf head coach Jerry Haas likened the warehouse to one of the scenes from the original Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark, when he walks into Hangar 51.
"It just goes on and on, with all the memorabilia, clubs and shoes," Haas said. "It's unbelievable. Then we have dinner there and get to play the next day. You get to experience a piece of Wake Forest history, in terms of what he did for golf and Wake Forest.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to go to a place that's hard to get to the museum and get to go to Latrobe. We're just trying to do a little something different. The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation wanted to do something to help Wake Forest golf. It's something I'm really looking forward to"
While it's designed to be a fundraiser for the Wake Forest golf program, Haas said it opens up an opportunity for fans to do something that very few have access to.
"We have so many good things happening here," Haas said. "We have back-to-back rookies of the year on the PGA Tour with Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris. It's a proud heritage of golfers through the years. Curtis Strange went into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
"If Arnold Palmer doesn't come to Wake Forest, then maybe Wake Forest golf isn't what it is."
A trio of Wake Forest women's golfers (Emilia Migliaccio, Rachel Kuehn and Lauren Walsh) will be at the event before playing in the Arnold Palmer Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., just a few days later.
Kuehn is returning to Wake Forest for her fifth season of competition next year and has been awarded the newly created Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation Women's Golf Scholarship.
"It's going to be a great day," said Wake Forest women's golf head coach Kim Lewellen. "We'll have a lot of Wake Forest folks interested, but they will also get to see Latrobe and see what Arnold Palmer's life was like there.
"The women's game has grown significantly in the last few years. They want to help strengthen women's sports. For us to have the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Women's Scholarship, and Rachel Kuehn to be the first recipient, just makes perfect sense. She is returning for a fifth year and will be playing in the Palmer Cup for a fourth time.
Lewellen sees the legacy experience and the scholarship creation as part of an effort to keep Palmer's impact at the forefront.
"It gives me, Rachel and our team an avenue to continue to talk about Arnold Palmer and what he did as a human being," she said. "That's what the umbrella has become to us. We want to ensure that his legacy remains timeless.
"We want to make sure those life lessons are never forgotten. We want to take what he brought to the world and put it out there and grow his spirit."
"He stands for a lot of the same things Wake Forest stands for — the Pro Humanitate spirit," Haas said. "He was kind to people, and still a great champion."
The connection is simple for Peevy — it's impossible to tell the Arnold Palmer story without Wake Forest.
"It's such a big part of who he is. It's a crucial part of the story," Peevy said. "We speak of Latrobe as the origin story of the Palmer Legacy. To make the connection and have our friends from Wake Forest experience that is really important, not just to the foundation, but to the Palmer family.
"Mr. Palmer was a trustee at Wake Forest, and hosting Wake Forest administrators, donors and friends at Latrobe over the years was something he was fond of doing. This feels like a continuation of what he loved to do with the people he cared about at Wake Forest."
The two-day event with Wake Forest fans, alumni and supporters is a way for the foundation to give back to the Wake Forest golf programs.
"It's important for the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation to support Wake Forest in general, but particularly the men's and women's golf teams," Peevy said. "Later this summer, the university is going to officially announce the golf scholarship for the women's golf program. That's part of what we're going to be raising money for at this event.
"There's been a long running history of support for Wake Forest golf, and we want to continue that into the future. It's a long relationship with the Palmer family and Wake Forest, and we want to continue that support. We're going to have a great experience and great golf tournament, but the reason behind it is to continue to support the Wake Forest golf programs, which helped shape the Palmer legacy."
Those attending will tour Arnold Palmer's office and workshop and be able to hold his actual clubs in their hands while hitting off the driving range. Saturday will conclude with dinner and cocktails, and a round of golf at Latrobe on tap for Sunday.
"Latrobe, for anybody who likes golf, is a bucket list-type of experience," said Jason Peevy, Vice President, Outreach for the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation. "It's really a place where one of the most significant sports figures in American history learned how to play the game.
"We're excited to have our friends from Wake Forest there. It's going to be a great couple of days with some golf mixed in. It's a chance to go behind the scenes and see Mr. Palmer's famous office."
Palmer's desk in his Latrobe office holds special historical significance, given the way he corresponded with other important figures at that time.
"He was a prolific letter writer," Peevy said. "He never sent an email or text, but he wrote thousands of hand-written letters from his desk in Latrobe to dignitaries and sports figures all over the world to whom he was connected. It really is a special experience to go and see his office.
"He also was a tinkerer with his golf clubs and collected putters and clubs. He was constantly reconfiguring them to suit his eye. His workshop is also an interesting place to check out."
The warehouse that will be part of the tour is absolutely sprawling with artifacts and trinkets.
"There's a warehouse on the property that is hard to put into words," Peevy said. "He was a collector and kept everything. Walking through that space and seeing the rows and rows of shoes, golf bags and clubs — there's snowmobiles and the Penzoil tractor from that commercial. It really is a walk through time in golf history and is just incredible."
Wake Forest men's golf head coach Jerry Haas likened the warehouse to one of the scenes from the original Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark, when he walks into Hangar 51.
"It just goes on and on, with all the memorabilia, clubs and shoes," Haas said. "It's unbelievable. Then we have dinner there and get to play the next day. You get to experience a piece of Wake Forest history, in terms of what he did for golf and Wake Forest.
"It's a wonderful opportunity to go to a place that's hard to get to the museum and get to go to Latrobe. We're just trying to do a little something different. The Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation wanted to do something to help Wake Forest golf. It's something I'm really looking forward to"
While it's designed to be a fundraiser for the Wake Forest golf program, Haas said it opens up an opportunity for fans to do something that very few have access to.
"We have so many good things happening here," Haas said. "We have back-to-back rookies of the year on the PGA Tour with Cameron Young and Will Zalatoris. It's a proud heritage of golfers through the years. Curtis Strange went into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
"If Arnold Palmer doesn't come to Wake Forest, then maybe Wake Forest golf isn't what it is."
A trio of Wake Forest women's golfers (Emilia Migliaccio, Rachel Kuehn and Lauren Walsh) will be at the event before playing in the Arnold Palmer Cup at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa., just a few days later.
Kuehn is returning to Wake Forest for her fifth season of competition next year and has been awarded the newly created Arnold and Winnie Palmer Foundation Women's Golf Scholarship.
"It's going to be a great day," said Wake Forest women's golf head coach Kim Lewellen. "We'll have a lot of Wake Forest folks interested, but they will also get to see Latrobe and see what Arnold Palmer's life was like there.
"The women's game has grown significantly in the last few years. They want to help strengthen women's sports. For us to have the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Women's Scholarship, and Rachel Kuehn to be the first recipient, just makes perfect sense. She is returning for a fifth year and will be playing in the Palmer Cup for a fourth time.
Lewellen sees the legacy experience and the scholarship creation as part of an effort to keep Palmer's impact at the forefront.
"It gives me, Rachel and our team an avenue to continue to talk about Arnold Palmer and what he did as a human being," she said. "That's what the umbrella has become to us. We want to ensure that his legacy remains timeless.
"We want to make sure those life lessons are never forgotten. We want to take what he brought to the world and put it out there and grow his spirit."
"He stands for a lot of the same things Wake Forest stands for — the Pro Humanitate spirit," Haas said. "He was kind to people, and still a great champion."
The connection is simple for Peevy — it's impossible to tell the Arnold Palmer story without Wake Forest.
"It's such a big part of who he is. It's a crucial part of the story," Peevy said. "We speak of Latrobe as the origin story of the Palmer Legacy. To make the connection and have our friends from Wake Forest experience that is really important, not just to the foundation, but to the Palmer family.
"Mr. Palmer was a trustee at Wake Forest, and hosting Wake Forest administrators, donors and friends at Latrobe over the years was something he was fond of doing. This feels like a continuation of what he loved to do with the people he cared about at Wake Forest."
The two-day event with Wake Forest fans, alumni and supporters is a way for the foundation to give back to the Wake Forest golf programs.
"It's important for the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation to support Wake Forest in general, but particularly the men's and women's golf teams," Peevy said. "Later this summer, the university is going to officially announce the golf scholarship for the women's golf program. That's part of what we're going to be raising money for at this event.
"There's been a long running history of support for Wake Forest golf, and we want to continue that into the future. It's a long relationship with the Palmer family and Wake Forest, and we want to continue that support. We're going to have a great experience and great golf tournament, but the reason behind it is to continue to support the Wake Forest golf programs, which helped shape the Palmer legacy."
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