Arnold Palmer has been accused of describing courses created by Jack Nicklaus as unplayable and poorly-designed in terms of maintenance costs. And for his part, Nicklaus was said not to be averse to sneering about Palmer's alleged ignorance of a course he was credited with actually designing.
Whatever the truth of those assessments, Nicklaus is generally acknowledged as a more hands-on designer than his rival. On the other hand, Palmer and his chief-designer, Ed Seay, have a reputation for producing layouts that are more user-friendly and easier to maintain than those by Nicklaus.
In the 1993 book Arnie by Larry Guest, Palmer is quoted as saying of the Bear: "I think our relationship is good but we are competitive and will always be that. Whatever we do, wherever we are, we will be competing against each other. And I think we like that and want it to be that way."
Nicklaus has said: "I became more accepted as time went on but Arnold will always be Arnold. People resented that I was going out to beat the king. But as I created my own record, I was accepted as more than the kid that's beating Arnold Palmer."
Either way, there is no doubting a rivalry which reached another milestone yesterday when The K Club was officially preferred to Mount Juliet, among others, as the venue for the 2005 Ryder Cup. As it happens, the Ryder Cup was staged at Nicklaus's pride and joy, Muirfield Village, in 1987, but 2005 will represent a first for Palmer, in design terms. Two years later, the event will return to a Nicklaus course - Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky.
Against that background, we are very fortunate in having such splendid examples of their respective design skills in this country, remembering that Palmer was also responsible for the fine Tralee layout at Barrow. And it is fascinating to note that the pair are now set to become involved in something very special on their home soil.
Construction work starts this summer on a unique golf course in Florida, by which stage Nicklaus should have fully recovered from his impending hip surgery. For the first time, Palmer and Nicklaus are to pool their creative skills in a collaborative effort to be known, appropriately, as "The King and The Bear." It will be the second course at the Saint Johns development, which is home to the World Golf Village in northern Florida.
A story, possibly apocryphal, has been doing the rounds here for some years now to the effect that on one of his working visits to Mount Juliet, Nicklaus flew in a helicopter over The K Club. Looking down at the embryonic layout, he remarked: "Seems like a fine course. Has Arnold seen it yet?"
Whatever the truth of that story, the timing of it, around 1990, is highly significant. For it is widely accepted that any acrimony which may have remained between them, was effectively dissolved in 1992, when Nicklaus and his committee chose A Daniel Palmer as the honoree at the 1993 Memorial Tournament.
Rarely known to make a snap decision, Palmer initially responded that he'd have to think about it. Then he blurted: "Oh hell, I'm going." The following spring, Nicklaus entered Palmer's Bay Hill Tournament for the first time in 10 years. The king and the bear had made their peace.
"It's my guess that the man who said sex is one of the main sources of disagreements between couples, didn't teach his wife the game of golf" - Golf Journal.
In common with 65 per cent of US citizens, the good folk of Ballybunion haven't lost faith in Bill Clinton. Indeed they will long remember the great good he did their international image by playing their splendid links last September. And their hope is that he, too, retains fond memories of his visit.
So it is that Ballybunion Golfcraft are currently applying the finishing touches to the first of a limited edition of scale models of the famous Old Course. And at the first available opportunity, it will be presented to the golfing president for display in the White House.
Made of a porcelain-plaster mix, the model has been produced to a scale of 1:2,500. "The artist who is painting it with several coats of oils, has been instructed to complete the work as quickly as possible," said Arthur Spring, a director of Ballybunion Golfcraft. An unimpeachable choice, you might say.
Philip Walton represents the Jefferson Smurfit Group on the European Tour, which gave him a special interest in yesterday's Ryder Cup announcement. Indeed I wondered if, for sentimental reasons, he had been tempted to look back at the video he has of the 1995 matches.
Not a chance - he wouldn't dare. "I'm scared of being reminded of what might have happened," explained the player who had the distinction of securing the decisive point in Europe's victory. That was in the second-last singles, in which he beat Jay Haas by one hole, having been dormie three.
"It probably sounds crazy, but I don't want to think about my experience at Oak Hill," he went on. "I know it's three and a half years ago, but any time it comes into my mind, I get this shiver down my spine as I imagine myself having a seven instead of a five at the last hole."
All of which makes it somewhat surprising that he would dearly love to regain his place in the side for Brookline next September. "I realise it will be very difficult: I would probably need to win twice, like I did in 1995," he conceded. "But I want to be able to say that I made the team twice." Clearly, a video is no substitute for the real thing.
Even at a distance of six and a half years, one can safely predict that the par-four 16th hole at The K Club will be pivotal in deciding Ryder Cup points. Never mind its benign name of "Michael's Favourite". The pond fronting the green has become a golf-ball graveyard, with an average of three out of every four players making a contribution.
That's 18,000 balls per year, though I understand not all are retrievable from the muddy depths. And how does this compare with other horror spots internationally? Pretty modestly, as it happens. For instance, the infamous 17th at Sawgrass with its island green, claims no fewer than 120,000 balls per year. That's three balls per player.
"We see guys hitting in one ball after another like they can't stop," said a bemused course official.
It was early morning when the 44-year-old parked his rented car outside the clubhouse, checked his golf clubs in the boot and then slammed it shut. In an instant, Tom Borsello realised to his horror that his keys were in the golf-bag. And the minutes were ticking away to his tee-time at 8.0 a.m.
After travelling the considerable distance from Delaware to Ohio to compete in this important amateur tournament, he was determined not to risk disqualification. So, he borrowed a hammer from the professional shop and smashed the rear window of the car at a cost of about $212.
Having taken out his clubs, he taped a crude covering over the broken window, had a few practice putts and stepped onto the first tee. That was when he had his second shock of the day. He had mistaken his starting time and wasn't due off for a further five hours. "I just went back to my hotel and tried to begin my day all over again," he lamented.
This day in golf history . . . On January 16th 1950, eight days after the scheduled 72 holes had been completed, Sam Snead beat Ben Hogan by 72-76 in a play-off for the Los Angeles Open at Riviera CC. The delay, caused by rain, was especially welcomed by Hogan who had shocked the golfing world by making a comeback to the game, only 11 months after a horrific car accident.
In the tournament proper, 9,000 dedicated Hogan fans turned up to see their hero start with an unsteady 73 before shooting three successive 69s. In fact Snead had to birdie the final two holes to force a tie.
As Hogan limped to the first tee for the play-off, he spied Sports Illustrated correspondent Jack Tobin close by, scribbling in a notebook. "For crissake, Jack," growled Hogan, "you don't have to write down every damn word I say." When asked afterwards why he had made such a remark, the Hawk replied: "I had to get mad at something. I use anger to drive away fear."
Teaser: In a strokeplay event, the winner's prize is awarded to B. The next day, A advises the committee that he had returned a lower score than B. A check reveals that A is correct and that, in error, the committee had failed to post A's score. What should be done?
Answer: Rule 34-1b (Disputes and decisions - strokeplay) does not apply to committee errors of this kind. The prize should be retrieved from B and given to A, the rightful winner.
