Readers are bound to learn something from Arnold Palmer’s assessment of JFK’s style—whether it’s how to improve your stance or how to dress if you want to look like a Kennedy heading for the links (or some other life lesson you can use next time you head for The Vineyard).
Even if you don’t have a chance to apply the skills, there’s something wonderful about one iconic figure giving another the once-over. Palmer dissected JFK’s swing using 48-year-old recordings, in which JFK looks a bit more insouciant than athletic. In the interview put out by Golf Magazine, Palmer starts with the obligatory wardrobe assessment: “Blue shirt, pink pants. That’s a good combination … I wonder why he’s wearing sunglasses? I don’t remember him wearing glasses. That was unusual then.”
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Unusual might be what the unknowing gentleman calls a trend-setting man, but Palmer’s other critiques are confined to his realm of real expertise. He starts with JFK’s setup: “He looks pretty good over the ball, pretty solid. But he needs to firm up his arms.” Then he moves through the motion, assessing the backswing, downswing and putting in turn.
Bill Clinton also makes a cameo in the interview, as Palmer compares and contrasts the Leaders of the Free World. “Clinton’s swing might be a little bit more athletic [than JFK’s]. Not much more so, just a little bit. I played with Clinton the other day, at Trump’s course in New York. Clinton can hit it, but you never know what zip code he’s going to hit it into.”
Summing up, Palmer gives us an idea of JFK’s potential: “He’s very fixable … You could see him shooting in the mid-80s. You could see him shooting 85.”
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