Golf legend Arnold Palmer and Arnold Palmer Enterprises have renewed their exclusive turf maintenance agreement with Jacobsen through 2014.
The agreement covers the renowned Bay Hill Club and Lodge and the Arnold Palmer Design Co. (APDC) properties in Orlando, Fla., along with the Latrobe Country Club in Latrobe, Pa. As a result of the renewed agreement, Jacobsen will be offering competitive terms on all products supplied to APDC clients, ensuring that their courses are maintained to the peak of perfection.
E-Z-GO, also a Textron company, has an exclusivity agreement with Arnold Palmer Enterprises as well and supplies each of these facilities with golf cars. Palmer’s preference for Textron manufacturing goes beyond his love of the game of golf. He also flies high in the sky with his Cessna Citation X, which he still pilots at the age of 80.
“I am very proud of my long-standing association with the Textron family of companies – Jacobsen, E-Z-GO and Cessna,” Palmer said. “I have enjoyed working with the various companies for many years and remain a Textron fan because of the unmatched innovation and quality of its equipment as well as top-notch service. All of those qualities are extremely important to me when I purchase equipment or make recommendations to my golf course design clients and no one does it better.”
The 18 holes of the combined Challenger and Champion courses at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge play 7,205 yards with a par of 72. The course has a rating is 75.1, a slope rating of 139, and features beautifully maintained Bermuda grass. Designed by Dick Wilson and Arnold Palmer, the Challenger-Champion golf course opened in 1963, and is showcased each spring during the Arnold Palmer Invitational, one of the most popular stops for the PGA TOUR.
The 6,407 yard, par 72 Latrobe course at the Latrobe Country Club was designed by Emil Loeffler, John McGlynn and James G. Harrison, opening in 1922. It is located 40 miles east of Pittsburgh, Pa., in the scenic Laurel Highlands. The course rating is 72.4 with a slope rating of 138. Palmer’s father worked at the club during the construction phase and became the course superintendent in 1926 and the club professional in 1931. Today, the club is managed by Palmer’s younger brother, Jerry.