Best Arnold Palmer memories, as told by his grandson

The great Arnold Palmer stories include the time a 16-year-old Sam Saunders caddied for his grandfather and tried to persuade Arnie not to hit driver off the deck on the final hole at Bay Hill (Arnie hit driver anyway)

In this episode, Arnold Palmer's grandson, PGA Tour pro Sam Saunders, shares some of the poignant moments he had with with his late grandfather from the past two decades. Saunders details a story from the 2004 API, when he caddied for Arnie in his final appearance there at age 73. Saunders was 16 at the time, and he tried to persuade his grandfather not to hit driver off the deck on the final hole. Palmer stubbornly hit the bold shot instead.

At age 22, Saunders nearly threw punches with Palmer on the driving range after his grandfather tried to lovingly test the thickness of his skin with some well-timed barbs about his work ethic.

Saunders also recalls the final API that Arnie hosted, in 2016, when he proudly followed Sam's first round in his golf cart with Palmer's wife, Kit, riding shotgun.

Saunders shares the friendships he has made because of golf and his grandfather. From big-time PGA Tour players to some of the local Bay Hill members, we get a real sense of the ordinary people who meant so much to Palmer, and Saunders, at the club.

Saunders has a leg injury that will keep him out of this year's API, but he also previews the event and reveals details of the planning that has gone into it.

Lastly, Saunders shares how he wants Palmer to be remembered by golf fans, and how "The King," who died in 2016, might have responded to the challenges of COVID.

Hit the play button above to listen, and watch the video below for more. Look for more new episodes of "Beyond the Clubhouse," coming soon to the Morning Read Podcast Network.

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