Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers of all time who popularized the sport and turned it into a glitzy money-earner, has died. Born 20 Sept 1929 7.30am Latrobe, Pennsylvania, to a green-keeper father whose own golf ambitions had been thwarted by childhood polio, he spent his early years strengthening his arms by mowing greens manually. Commentators said of his electrifying style. ‘He held a club like his life depended on it and hurled the ball off clubface like his arms were the cannon. ‘ ‘A grip that could strangle a bison.’ ‘His only thought was to swing as hard as he could and, when he found his ball, to swing as hard again.’.
No surprises then, that he had Mars in Libra on his Ascendant along with Mercury opposition an Aries Moon (Uranus) squaring onto Pluto Midheaven. That’s a power-house of assertion and do-or-die determination. A marked Pluto in the 10th can give individuals great influence and making them ‘a living legend’.
He also had an inspirational and entrepreneurial Fire Grand Trine of Venus in Leo in the friendly 11th trine Saturn in Sagittarius trine Moon, formed into an even more talented Kite with Saturn in a hates-failure opposition to Jupiter. That made lucky, enthusiastic Jupiter the driving planet. His 12th house Virgo Sun square Saturn partly reflects the father held back by ill-health, and also his own understated temperament and common man touch. It held him back from becoming an attention-demanding monster which the rest of his chart could easily have made him.
I recall watching him on golf tournies on weekends during the 1960’s. Tiger had a certain bulldozer approach to golf…