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"Challenge Golf"
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LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB
Here's another nostalgic episode of the 1963 TV show "Challenge Golf", starring two of golf's greatest players of the day, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player. This week's challenging team however, is another pretty fair twosome, Phil Rodgers and young Jack Nicklaus, who has just finished his second season on the PGA tour! This is a very special show, for not only does this match feature Palmer and Player vs. Nicklaus and Rodgers, but the match was played at the exclusive Los Angeles Country Club! But most of all, this is believed to be the only episode of Challenge Golf ever filmed in COLOR -- beautiful Kodachrome!
After Bill Fleming explains the rules of "Challenge Golf", co-host Arnold Palmer introduces himself and the other players, cracking a joke about the opposing twosome before the match begins! Palmer and Player are both miked during the match, and comment on both the course and the action as play progresses, hole by hole. On this 50-minute color video, you'll also see slow-motion shots of all four players in action during the match!
Both teams birdie the par 5, 522-yard first hole to begin the match. In those days, the second hole was a 385-yard par 4. Palmer's 130-yard 9-iron second shot stops on the back edge of the green. Arnie chips in his downhill 20-footer for a birdie 3. Nicklaus pulls his uphill 10-footer, and Rodgers misses his four footer, so Arnie and Gary go one-up after two holes.
It doesn't take long for Nicklaus and Rodgers to bounce back. On the par 4, 387-yard third hole, Jack's 280-yard drive is within a pitching wedge of the hole! His approach lands about 25 feet away from the stick, but Jack sinks a beautiful downhill putt for birdie! Palmer's 15-foot try just misses, and Gary can't hole his 12-footer in an effort to halve the hole, so the match is back even after three holes.
With the match still tied after 5 holes, Arnie's 12-foot birdie on the par 4, 6th hole puts him and Gary one-up again.
As play continues at the 178-yard par 3, 9th hole, Palmer and Player are still one-up. Phil Rodgers' 3-iron drive stops about 15 feet past the hole, but Phil sinks his downhiller for a birdie to tie the match for the second time!
On the 455-yard par 4, 13th hole, Gary Player's 4-wood second shot from 225 yards out stops only 5 feet from the hole! Nicklaus must hole a tough 30-footer but misses, and Gary's birdie from 5 feet once again puts him and Arnie one-up in the match.
At the 15th green, Palmer curls in a wide breaking 40-foot putt for a birdie two! Rodgers is just short on his 20-foot try. Nicklaus also just misses his birdie attempt, and now Palmer and Player are two-up with just three holes to play!
The 444-yard par 4, 16th hole is halved, so Phil and Jack must win the 17th hole to keep playing. All four players' swings are filmed in slow-motion at the 17th tee, as they all drive. Jack and Phil two-putt for par on 17, both missing 40-foot birdie tries. So, all Palmer must do is par the hole in two strokes. His birdie try is short, but when Arnie taps in his two footer for par, he and Gary win the match!
To get your own copy of this nostalgic 50-minute FULL COLOR golf TV show never before available on video, send only $29.95 plus $5.00 for FIRST CLASS SHIPPING! (Illinois residents add $2.00 sales tax.)
"RARE SPORTSFILMS N",
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