WGHOF Induction: Arnie reflects on 34th President

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The legendary Arnold Palmer, part of the original class of inductees into the World Golf Hall of Fame, is speaking on behalf of the late President Dwight D. Eisenhower during Monday's ceremony when Eisenhower will be inducted. Palmer spoke with the PGA TOUR Network's John Swantek about the legacy of Eisenhower and his impact on golf. Here are some excerpts from that interview. To hear the complete version of Palmer's interview with Swantek, click here:

Join GOLF CHANNEL host Rich Lerner on Nov. 2 at 10 p.m. ET to see the 2009 World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony presented by Shell. The coverage will also air on GOLF CHANNEL Nov. 3 at 3 a.m. ET, and Nov. 3 at 8 a.m. ET.

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Click here to check out his induction page on the World Golf Hall of Fame's official Web site.

EISENHOWER'S IMPORTANCE. "He meant a great deal to me, but he was a good friend. And we had many days and hours of private conversations, some golf and all the things that were very important to both of us."

FIRST MEETING. "I don't think I could forget that. It was at Augusta, and it was 1958. It was the Monday after I won The Masters."

IKE'S GOLF ABILITY. "At the peak of his game, he played quite well. I would say he was a consistent low 80s shooter."

HELPING HIM OUT. "I gave him a few instructions, yes. There were some things that were very, I suppose, obvious and I helped him. I suppose an example would be if you recall how the generals, being Army people, always wore their belt buckles to their right side. And one day I said to him when he was practicing, 'Mr. President, you need to keep that right elbow in a little closer to your right side.' He did, and we played that day. When we finished, his right elbow was bleeding. I said, 'You really carry that to an extreme.' But that was the way he was. He was a very constant man, and he enjoyed the golf and instruction he got."

IMPACT ON GOLF. "Of course, I think it had a tremendous influence on the game of golf, and the fact that people became more aware of it through the fact that the President of the United States was a golfer and loved the game. And that had an influence on the numbers that you were quoting a moment ago."

IKE'S SURPRISE VISIT WHEN PALMER TURNED 37. "I remember it quite well. It was quite a surprise, and it was a weekend that, of course, you could never forget. I would never forget it, and some of the things that happened that weekend are still very clear in my mind. Something like the painting he brought of his Gettysburg farm that he did personally, and just the fact that he was an enjoyable person to be around and to talk to."

IF IKE WERE ALIVE TODAY. "I think it would be one of the pleasures of his life to know that he has been instilled into the Hall of Fame, and it's been a pleasure for me to carry that to the Hall of Fame. I couldn't be happier than on Monday to induct him into the World Golf Hall of Fame. If there was something more I could do to make it more obvious, I would do it."