Golf Channel will carry a three-part documentary on the life of Arnold Palmer — one of the channel’s co-founders — in the run-up to the Masters next month.
The documentary “Arnie” will run April 13-15 in the 10 p.m. ET time slot, following the channel’s “Live from the Masters” show. Golf Channel says sponsors will be attached to the documentary series, but it wasn’t prepared to release any names yet.
“This is the most ambitious documentary project that Golf Channel has ever undertaken,” said Golf Channel President Mike McCarley. “I have wanted to do something like this with Mr. Palmer ever since I got here three years ago.”
Israel DeHerrera and Aaron Cohen produced the series. Mason Seay is the associate producer. DeHerrera had been a producer with NBC Sports Group and oversaw a documentary on the Dream Team that ran during the London Olympics. Cohen’s résumé includes several documentaries carried by HBO Sports.
Golf Channel is breaking the series up into three one-hour shows: “Arnie and His Army,” which explores his influence on sports marketing; “Arnie and His Majors,” which looks into his on-course accomplishments; and “Arnie and His Legacy,” which delves into his influence on popular culture.
“This series will mean different things to different people, depending on their relationship with him,” McCarley said, referencing Palmer’s roles as a golfer, philanthropist and purveyor of an iced tea brand. “At the center of it all is a genuine quality to him.”
The documentary features more than 100 interviews conducted over the past year and unseen footage from some of Palmer’s home movies. The series includes interviews with two former presidents, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
McCarley said Golf Channel will look to do similar documentaries.
“We will do more of this,” he said. “We’re looking at it on a story-by-story basis.”
