Arnold Palmer is a four-time former Augusta National champion and competed in the Masters from 1955 right up until making his last competitive appearance in 2004.

That’s a total of  exactly 50 years and no doubt more than 150 rounds, let alone Masters practice rounds and also social matches, on the famed Georgia golfing gem.

And while many still miss ‘The King’ walking the green carpet-like fairways that are Augusta National there is one feature at Augusta that Palmer confessed he won’t miss and that is the famed Eisenhower Tree.

The Eisenhower Tree named after 34th US President Dwight D Eisenhower.

The tree is located to the left and just a short distance from the 17th tee but had to be recently removed after being damaged beyond repair during a recent ice storm.

The tree was the scourge of former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower so much so it was affectionately named – Eisenhower’s Tree.

“I played Augusta every year since that tree was a baby and I watched it grow up,” said Palmer.

“Yes, I had encounters with it.  I won the Masters one year when I hit it right into the tree and hit a 4-iron from under the tree on to the 17th green.  So it was a problem for everybody.   And I played a lot of golf at Augusta with Ike (Eisenhower).  And of course he hated the tree.

“But he was a soft spoken guy and a President who was very enjoyable.  And he didn’t like the tree at all.  A couple of times he told me, he said, Arnie, if I could hit that tree enough to bring it down, I do it.  And that’s in fun.

“But the tree was a hazard, no question about it.  It was a hazard to the professionals playing and particularly in recent years.

“In the early years it wasn’t too much.  I used to just whip it right over the tree.  But now it’s gone.  What are they going to do?  I have no idea.  No one has called and said, Arnie, what do you think we should do?”

However Palmer does have a suggestion.

“I did do one tree similar to that and it worked out well, and that was the tree down the 18th at Pebble Beach,” he said.

“And I was key in that replacement of that tree. We’d moved a tree from No. 1 across 2 and 3, right back up to the 18th and planted it.  And you can see what that tree is doing.

“It’s doing extremely well, and I think it will be there for a lot of years yet.

“So if Augusta wanted to look at it, they could do that.  They could probably put another tree in there.  I certainly think that Augusta National has done more astonishing things than just moving a tree.

“I’d be interested to hear and see what they are going to say about it when I get up there to Augusta.”