Who knew that Arnold Palmer always wanted to be like one of us? Does this mean he has to apply for a press credential if he wants to attend the Masters?

What’s next? Arnie on Twitter?

Golfchannel.com announced this morning that Palmer will become a regular columnist on the site. At age 83, I guess it’s never too late to try new things.

By the way, Palmer is a founding partner in the Golf Channel. Does the guy ever lose?

Of course, Palmer’s columns will be ghost-written. Still, it will be the voice of the King. His first column is titled: “State of the Game.”

Palmer opens:

I have been around the game of golf since I first hit a ball when I was 3 years old. That was 80 years ago. I still have interests in golf course design, course ownership and so on, but I haven’t really played competitive golf for quite some time. So as 2012 comes to an end, I’m seeing the game as you do: as a casual player, as a fan and as a businessman. And I like what I see.

Not a fan of the long putter:

Do we have issues? Sure – what truly global enterprise doesn’t? We need to keep bringing the game to youngsters and women. We need to address the distance that today’s ball travels. Slow play is turning time-starved people away from the sport. We need to encourage nine-hole rounds. We have environmental concerns to deal with and we have to keep a vigilant eye on the standards of sportsmanship that set our game apart. The U.S. Golf Association and R&A recently announced a ban on the practice of “anchoring” clubs – usually a long or belly-length putter – against the body. I applaud them for not only their ruling, but also for the patient and thoughtful approach they took, studying the issue for years and across all levels of golf before making their decision. There was nothing knee-jerk about it. The game is in good hands.

Dan Jenkins might have said it in a different way. Then again, Palmer hasn’t had as much practice as Jenkins.