Southside
It was a different time, for sure. That was back when the beat reporters for the local newspapers had unfettered access to the pros back in those days. They didn't have to call an agent to talk to his player, he just simply approached him after the tournament, and the player obliged.
It was a time when the sports writers were just as much a part of the weekly tour grind as the players themselves were... most were fairly close to the players, some were even considered friends. As a result - there was a degree of respect that was extended, from both the players and the reporters. The sports writers didn't care about what was going on outside the ropes, because just about every last player had their demons. Maybe it was alcohol... maybe it was drugs... maybe it was philandering. But the writers respected their private lives, and never once thought about a sensational story beyond the ropes that might compromise their working relationships with the people they covered.
Arnie, I'm sure, took advantage of his situation in life, as did a lot of other players back in his days. Stories have surfaced over the years (oddly enough - from sources other than those writers who were covering the sport). It's just a reminder that however iconic these guys were with regard to their status within the sport - they were human.
Social Media today has completely changed things, and as a result we the fans rarely get more than a sniff of who these current guys really are outside of golf. Not that I blame them... I don't want my personal life plastered all over the internet no more than the next guy.
It was just a different time. And it goes without saying that despite his lifestyle outside of golf, however liberal it might've been, it doesn't in any way, shape or form change the positive impact he had on the game.
Arnie was golf. Arnie still is golf.
Long live the King.