What Cologne Did Arnold Palmer Wear? (Quick Facts)


Charismatic professional golfer Arnold Palmer was well known for being a kind and thoughtful human being. But people who met him couldn’t help but notice that he always had a very distinctive fragrance. This left many people to wonder exactly what cologne Arnold Palmer wore.

Musk Monsieur was the cologne most associated with Arnold Palmer in his later years. His staff would look forward to smelling the fragrance each day because they knew that he’d be close behind.

Keep reading to learn more about this distinguishing fragrance and the man who captured hearts worldwide.

What Cologne Did Arnold Palmer Wear
From flickr

A Brief History of Arnold Palmer

Arnold Palmer was one of the greatest American professional golfers of all time. 

He was the first professional golfer to connect with fans in a way that helped him to become a household name. You can say that he laid the noteriary foundation for golfers like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Prior to Palmer, golfers weren’t endorsers, entrepreneurs, and philanthropists on as large a scale as he was.

Born Arnold Daniel Palmer in 1929, his family wasn’t elite. The child of a country club greenskeeper in the steel mill town of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Palmer would walk the green with his father as he worked. It was his father that taught him the game of golf. 

After attending college for one year on a golf scholarship, Palmer enlisted in the military where he built his own 9-hole golf course and continued to practice the sport. He later returned to college and became a professional golfer in 1954 after winning the U.S. Amateur competition in Michigan.

Palmer continued to compete nationally and internationally. U.S. Open and The Open Championship wins and tour events are too many to count. He won his first Master’s Tournament in 1958 and every two years afterward until 1964.

In addition to owning a Florida golf club, Palmer designed over 300 golf courses internationally. He also helped found the American sports television network, The Golf Channel. 

And who can forget his non-alcoholic eponymous beverage made by combining sweet tea with lemonade? He was a spokesperson for brands like Lincoln-Mercury, raised money to help fund children’s hospitals, authored a dozen books, and much more.

Even in later life, fans would correspond with him by mail. A man of humility, Palmer spent hours per day consistently autographing items sent to him by fans. 

Pamer, also known as, “The King,” died September 25, 2016 due to heart complications. But as his nickname suggested, has remained one of the most impactful and well-loved professional golfers of our time.

Arnold Palmer SWING After Shave

You may not know this but one of Palmer’s many entrepreneurial efforts included releasing his own fragrance during the 1960s. SWING after shave was taglined, “That Arnold Palmer Magnetism.”

Words on the 4 oz vintage bottle read, “Splash on some SWING after shaving, after shower – whenever you want the lift that only a real man’s after shave can give.”

It’s rather humorous and reflective of the perspective of manliness during those times. 

In a vintage advertisement from 1966, SWING was described as, “…a real man’s way to good grooming!” In addition to after shave, the set included cologne, deodorant, and shave cream.

Finding the fragrance notes for SWING proved impossible. But based on the language used in the vintage ads, I would imagine it had sharp woody and fresh notes.

Musk Monsieur Spray Cologne

Described as “the cologne that announced Arnold Palmer,” Musk Monsieur was assuredly his signature scent. 

Mr. Palmer jokingly liked to keep people guessing about what brand cologne he wore, but its scent was as memorable to those who encountered him as any of the work he had done in the golfing industry.

One of his most distinguishing features. Everyone around him knew “that” smell.

Released in 1973 by the French company Houbigant Parfum, Musk Monsieur is an amber musk cologne created with men in mind. 

This scent can be worn during every season, but it might project too far during hot summer days. Day or night wear is also acceptable. Its most noticeable scent is musk and there are tobacco and warm spice notes combined with sweet, powdery notes as well. 

Musk Monsieur seems to no longer be manufactured by Houbigant Parfum but it was definitely a scent that Palmer continued to wear all the way through to his death. 

It was obviously a potent fragrance that Palmer had no intentions of subduing. He seemed to get a kick out of the extensive projection and lasting impact that his cologne had on those around him.

Should You Wear a Scent Similar to Musk Monsieur?

However strong the fragrance, it seems that Palmer’s staff, friends, and family looked forward to encountering his scent because they sought to engage with him as a human being.

More than his golf wins, entrepreneurial success, and charisma, Arnold Palmer left a positive impression on others by treating them with kindness and respect. His personal fragrance helped solidify those interactions by becoming an emotional prompt.

Musk Monsieur triggered a positive response in the amygdala of thousands of people who had the pleasure of interacting with Arnold Palmer.

You may or may not want to find a cologne that smells like Musk Monsieur. But what you might want to aspire towards is treating people in a manner similar to Arnold Palmer. Your character, paired with your signature scent, can leave one of the most desirable kinds of a lasting impressions on others.

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Grace

Hello and welcome to Fragrance Advice! My name is Grace Young, and I’ve been drawn to fragrances since I was a little girl. There's just something about scent that brings me so much joy! 

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