Jack Nicklaus: man in many millions

By Neville Leck Last updated: 20th January 2010

There is so much you can say about Jack Nicklaus, who at 70 can still claim to be the greatest golfer of all time.

There are, of course, people, including himself, who feel he might not always be right up there on top of the pile, even in his own lifetime, but at the moment there is a huge question mark hanging over Tiger Woods, the only pursuer with any hope of surpassing Jack's incredible record of 18 major wins and maybe claiming his crown as 'the greatest'.

Tiger needs five more majors to do it, but right now, following the sex scandal that has blown up around him like an ugly cloud and sent the once proud, perhaps even arrogant, World No 1 scuttling into the night and out of sight, there is doubt about him ever returning to the game that has made him the richest sportsman of all time.

Even if he does, there is no guarantee he will be as good as he was. Even for a man with an iron will like he has, it won't be easy standing up on a tee surrounded by spectators who are not likely to be as overwhelming supportive as they used to be.

For many his status as a god will have gone, soiled, as it has been, by his worldly weaknesses.

They say nothing is what it seems, but the memories I retain of Jack Nicklaus at the same sort of age as Tiger highlight him as being a big, blond all-American good guy; a tough as teak competitor who would give nothing away, but was always a gentleman of the highest calibre.

If this father, grandfather and life-time husband was ever involved in dubious actions, on or off the golf course, I don't recall them.

Apart from his stunning feats with a golf club in his hand, Nicklaus can also boast of being one of the greatest golf course designers ever, a shrewd businessman who still sees golf equipment marketed under the Golden Bear brand and who, besides everything else, has built, owns and resides with his family at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, where each year the US PGA Tour stops for The Memorial, one of the key events on its schedule.

The tournament host at the house that Jack built is of course Nicklaus himself.

Nobody without a very strong mind, will ever have managed the nerve-jangling task of winning as many majors as Nicklaus did, and in this brief birthday tribute to the 70-year-old legend, I have a little story that maybe personifies one of his strengths - his memory; something I believe separates the good from the great.

Memory recalls the things we did when we hit that huge drive down the middle of the fairway and reminds us of the way we kept our head down when we nailed that putt from 25 feet.

It alerts us of the dangers of being too aggressive or too cautious and of the things we did right or wrong on the way to our last few tournaments.

Well, Jack is said to have had a great memory - but according to the story I am talking about, only in the way he wanted, perhaps needed, to remember things.

It goes something like this.

At one of his clinics, he was talking about one the tournaments he had played in when a fan piped up: "I remember that hole, Jack. You three-putted it."

Nicklaus apparently glared at the man and snapped. "Not true. I have never three-putted anything when I have been in contention."

It would seem the Bear said what he did tongue in cheek, but, then again the Bear was so damn confident and positive about everything he did on a golf course, he may well have made himself believe what he was saying, even if it wasn't true.

Good on you, Jack Nicklaus. Keep enjoying the journey - even though getting old is not for sissies.

Neville Leck