Hyped Up Jack Nicklaus: ‘The Best Golfers Are Past’
Jack Nicklaus wrote an op-ed for Golf Digest his month. Nicklaus blasts the state of the game, saying the best golfers (except for Tiger Woods) have left the sport, and technology improvements have made players lazy:
The best golfers should be better today than the best golfers of yesterday. At the moment, I’m not sure that’s the case. I realize I’m an old fuddy-duddy, and that previous generations always say that their game was better. I guess I’d plead guilty—in part. But here’s the difference. The game in terms of equipment barely changed for 60 years. Then with the equipment revolution that began with metal clubheads in the ’80s and accelerated with dramatic ball technology in the late ’90s, the game changed radically. The best players suddenly found themselves able to hit shots more easily and consistently, as well as pull off shots they never would have tried in the past. It made the game for elite players simpler and easier.
So why do I think this is bad for the professional or competitive game? Because modern players don’t have to develop the skills they used to and are not as well-rounded as they should be.
Wiley old Jack has even more to say on the state of the game. Check the article out here: Jack Nicklaus is teed off!
February 20th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
go jack.
February 21st, 2007 at 7:12 am
[…] Eddie has the full story on the GolfNow blog . […]
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:21 am
Jack is y but he makes some valid points. He had some true rivals.
Were it not for the likes of Lee Trevino, Tom Watson and perhaps one or two others, Nicklaus probably would have won something like 22-23 professional majors. (Tiger ought to be happy he’s not chasing THAT record.)
Jack came in second in majors 19 times! I plead guilty to being a Golden Bear fan. He was The Man when I was growing up.
February 22nd, 2007 at 6:48 pm
[…] Jack Nicklaus says equipment is making golf too one-dimensional and too easy. I’ve only been playing for 10 months, but I can already see his point. There is soooooo much technology in EVERY aspect of the game it’s kind of weird. The club, the shaft, the GPS unit in my hand and the ball that flys 40 yards farther than the one Jack played with….their all the result of BILLIONS on R&D. […]