Jack Nicklaus How Good Was He????

[Ronnoc1980]

HI All,

Watching Sky last night and saw a skins comp with old Jack Nicklaus in and it got me thinking how good was he. I only took up this sport about 5 yrs ago and of that 5 yrs have only started watching golf in the last 4. So i know very little about the old skool of players yes i know Tiger(watched him live OMG) and the Big Easy and these guys seem like they can go on forever.

Watching Jack last night and I know he is getting on now but his putting stance looked crazy and his swing seemed very short and stab like.Before you all start pointing out he is around 60+ i know but his putting stance has always been like this. Player on the other hand looked to have a modern swing and putting stance like wise i think Tiger/Else will still have when the reach Jack's age.

I am in no way slaging Jack off or taking anything away from his 18 majors just asking what made him so good ie good memories of shots he played and the like.

 

[StuartD]

In my opinion, the best ever.

His 18 majors will be passed by tiger but he has a huge number of top three finishes. Also when Jack played there were many golfers that could stand toe to toe and try to match him shot for shot (watson at Turnberry for instance) unlike the modern players who wave a white flag as soon as they walk onto the first tee with Tiger

Gary Player is a fitness nutcase, his body is still more up to the demands of a modern day golf swing. I also think Jack has had a hip replacement.

 

[The23rdman]

A truly great player with an exeptionally strong mind. He always said his stength was he could hit a 1 iron as high as most guys hit their 9 iron!

His putting stroke was very much his own, but he was the most consistant putter out there - especially when it counted.

His swing led to his hip problem due to that really high arc and massive leg drive and reverse C finish.

 

[birdieman]

Jack perhaps didn't have all the shots like Tiger does but he had the same fearlessness and desire to win which sets him and Tiger apart from the rest.
Jack wasn't the athlete Tiger is but he was a very powerful man.
Don't agree that Jack had more good players to compete against, Tiger is just so much better than the rest who are all fantastic golfers in their own right but Jack wasn't that much better than others of his generation - Trevino/Player/Palmer/Watson etc, only a little better.
Don't think guys wave the white flag either at Tiger, the close matches from Holmes/Baddeley/Stenson etc in the WGC last week would testify to that, none of them backed down. Over 4 rounds of strokeplay however Tigers strength and class usually comes through, even if he plays one poor round.

 

[The23rdman]

It's impossible to really compare between the two because they play a different game now.

 

[Ronnoc1980]

Well so far so good lads after last week when I mentioned the DENIM word and got ripped for it i was a bit stand off ish about asking the question of how good Jack was. Just in case it lead to peeps thinking i was having a go at the old boys.

So cheers

 

[fade_away]

Nicklaus was OK but Mr Poulter is the best golfer ever to play the game.

 

[madandra]

I pi55ed myself laughing when in an interview with Tiger a guy said that in regards to world ranking points the gap between world number 2 Phil Mickelson and the world number 1000 was LESS than the gap between TIGER and world number 2 Phil Mickelson to which Tiger replied


'What, Ian Poulter is not 2nd in the world rankings?'


nice one Tiger

 

[Ronnoc1980]

Nicklaus was OK but Mr Poulter is the best golfer ever to play the game.

As you all know i am new on here but it seems Poulter comes in for a lot of stick. I take it your all aware the quote of him saying he was the next best thing to Tiger was in the mag Golf Punk from about 3yrs ago and was very tonge in cheek to try and get the golf Punk Mag some lime light.

 

[madandra]

Connor, he did it again recently and is getting a pounding and rightly so.

 

[Ronnoc1980]

Connor, he did it again recently and is getting a pounding and rightly so.

If he did then sorry but i had a copy of the golf Punk mag from some years ago and thought thats where it had been re-quoted from.When and where was the new foot in mouth quote????

 

[RGuk]

Hold on a minute....

"What, Ian Poulter is not 2nd in the world rankings?"

What's been going on....I thought the world rankings were
1. TW
2. Ian Poulter
3. PM
4. Some random american dude
5. Atticus

Goodness, I need to subscribe to some golf channels......oh whoops, I can't.....I bought a box that could do this (£200) and then freeview changed their mind and re-invented the top up idea.......w****ers.

 

[RGuk]

Shock breaking news......Poulter caught in lie-improvement scandal

 

[viscount17]

The difference between Jack and Tiger (discounting equipment, courses, physio and psychological conditioning) is that in Jack's day there were more <u>competitive</u> players of a similar standard.
There were few gimme titles as the battles between Niklaus, Player, Palmer, Trevino and latterly, Watson show.
There are good players about but where are they when Tiger is playing? I think they do bottle it, playing for a safe top ten that will still bring good money.

 

[HTL]

From what I have seen on my old DVD`s + golf channel he was something else during his golfing era.

What you reading golf punk for connor1980? I dont see how it calls itself a golf mag with all the tits and arse (t+a) in it.

Ian Poulter made his latest `claims` in Golf World.

 

[toonarmy]

Equipment - significantly worse than today, especially the balls and yet still played majestically.

Competition - had to overthrow the people's champion (Palmer) in the face of hostile crowds and then played in a renaissance period of multiple Major winners (Trevino, Player, Watson, Ballesteros etc.)

Courses - played all over the world (before fashionable/paid to do so) on any course in any weather and still won

Format - stroke, stableford, individual matchplay, Ryder Cup, no apparent loss of form (cough *Tiger* cough)

Could charge through a pack (Masters '86) and hold off stiff resistance.

If he had been half the putter Woods is, Woods would not have a cat in hell's chance of catching his career total. Putting was Nicklaus' weak area, hence the odd stance/stroke.

All of this before sports science taught them about nutrition, fitness, rehab, injury prevention etc.

If you want to see how good he was and how tough the competition was, try and catch the last two rounds of the 'Duel in the Sun' (Open '77 Turnburry).

Oh, and an immaculate sportsman (Ryder Cup moment with Jacklin) and a total gentleman who put the people before the prizes and his family above all else. Not many today can say the same.

In his prime, it was about what you could do with the golf ball on tough courses. Not the glorified putting contests that many tournaments are today.

 

[Ronnoc1980]

From what I have seen on my old DVD`s + golf channel he was something else during his golfing era.

What you reading golf punk for connor1980? I dont see how it calls itself a golf mag with all the tits and arse (t+a) in it.

Ian Poulter made his latest `claims` in Golf World.

It was a one off when i bought it and i am pritty sure you will find that golf world took the quotes from golf Punk.Could be wrong tho maybe Mike H with his inside info might know.

 

[Boabski]

i am too young to remember Jack in his prime but i have heard he was something special

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Jack Nicklaus was simply the greatest golfer of his generation (in the same way Tiger is of the current generation). He did more to promote golf in the 1960's both here and the US than any other golfer of that era. He was the fashion icon with a game to match that all American blond haired athletic body.


His swing may not have been text book (particularly the head turn at address but hands up who HASN'T tried it at least once) which led to health problems in later life.

His putting style was unique and at times he was a bit of a streaky putter but when he was hot there were none to touch him particularly from 6 foot in.

He also had more head to head competition of his day (Watson, Palmer, Player, Trevino, Millar). Because the season was shorter with fewer events it meant that the top guys were playing head to head week in week out. As such his record of 18 majors is one only ever likely to be surpassed by Woods. Even so, the equipment was not as forgiving, the courses not nearly as well manicured as they are today and there weren't all the perks of todays golfer (courtesy cars, 5* hotels tour vans etc)

What no-one has mentioned is that he was one of the first to develop from a top golfer into a golfing businessman, certainly one of the first to move into course design. He had a successful business "Golden Bear" which I think were under the MacGregor umbrella at one time.

He also was one of the pioneers of getting golf out there and more accessible to the youngsters and not a pursuit of the rich and famous.

All in all the best of his era and still one of the games greatest icons

 

[viscount17]

I saw a reprise of an old programme recently that was compiled from interviews with, primarily, Niklaus, Player and Palmer.
I couldn't believe it when they said the three of them would often share rooms on tour (and at least once, wrecked it!).