Nicklaus Q&A: Golden Bear's not hibernating just yet
By Dave Shedloski, Partners magazine
Few athletes have aged as gracefully as Jack Nicklaus. His hairline has receded, but only a little, the product of good genes. His waistline has receded a great deal, the product of his still steely determination and competitive zeal.
If there is one endeavor that might be a greater test of will and inner strength than golf, it may be dieting. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the man who was so accomplished at the former could be a champ at the latter, too, once he put his mind to it.
"I've hit a new low this morning," the Golden Bear announces on a winter day in late October, beaming, as he rises from behind a cluttered desk in his office in North Palm Beach, Fla. "It's [dieting] something I've wanted to do -- and needed to do, frankly. It's important."
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It is, indeed, important, most notably because of a large and loving family. But Nicklaus, host of one of the premier events on the PGA TOUR, the Memorial Tournament, is not only aging gracefully, but he also is not slowing down. After four turns as captain of The Presidents Cup -- resulting in two wins and a tie for the U.S. -- Nicklaus has turned his attention to another cause: getting golf in the Olympics.
Second on the PGA TOUR's all-time list with 73 victories, and still No. 1 in professional major championships with 18, Nicklaus has been able to transition seamlessly from the most dominant player in the game to one of the most dominant names in golf course design. More than 300 design credits bear his name, and though Nicklaus Design has not been immune to the economic slowdown, the Golden Bear doesn't lack for work, including a weeklong trip to Asia prior to the holidays.
Nicklaus, who turned 69 on Jan. 21, displayed a familiar brand of wit and wisdom that reminds one why he remains the most compelling interview subject in the game. Partners Magazine contributor Dave Shedloski found the Golden Bear as insightful as ever during an hourlong conversation.
Q: I understand that you've lost some weight, and it definitely looks like you're in better shape. I'm hearing you lost more than 25 pounds.
NICKLAUS: A little over 30 now. I'm doing nutrisystem. I tried diet number 356, and that didn't work. So I went to 357, and after 357 failed I thought I'd try nutrisystem. Since I quit playing tournament golf, I had gained about 20 pounds. I sort of got lazy. I didn't want to do anything, and I think that's probably the norm with most athletes. When they finish playing the sport, all of a sudden they decide they have been working most of their lives and they decide to do nothing for a while. And finally I got so I couldn't stand myself. So I kept looking at all these retired jocks who use nutrisystem, and it seemed to work for them. I said to myself, "I fall in that category. I resemble that remark." So I went ahead and tried it. And it has been absolutely terrific. I'm at 180. That's below where I played most of my life. At first, I was shooting for 20 pounds, but I decided to lose about 10 more pounds since I've shrunk about three inches in height over the years. [Laughs]
Q: Well, you have to keep up with all the grandchildren, right? I understand they're very busy and that you keep track of what they're doing from a master schedule?
NICKLAUS: Rose Garrido [his executive assistant] has the schedule from week to week. Incredibly, we don't have an event today. That's really unusual. But I probably make about 90 percent of them. High school football, middle school football, middle school volleyball ... some days we might be at five events.
Q: Let's talk about what's going on with you right now from the professional side. How's business?
NICKLAUS: The golf course design business is no different than anything else. There's been a great deal of impact [economically], but we've been fortunate. We've got things to do, some nice projects. Most of our work right now is in Asia and the Eastern Bloc, such as Moscow. Plus, we're working in Northern Africa and the Middle East. There's still a fair amount of business in Mexico, and actually quite a bit in Asia, particularly China, and also Korea. Things have slowed down in the United States. I think we have 86 leads for new courses and three of them are in the U.S. We are doing a project near Pinehurst [Stonehill Pines, a 36-hole design in Moore County, N.C.]. We also have another 36-hole project we haven't announced yet, and a few renovations.
Q: So you're ahead of the curve, internationally?
NICKLAUS: Oh, yeah. If we didn't have the international business, we would be trying to figure out what kind of island I wanted to go and sit and drink mint juleps, because I don't have much to do here. Obviously, that's a figure of speech.
Q: When you've done so many courses, is there a challenge in finding something new?
NICKLAUS: We just had a survey done on what people thought of our courses. It showed that people like our golf courses, and that they produce more value to the memberships and real estate. It also said that the golf courses were sometimes not as imaginative as some, but still good golf. Oddly enough, with most of the courses our company does, that's what I emphasize -- to keep them fairly simple. I believe we should design good, solid golf courses that are not too tricky. Now some clients today want that sort of wild look. We can do a wild look. I enjoy that, too.
Q: What a wild look for you?
NICKLAUS: I mean a more rugged look. One that comes to mind is North Palm Beach Country Club, a municipal course down the street to which we donated our design services, where we built dramatic bunkers and greens. Or Bear Lakes Country Club in West Palm Beach. We renovated all 36 holes, but with the Links Course we added some additional spice, and it's a nice golf course. Dismal River [in Nebraska] is another example. That one is a little more dramatic, but in the bunkers more than anything else. Saint Francis Links on the southeast Cape of South Africa has a very unique look. I do it where it's appropriate.
Q: What's the best thing about not playing competitive golf anymore?
NICKLAUS: I haven't found anything good about it.
Q: No?
NICKLAUS: I loved playing golf. I love playing competitive golf. When you don't play very well, which I don't, then you don't enjoy it. I played twice last summer. I played in the pro-am of the Memorial Tournament [in June], and the next time I played was Fuzzy's [Zoeller] charity event, the Wolf Challenge [in August].
Q: Well, your expectations are so high.
NICKLAUS: The one thing about not playing is I don't have to keep my game in shape. But if you have nothing to play for, then you don't play. It's not that I couldn't play or wouldn't, but I just don't have anything to play for, so I don't play. I don't know that there's anything real good about not playing. I really wish I still could. Instead, I watch my grandkids play.
Q: So what's competition for you these days?
NICKLAUS: Tennis. My dad was a good player, a city champion, and he started me when I was a kid. I played a little bit then, and I play a lot now, at least twice a week, and if it's nice tonight I'll play this evening.
Q: Do you have a regular group that comes over and plays?
NICKLAUS: I've got from six to 14 who come over every weekend and we play doubles.
Q: What's your best stroke?
NICKLAUS: I serve the ball all right. I get real ticked when somebody returns it [Grins]. I'm 69 years old and I don't have the power anymore. The serve has always been the best part of my game. I would say volleying is the worst part, and if you don't volley in doubles, you get beat. I think my return is fair. My forehand is probably stronger than my backhand, although I play the ad court most of the time, which is mostly a returning backhand. My reactions aren't as fast as they used to be, but I still move around OK.
Q: It will be 10 years since you had the hip replacement surgery. Still doing OK?
NICKLAUS: It's terrific. I think I'm moving better today than I did at any time in the last 10 years. I run now all around the tennis court and never think about it.
Q: What's your take on the new groove rule passed by the U.S. Golf Association?
NICKLAUS: To simply address the grooves is like throwing a small chair off the deck of the Titanic. Do I think it will affect the game? A little bit. Players won't be able to stop the ball as nicely as they could out of the rough. Does that mean a whole lot? Probably not. Then the USGA will say, "OK, we have to reduce the size of the driver head and that will reduce the trampoline effect." But if you reduce the trampoline effect, then you won't get the launch angles and low spin rates that keep the ball in the air. So what's the result? They're going to have to change the ball to fit the equipment change. In other words, rather than changing the ball first, which would be the simplest thing to do, they're going to adjust the equipment and the golf ball to fit the equipment, which is the answer they ultimately want anyway. But, really, it's only going to affect the good player. They will just have to learn how to hit the shot better.
Q: What about the average player?
NICKLAUS: I don't think the average player will notice. But I think that the new grooves are going to cost the average golfer more money than before unless they can figure out a way to make the golf club more inexpensively or at the same price of today's equipment. I know that as a manufacturer I do not have the ability to make a V groove right now without milling it in. Now maybe somebody's already figured that out, and I'm sure they probably can figure it out. But if not, it's going to cost a little more.
Q: I'm wondering, without The Presidents Cup, what is your connection to the game now, other than the Memorial Tournament?
NICKLAUS: I enjoyed my time as captain. It was a whole lot of fun, and the guys really embraced having me as captain, which meant a lot to me. I loved being involved with an event that has such a global impact. But I knew there would be a time when you become like the relatives who stay a couple weeks too long. I think it was time for someone else to have a chance. And the TOUR had something else in mind for me, and that is having a role in helping golf get accepted into the Olympic Games.
Q: Did that catch you off guard?
NICKLAUS: It's a great honor. If you look at the game, its foundation is built on honor, integrity and sportsmanship, which also embodies the Olympic spirit. So golf's inclusion not only makes sense, but I think it would be good for the Olympic movement. The growth of the game has to happen internationally, and not necessarily in the same places that it has happened before. China has something like 25 cities with a population over two million, and if golf became an Olympic sport, the funding from the Chinese government would produce golf courses all over that country. The same would happen in Russia and other countries with great Olympic tradition. It would be a tremendous boon for the game of golf, and so I want to help them.
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