JACK NICKLAUS: THE MAN

EVERY GOLFER (even Tiger

Woods) LOOKS UP TO

By LAUREN DEASON
PGATOUR.com Editorial Co-ordinator
From the US PGA Tour website
Jack Nicklaus famously won 18 majors, a record Tiger Woods makes no secret of chasing.
But unlike Woods, Nicklaus had no lofty goal to aspire to, no known heights to reach. Hubert Green raised the question, what if Jack had a mark to attain - how good could he have been?
"For Jack, his standard was Jack. Every time he played, he was the standard...if Jack was told when he came out 'if you win 40 majors you'll be a great player', he might have won 50," Green said.
"He had 19 second-place finishes. Some of those seconds might have become wins if he had a goal to shoot at, instead of being the goal itself.
"Every time he played, he raised the bar one more notch. So you don't know how good Jack could have really been had he had something else to shoot at besides himself."
Since Nicklaus, now 67, has retired from professional golf, that's something we'll never know. What we do know is the World Golf Hall of Fame has chosen to celebrate just how great he was, both in golf and off the course as a father, husband and ambassador of the game.
The life of Nicklaus began in Columbus, Ohio, where his pharmacist father Charlie owned a number of drugstores. During his Midwestern upbringing, young Nicklaus learned to appreciate all sports, not just golf, from Charlie, who played football, basketball and baseball at Ohio State University.
The Nicklaus family lived a life of modest means -- OSU students certainly didn't have a lot of money to spend in a pharmacy -- but his father instilled a tendency towards hard work and an appreciation for the simple things in life in his only son.
"Were we poor? No, we weren't poor," Nicklaus recalls. "No, we were very wealthy in a lot of ways because we had a good memory and a good upbringing, and that was what was important. That was your wealth."
Nicklaus shares memories of his past while sitting on an old swiveling bar stool in a replica soda fountain made to look like the one his dad owned on Ohio State's campus. Complete with individual jukeboxes -- Nicklaus commented that the songs were even dated from the correct era -- and one of those old, ornate gold cash registers that found their way into nearly every drugstore, the mock-up is the introductory room in a special, year-long exhibition at the World Golf Hall of Fame at St Augustine, Florida, dedicated to Nicklaus, "Golf's Golden Champion".
Nicklaus credits his mother, a "pack rat" who "collected a lot of stuff," for saving old pictures and items. Little did she know that one day they'd find their way into a Hall of Fame.
Hundreds of pictures, trophies and mementos make up the extensive display, the sixth at the Hall of Fame to focus solely on one special player. Even the exhibit's informational pamphlet, which was creatively made to resemble something special in the museum, looks like it belongs on the walls.
Jack Nicklaus won 73 times on the US PGA Tour, 10 times on the Champions (Seniors) Tour and has a 2-1-1 record as the U.S. Team Captain for The Presidents Cup. Many items are on loan from Nicklaus' own memorabilia museum in Columbus, and some will cycle back and forth from Columbus, meaning the stories and displays will constantly stay fresh. There are also 11 unique video presentations throughout his portion of the museum.
"I think every time I go through it, I see something that surprises me. It was that way in Columbus, too. Every time I'd go through it, I'd see something different," Nicklaus said. "I think they did a little something similar in Columbus. They tried to tell a story...they take you through a story line -- my life, and my family and my golfing career."
From an original Andy Warhol painting of Nicklaus -- it's one of 10 the famed artist created in his "Athlete Series"-- to equally if not more priceless, refrigerator-worthy art done for "Mimi and Pepow" by Barbara and Jack's grandchildren, the exhibit features items and factoids from his life both on and off the links.
For instance, did you know that Nicklaus didn't have his own Green Jacket at Augusta National Golf Club until 1998, despite the fact that he won his first Masters in 1963? He borrowed one for years until the slight was pointed out and rectified immediately.
Quotes from and about Nicklaus are written on the walls next to memorabilia from his days with dignitaries, athletes, kids and friends. One such quote, attributed to Nicklaus, is displayed on the wall and epitomizes Nicklaus, the Jack of all trades.
"To me, my record is 18 professional majors, five kids, 46 years of marriage, 19 grandkids and a successful business."
The first part of that quote could have been 30, 40 or even 50 majors had he had a benchmark to single-mindedly pursue. But to Nicklaus, everything in his life that truly matters is reflected in his exhibit.