Jack Nicklaus Quotes Page 2

“I've been fortunate over my career to make a little history on the 16th hole at Augusta National.”

“If I had one golf course, from a design standpoint, one that I really love, it would probably be Pinehurst. There's a totally tree-lined golf course where trees are not a part of the strategy.”

“It's hard not to play golf that's up to Jack Nicklaus standards when you are Jack Nicklaus.”

“Mostly I built golf courses the way I played golf, which was left-to-right. But I learned very rapidly that people wanted to see more than just the way I played golf and that I had to balance up what I was doing, right-to-left, left-to-right, etc.”

“My ability to concentrate and work toward that goal has been my greatest asset.”

“People don't want to go to the dump and have a picnic, they want to go out to a beautiful place and enjoy their day. And so I think our job is to try to take the environment, take what the good Lord has given us, and expand upon it or enhance it, without destroying it.”

“Professional golf is the only sport where, if you win 20% of the time, you're the best.”

“Public appearances are a headache. I hold mine down to a minimum.”

“Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation.”

“See, as much as I love the game, golf was my vehicle to competition. And I love to compete.”

“Sometimes the biggest problem is in your head. You've got to believe you can play a shot instead of wondering where your next bad shot is coming from.”

“Success depends almost entirely on how effectively you learn to manage the game's two ultimate adversaries: the course and yourself.”

“The fact is, I diet every day of my life. I have to work at it. But I diet so I can pig out.”

“The game is meant to be fun.”

“The long irons are the nemesis of the average golfer. I'm convinced that the underlying reason for this is that he keeps hearing how hard they are to handle. They're not that difficult, truly.”

“The longer you play, the better chance the better player has of winning.”

“The older you get the stronger the wind gets and it's always in your face.”

“The Senior Tour is a good concept, although frankly I'm not astounded at its continued success. It gives a lot of guys an opportunity to extend their careers.”

“The way I pack is I look at how long I'll be gone and I pack day for day. If I'm going on a three-day fishing trip, I plot each day. I put most of that in a little bag. If I'm going from there to work on golf courses for a few days, I plot that trip.”

“There are always new places to go fishing. For any fisherman, there's always a new place, always a new horizon.”

“There are no maladies in my golf game. My golf game stinks.”

“There isn't a flaw in his golf or his makeup. He will win more majors than Arnold Palmer and me combined. Somebody is going to dust my records. It might as well be Tiger, because he's such a great kid.”

“This is a game. That's all it is. It's not a war.”

“Through the years of experience I have found that air offers less resistance than dirt.”

“Well, the biggest rival I had in my career was me.”

“When I fly in a helicopter, I insist there be two sets of controls, one for me in case something happens to the pilot. I'm no expert, but I know enough to at least get the thing on the ground. Nothing scares me like the thought of not being in control.”

“When I want a long ball, I spin my hips faster.”

“Whether it's pool or Ping Pong, I can't stand to have my kids beat me. Especially Ping Pong! And when they beat me, they just needle the devil out of me. That's fine. I'd rather have that than let them win a shallow victory.”

“Why are we building golf courses? Because we enjoy being outside, bringing man and nature together.”

“Writers have told me more than once that I'm a better interview in defeat than in victory, which is a compliment I am extremely proud of.”