Jack Nicklaus’ favorite thing about golf? His answer will warm your heart

This week’s PGA Tour occasion, the Memorial Tournament, is held at “Jack’s Place,” Muirfield Village Golf Club, in Dublin, Ohio.

Jack Nicklaus, who designed the course and serves as match host, is onsite this week, and spent ample time with the media fielding questions about the whole lot from the present state of the sport to his recollections of dropping a U.S. Junior match at at age 14 at Los Angeles Country Club.

At the tip of the session, although, Nicklaus was requested a special type of query.

What would you say is your favorite a part of the sport of golf?

Nicklaus’ answer was equal components touching and relatable.

“Well, the game of golf isn’t, isn’t a part, there are many parts of the game,” he started. “From taking part in the sport — folks usually ask me, what’s my favorite shot that I play, and I mentioned, ‘It’s the one I’m taking part in proper now.’ If that’s not your favorite shot once you’re taking part in it, then you definitely higher work on it till it turns into your favorite shot.

“I like what the sport of golf does for folks. These younger males right here rising up within the sport of golf, they’re going to return out and signify their space. They have grown up round adults, they’ve discovered learn how to deal with adults. They have discovered learn how to develop up and so they have discovered the courtesies of the sport. There’s numerous issues throughout the sport of golf which might be so good. First Tee has been implausible. First Tee has taught the teachings of life to so many youngsters. I believe it’s unbelievable what they’ve carried out.

“We see the golf courses that are being done, the communities that are having tournaments, no different than the Memorial Tournament or Valhalla, when I went to Valhalla the first time, Dwight Gahm, the gentleman who did the golf course, he said, Jack, some day I want to have the PGA Championship here. That’s my goal. Well, he’s had what, five of ’em? He’s done pretty well.”

When a reporter requested a follow-up about the problem of the sport, Nicklaus mirrored additional about what golf has meant to his life.

“There’s a challenge to everything you do in life,” he mentioned. “And if you don’t like, if you don’t like challenges, go someplace else, because golf’s got a bunch of ’em.”

“I love the game of golf,” he continued. “It’s given me the opportunity — I wouldn’t be sitting here if I had missed about 10 five-foot putts. I wouldn’t be sitting here. Nothing, none of this would have ever happened. So I was blessed to be able to do that. I was blessed to be able to take what I did and what I learned and put it to better use.”

The Memorial begins Thursday. It is the seventh of eight Signature Events on the 2024 Tour schedule.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of feminine varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everybody on the masthead. She can out-hustle them within the workplace, too, the place she’s primarily answerable for producing each print and on-line options, and overseeing main particular tasks, resembling GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview collection, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in each within the journal and in video type on GOLF.com.