Money never got between Jack Nicklaus and his family. Not once. Not for a big check. And certainly not for a sponsor who thought that they owned a week of Nicklaus during Christmas.

The 18x major champion recently opened up about a story during a conversation on The Big Swing With Jimmy Roberts podcast. He recalled the year he handed back an entire $10,000 annual endorsement fee because he didn't want to give up Christmas with his wife and kids. 

"I had a contract with Tucson National, the golf course, the resort," Nicklaus told Jimmy Roberts.

"They paid me $10,000 a year to wear the Tucson National hat. And then Bill Nanini (developer of the Tucson National Golf Resort) wanted me to come out at Christmas time and spend the week out there with his golf people, which wasn't part of my contract."

When Nanini pushed back and reminded him he had already been paid, Nicklaus did not think twice to hand him back.

"I said, 'Bill, I'm not going to do it. I'm spending Christmas with my family.' He said, 'I paid you this.' I said, 'No, that wasn't part of the deal.' So I gave him back his money," Nicklaus added during The Big Swing With Jimmy Roberts podcast on YouTube.

The story fits the way Nicklaus has always lived

Early in his career, he made a hard rule for himself: he would never stay away from Barbara and their children for more than 14 straight days.

Tour life made that promise hard to keep, and he kept it anyway — flying home mid-tournament to catch a Little League game or a school play, then flying back out for the weekend rounds.

Fishing trips, bike-building, or ordinary parenting stuff is what he chased on his days off, not extra reps on the practice green.

"I don't think records mean a whole lot," said Nicklaus, who had five children and 24 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, per Deseret.com.

"My records will be broken, whether by Tiger or somebody else, it's no different. Could I have done better? Probably. Could I have done better and had less balance in my life? Yeah, but when you look back at the balance I've had, the things I've done and been involved with, the recreation I've had… if I want to fish with the grandkids or take them hunting… there's all kinds of things that I do that I get a big kick out of. Would I want to win more golf tournaments and give that up? Not on your life."

Read more at Club Golf!

Written by

Md Saife Fida