Jim Furyk walked to the first tee at Doral, hoping to squeeze in nine quiet practice holes. Instead, he found that Jack Nicklaus was already there, and he was invited to join a foursome with Ernie Els and Gary Nicklaus.

From the first swing, Nicklaus made his point. “Jack hit it down the middle,” Furyk said. Els heeled his drive, and two others found the rough. Then came the part no one expected. Nicklaus was the longest off the tee by three yards. That was all he needed.

Nicklaus immediately started in on them, joking about how the “old man” had just outdriven the younger players. Then he backed it up. He birdied the first hole and kept talking all the way to the second tee.

Furyk birdied the next hole to answer back. Nicklaus responded again, birdieing No. 3. Four holes in, Furyk and Nicklaus were already three up.

“He was just chirping all the way around,” Furyk said. At that point, Furyk admitted he did not know Nicklaus well enough to expect that side of him. This was not a ceremonial legend out for a stroll. This was someone fully locked in.

Then Els and Gary tried to press on to the next hole. Nicklaus shut it down instantly. He said, “Boys, step into my office.”

That line said everything. No anger. No effort. Just control. Even in a casual practice round, Jack Nicklaus did not need a scoreboard or a crowd to remind everyone who was in charge.

Jack Nicklaus Is Not Your Traditional Mentor

Jack Nicklaus has never tried to be a traditional golf teacher. He does not offer swing tips or tell young players how to play.

Nicklaus has offered guidance to iconic golfers like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy at his Bear's Club. However, those meetings have been more about discussing decision-making, course management, and coping with pressure, rather than instructions.

Jack once said about young golfers, ''I don’t know why they do it. They seem to think it’s going to help them.” Nicklaus tends to ask questions instead of giving direct orders, leading the players to figure out the game themselves.

When Patrick Rodgers was presented with the Jack Nicklaus Award for the college player of the year, Nicklaus's only message was that he was free to call him at any time if he needed some guidance.

Written by

Dolly Bhamrick

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi