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How Much Success Would Jack Nicklaus Have Today?

smgoldstein said:
To reverse it a bit. How would Tiger do back in Jack's era? I think he would dominate because his creativity and short game would outclass most. And he would still have the power.
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Agreed, but he'd be kinda wild off the tee with the old drivers?
 
I'm of the belief that in this generation we could not see another Jack or Tiger. The fields are too capitalized.

Both Jack and Tiger had major physical advantages that just aren't possible anymore.
 
I think Jack would do well but I think he would be like Rory and Scottie are today. He was much like Tiger in his prime in that he was 30 yards longer than the field and he was a great putter. With not having that huge advantage of length but with a great putter, yes he would be great and win a lot but probably not 18 majors great
 
He’d still dominate, he’d still be the best, he’d still hold the Majors record, he’d still be the GOAT. He’s Jack……God only made one.
 
JB said:
Would he still dominate?
Are fields too deep?
Would modern equipment make him unbeatable?

Dive in and give your thoughts
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Bobby Jones - would he hit this low spin solid core stuff well? I think probably. I like to follow the Society of Golf Historians. Had a great write up about 300 yard drives with hickory shafted equipment. It apparently did happen.
 
Always wondered about the equipment aspect of it as Jacks swing was for what was used at the time. Changes could be made of course but don’t know if for the better. Bobby Jones was rumored to of had a drop off with steel vs wooden shafts so it’s always been a curiosity.
 
*Range Rat said:
He’d still dominate, he’d still be the best, he’d still hold the Majors record, he’d still be the GOAT. He’s Jack……God only made one.
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I know a couple Jack’s though.
 
When Jack started, you had to play well to make a living. You finish 52nd and you go home with $75. The guys that stayed out and played week to week were damn good or they starved. Today you are a multi-millionaire if you keep your card. Incentives are not the same.
 
These Guys played real Woods, and thin Blades. Their touch and feel were absolute. They'd dominate once they got used to the distances and better Golf Balls. No more grinding away on their Irons in the Garage.
 
He would dominate, he was long with Persimmon. Plus he was very mentally tough.
 
I've seen countless threads with the same debate. Lol.
 
He would win but I doubt dominate. There are too many good golfers around these days. Back in his day, there were a lot less really 'dominant' players ... Jack, Arnie, Player, etc. He would definitely take advantage of the technology of today. If he could dominate using persimmon drivers, still hitting it a mile (he was one of the longest drivers of his time), he would continue to hit it a mile, if not even further, especially a young Jack.
 
Birdieputt said:
When Jack started, you had to play well to make a living. You finish 52nd and you go home with $75. The guys that stayed out and played week to week were damn good or they starved. Today you are a multi-millionaire if you keep your card. Incentives are not the same.
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This cuts both ways though. In Jack's day many people probably chose not to become golfers because the pay wasn't good. So they went into other fields....this is why golf wasn't capitalized back then.

You had Jack, Arnie, Tom Watson etc. But 80% of the field was local dentists, hobos, convicts on work-release programs and people who paid a green fee and mistakenly got entered in the tournament without their knowledge and ended up coming 45th and winning 75$

Today the 125th best player in the world is like 0.5 of a shot worse than the guy in 10th.

This can only happen because the pay is better. If it wasn't, the guy who is 125th would have become an engineer and worked at Nvidia instead.
 
He would be dominant, in any era.
 
Jack would play extremely well and quite possibly dominate using todays equipment.

Without totally derailing this thread; How would todays golfers fair back in the days of balata, persimmon and actual blades?
 
4hourrule said:
These Guys played real Woods, and thin Blades. Their touch and feel were absolute. They'd dominate once they got used to the distances and better Golf Balls. No more grinding away on their Irons in the Garage.
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I agree. With the new clubs and balls, plus all the technology available today at Jack's disposal, he could definitely dominate. For a long time Jack played the MacGregor Tourney, which was an absolutely rotten ball! Other guys on Tour told him to dump it because it was holding him back! Of course, other Tour players told Tiger the same thing about Nike equipment!

But you'll notice that both Arnie and Jack complained about the new era golf balls, not the clubs. 460cc titanium driver heads, graphite shafts, GI and SGI irons didn't seem to be a problem for them, but the golf ball was. I used to be a member on another golf webforum, where a discussion about modern equipment broke out. The owner, and participant, quoted a post I made and said that a test was run with Dustin Johnson using an old MacGregor driver and hit the ball just as far he he usually did. So I quoted his reply and asked what ball DJ was hitting?! Was it a modern ball or the old MacGregor Tourney?
 
18 majors. 18 seconds. 73 wins. THREE Career Grand Slams.

These don’t happen because of weak fields, inferior equipment, etc. This happened because of talent, determination, and a mindset that said, “I am better than you, and we both know it.”

That wouldn’t change today. Jack in his prime would still be dominant today.
 
In my years there have been two professional male golfers who were on a different level. A massively different level. Jack and Tiger. As others have said, it was their mindset. To both, it wasn’t about a competition. They were both them against the course. They weren’t playing against Arnie or Phil. Their sole focus was dismantle the course ahead of them. Watch film of both in tournaments. neither were considered nice guys on tour. Because to them, you didn’t exist. Only the course ahead of them. During the round was pure focus. And they could maintain that focus for an entire tournament, a season, decades. In my opinion, Rory doesn’t have that, Scottie doesn’t have that. Both adapted To the equipment and course conditions presented to them.

Jack would dominate today just as Tiger would have during any other generation. Their mindsets wouldn’t allow otherwise.
 
If it’s a Jack with access to modern tech, training and equipment, he do pretty well. In other words, a Jack born in the 1980s.
 
MonroeBob1955 said:
In my years there have been two professional male golfers who were on a different level. A massively different level. Jack and Tiger. As others have said, it was their mindset. To both, it wasn’t about a competition. They were both them against the course. They weren’t playing against Arnie or Phil. Their sole focus was dismantle the course ahead of them. Watch film of both in tournaments. neither were considered nice guys on tour. Because to them, you didn’t exist. Only the course ahead of them. During the round was pure focus. And they could maintain that focus for an entire tournament, a season, decades. In my opinion, Rory doesn’t have that, Scottie doesn’t have that. Both adapted To the equipment and course conditions presented to them.

Jack would dominate today just as Tiger would have during any other generation. Their mindsets wouldn’t allow otherwise.
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Exactly, there’s no defense in golf. You’re not going against someone, it’s you vs the course. Those that get preoccupied with others often falter.
 
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