Jack Nicklaus has had some extremely memorable moments over the course his career. Whether your favorite Jack moment is the 1962 U.S. Open, the 1986 Masters or his loss in the Duel in the Sun in 1977, there’s no doubt that the video above ranks right near the top of the list among his post-playing days accomplishments.
Nicklaus celebrates his 77th birthday this weekend, so there is no better time than now to pull this one from the archives.
The backstory goes like this. Harbor Shores Golf Club was designed by Nicklaus and was set to host a number of future Senior PGA Championships. For the course opening, Nicklaus, along with Johnny Miller, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson, played in an exhibition match.
When the match reached the multi-tiered 10th green, teammates Palmer and Miller had their lengthy, 102-foot putt roll back down the slope to their feet. Miller, annoyed by the design of the green, voiced his desire to chip the shot. The course designer Nicklaus took exception to that method of playing, saying that all it took was a good putt. Nicklaus even offered to show Miller the way.
What happened next is what makes Jack so great. The Golden Bear threw his ball down next to Miller’s, took one look at the hole and smacked his putt up the ridge, left-to-right and directly into the center of the cup. Walk off.
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