Jack Nicklaus is supposed to be retired, but his continued insistence on trying to change the game of golf to suit his personal ideas is still causing controversy. Nicklaus, well-known for his criticisms of Augusta National for trying to keep up with the times and lengthen its layout, apparently thinks he can do anything he likes with “his” tournament, the Memorial.

Nicklaus took the thoroughly weird step of snapping off every other tine in the bunker rakes at the Memorial. The idea, as he told ESPN, was to “equalize the game. I think the game was about 80 percent shotmaking and 20 percent power when I played. Power has always been an advantage and always will be. But, I don’t like to see it 80 percent power and 20 percent shotmaking.”

The result, of course, has been roughed-up bunkers that are anything but fair, according to the players.

Jeff Maggert told the Associated Press the move was “Mickey Mouse”

Ernie Els said: “You’re either lucky or unlucky. If you’re unlucky, you have no shot, basically. I don’t care how good of a bunker player you are, you have no shot. But, I guess that’s what they want.”

Nicklaus needs to get out of his arrogant habit of trying to re-shape the game in his own image and go fishing.

Permalink 1 comment

Bookmark/Search this post with: