June 19 celebrates Father’s Day and, for golf devotees, the final play of this year’s U.S. Open will coincide on the same day. It will be held at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
I’m a golf devotee. I’m not a player. I’d like to be a player, but my skills on the course are sorely lacking. I grew up with an avid and quite good golfer: my father.
My earliest memories of Saturday mornings include my father rising early, cleaning and polishing clubs, gathering balls, donning handsome cardigans, putting on sporty caps, giving me a smile, and then putting his golf bag in the trunk of the car and heading out.
It is still on my bucket list to become a competent enough player to finish 18 (or maybe nine) holes in somewhat respectable fashion.
My dad was consistent. He was loyal to his foursome. He was a competitor. I never knew him to throw a club. I knew that he loved the game even though it often proved frustrating. He never let me caddie for him.
The Great Golden Bear
Now at 82, Jack Nicklaus’s professional golf career spans some five decades. He won 120 tournament victories worldwide, punctuated by 73 PGA tour victories and a record 18 major championships. He’s a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and has put on the green jacket in a record six Masters.What a golf legacy and, as the firstborn son bearing his namesake, what an act to follow.
In “Best Seat in the House,” Jack Nicklaus II teams up with bestselling author Don Yaeger to share what he’s learned from his famous father in appropriately 18 lessons.
Golf is often referred to as “the gentleman’s sport” since so many of its rules of etiquette demand keen consideration of the other players, the course, and the fans. It is also expected that you conduct and carry yourself well, watch out for emotional outbursts, and certainly neither throw clubs nor bash the greens.
Family First
Jackie’s parents, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, will celebrate a 62-year marriage this year. In addition to their five children, they have 22 grandchildren. All share memories of hunting, fishing, sports, family gatherings, faith, and a legacy of golf greatest by a father and grandfather.Other lessons like “Act like a champion” and “See the best in others” resonate well beyond the golf course. The elder Jack Nicklaus has been equally successful as a businessman; his company has designed hundreds of golf courses worldwide.
Although the elder is a fierce competitor, whether winning or losing, it’s character that counts. Values like fairness, integrity, decency, kindness, honor, and respect come into play.
“Give more than you take in your relationships” is another lesson that Jackie shares about a father who is always willing to mentor other players, even his competitors. He feels it makes the sport better, pushes everyone to improve, and only improves one’s own game.
Beyond the course, making a marriage work or a family more cohesive demands that you don’t keep score. It’s not a 50–50 proposition, but more like 95–5.
A Lasting Legacy
For the elder Nicklaus, his faith is strong and Christ-centered, but ostentatious shows of godliness are not part of his makeup. He’s not about bringing attention to himself. Today, he and his wife, Barbara, are building a charitable legacy with the Nicklaus Children’s Care Foundation as the core. The ability to change lives has brought much joy and satisfaction. Jackie notes that for his father, the smile of a helped child far outweighs making that pivotal putt. The foundation was started in 2004 and, since then, has raised more than $100 million.
Jackie shares a tender and treasured father-son relationship. Being with his father on and off the golf course gave him a vantage point—the best seat in the house—to observe and learn lessons from not only a great golfer but also a great man of faith, integrity, and character. These are valuable lessons from the “Golden Bear” for us all.
It’s a fairly fast read, heartfelt, sincere—in fact, poignantly honest at times. It’s also a loving tribute to a father and a son’s best friend that will surely resonant on this Father’s Day and long after.
