Jack Nicklaus claimed golf had three major problems back in 2012 which were causing millions of people to quit the sport

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Golf is still far from perfect, with legendary figure Jack Nicklaus alluding to that idea over a decade ago.

Nicklaus remains hugely influential in the golfing world, having won a stunning 18 major championships during his playing career.

Tiger Woods thinks he’s more skilful than Nicklaus was in his prime, although it is the latter who tops their battle for major championship wins.

Woods occupies second in the all-time list with 15 titles, although he is joint-top of the PGA Tour wins list.

The iconic golfer sits level with Sam Snead on 82, while Nicklaus is next in line with 73 successes on the PGA Tour.

The three major problems golf had in 2012 according to Jack Nicklaus

But Nicklaus was not happy with the state of the game back in 2012, when he said in ‘A Conversation on Golf’ at Sandhills Community College: “In 2005 I think we had about 20 million golfers.

“Now we have about 15 million golfers. We have lost almost five million golfers in the last six or seven years.

“We have lost a tremendous number of women golfers. We lost 37% of the women. 23% of the kids have left the game.

READ MORE: What Jack Nicklaus urged Tiger Woods to do on the PGA Tour in 2023 but he refused

“So what is the problem? Well, the problem is that you out there understanding that life has changed in this country.

“We are in a computer age. We are in an age where everything is instantaneous, it’s fast. People don’t want to spend five or six hours doing something.

“All other sports are played in three hours or less. We have got to wake up in the game of golf for the game of golf to continue.

“The three main things we have got to think about are that the game of golf is too hard, the game of golf is too expensive and it takes too long. Those are the three things.

“We have to address this. I think the USGA right now are doing some testing and getting some information on these issues and I think the golf ball will probably be the biggest issue of that. I think they are going to bring the golf ball back.

“The reason they are going to bring it back is, for whatever percentage they bring it – let’s just take a number, if they brought it back 20%, you would have 20% less maintenance costs, you would have 20% less land, you would have how much less time it would take to play the game.

“These are all things that would improve the game for the average golfer, plus the fact that they are not doing it for the pros they are doing it for you [the amateurs]. They are doing it so you can have a game which will be sustainable.”

What is the current situation with golf ball rollback?

Remarkably the golf ball roll back situation is ongoing, with the new rules concerning that issue set to come into effect in the near future.

Rolling back the distance golf balls can travel has been on the minds of the USGA and the R&A for some time now, with their efforts set to produce a change for elite competitions from 2028 and recreational golfers from 2030.

The governing bodies have listened to feedback from golf’s stakeholders, and have reacted to the increased gains in the sport by making a significant change.

READ MORE: Golf claimed to be making radical change to the whole sport just to protect St. Andrews and Augusta National courses

New regulations mean that golf balls can go no further than 320 yards when hit with a club head speed of 125mph during testing.

Under the revised rules, the game’s biggest hitters could be set to lose around 13-15 yards of distance on the course.

In general, a distance loss of 9-11 yards could be witnessed on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, with that range decreasing to 5-7 yards for the LPGA Tour and LET, the same for everyday golfers.

Brooks Koepka’s coach isn’t convinced about golf ball rollback, but one certainty is that it will have a significant impact on the game when it finally comes into play.

Fortunately, golf’s popularity has risen in recent times, with the PGA Tour website noting in 2023 that one in seven Americans played the sport in 2022.

That resulted in $101.7billion in direct economic impact, which was up 20% from the $84.1billion in economic impact in 2016.