If any player in the current game is going to get anywhere near to Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 majors, it is perhaps Scottie Scheffler who is best placed given how quickly he has risen to the top of the game.
Heading into the 2021 Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler had not won on the PGA Tour and was a slightly contentious pick for Whistling Straits. However, just over three years later, Scheffler is a two-time Masters champion, while he is some way clear at the top of the world rankings. He won nine times worldwide in 2024.
Of course, there are plenty of reasons to dislike the current game. Golf at the highest level has done a phenomenal job of putting fans off in recent years; whether it be the money that is being played for, the divide between the various tours, or the dreadful pace of play which seems to plague every tournament.
But it seems that it is another aspect of the game which frustrates Jack Nicklaus.
Jack Nicklaus praises Scottie Scheffler as he questions many within the current game
Nicklaus is arguably the greatest of all-time. But perhaps surprisingly, the Golden Bear only worked with one teacher throughout his career, Jack Grout. Grout was not someone who would regularly help Nicklaus with his game. Instead, they would get together every now and then.
And speaking on 5 Clubs, Nicklaus suggested that he can notice some similarities with how Scheffler works with coach Randy Smith as he questioned those who have huge teams around them.
“What Jack Grout did was he taught me to be responsible for my own actions, my own golf game. And so, when I got on the golf course and I had a problem I could correct it. And I didn’t need somebody there,” he said.
“I think the guys today, they need to take a little bit more responsibility for what their game is. They have the ability right now to blame it on their swing coach, their health coach, their sight coach. I never had any of that stuff. That would have driven me crazy. However, that’s what the deal is today. That’s what the guys do. But I still think that to compete better, I may be wrong but I think Scottie Scheffler appears to take more responsibility for his own game than any of the other guys, and he’s been very successful.”
Why Tiger Woods’ controversial decision may be to blame
There is an argument that Tiger Woods is potentially to blame for how some of the current players conduct themselves.
Nicklaus admitted he did not understand Woods’ decision to part company with Butch Harmon around 2002. But Woods clearly felt that there was even more to come from his game, despite one of the most dominant spells of all-time.
If the most perfect run of golf can apparently still be improved upon, why would the large majority of tour professionals not continue to search for something better in their own games? They would probably argue that they are doing themselves a disservice if they left any stone unturned.
But clearly, Nicklaus fears that too many are making their lives too complicated.
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