Who Jack Nicklaus said were the three golfers he considers to be the greatest drivers of all time

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Jack Nicklaus remains among the greatest golfers of all time, with the American clinching plenty of success thanks to his driving skills.

Nicklaus boasts 18 major championships, more than any other player, and was one of the longest drivers of his time.

Tiger Woods has 15 major championships, with the 48-year-old unlikely to overtake Nicklaus given his constant injury issues.

Woods has just withdrawn from the Hero World Challenge, with his back problems likely behind the decision.

He is also an iconic ball striker when at the top of his game, although driving has certainly changed a lot over the years.

Jack Nicklaus names his greatest drivers of all time

Statistics such as driving distance and accuracy were certainly not as significant in Nicklaus’ era as they are now, with his major wins having come between 1962 and 1986.

He was, however, tasked by the PGA Tour to name his top three greatest drivers of all time, with Nicklaus allowed to choose himself.

[Greg] Norman’s gotta be (up there). Norman was a really good driver. He drove the ball very long and very straight. Norman was a really good driver of the golf ball. Norman was good. I mean [Ben] Hogan was really good. [Sam] Snead was really good. And I didn’t see Byron [Nelson] play that much but I’m sure Byron was really good. I mean [Hale] Irwin was a really good driver of the golf ball.

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“I think I was a good driver. I think if you take length and accuracy I was probably close to the top of the list every year. Not that they kept stats back then. [Tom] Wieskopf was a really good driver of the golf ball. Actually Johhny Miller was a really good driver of the golf ball. I’ve given you more than three.

“Arnold [Palmer] became a good driver of the golf ball after he stopped winning majors. Arnold drove it all over the place when he was young, and he won from there. A bit like Tiger [Woods]. Tiger drove it all over the place and still won. And once Arnold actually stopped winning he became a really good driver. I mean really good.”

Jack Nicklaus says what driving looks like in today’s game

It certainly would be interesting to see where the likes of Nicklaus and Norman would sit among the modern-day players, with the latter having ranked inside the top 10 in driving distance for nine seasons in his prime.

LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau is undoubtedly the first name that will come to the minds of many when thinking of today’s big hitters, along with PGA Tour ace Rory McIlroy.

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Nicklaus believes driving has changed dramatically in the modern era, with the 15-time major champion saying: “Today’s game, you know, I don’t really know who’s a good driver today. I can’t tell because they hit it so far, and I don’t think they pay much attention to accuracy.

“Because I think the best drivers are the guys that hit it the longest and the straightest; the combination of the two. And when they need to.

“And a lot of times it’s either a 2-iron or a 1-iron or a 4-wood is a drive too. It’s being smart with what club you play off the tee. Because that’s part of it, that’s still driving, not just hitting with a driver.”

It is Cameron Champ who leads the way for driving distance in the 2024 PGA Tour season with an average of 322.8 yards, with Aaron Rai topping the driving accuracy list with his figure of 72.02%.