Jack Nicklaus Doesn’t Golf Anymore, but I Do

Jack Nicklaus said in an interview published in the April 2024 issue of AARP Bulletin that he doesn’t golf anymore. That had me recall a conversation with my brother when I was in college.

As a college student I was able to get discounted Sunday matinee tickets to the NY Philharmonic Orchestra and went as much as I could. This was soon after it opened in Lincoln Center. One Sunday I went with my brother and when the concert was over, I remarked that I really enjoyed it and thought it was great. He replied that he did not like it too much proceeding to complain about the overall acoustics, how the brass and strings sounded and some other specifics that I did not have a clue about.

My brother was some sort of music genius receiving a doctorate in music from Stanford University a few years later. I, on the other hand, cannot tell a sharp from a flat. However, I had a great time, and my brother did not.

As far as Jack Nicklaus, he was as good as there ever was and certainly no one would argue that he did not belong in the top 3 golfers of all time. I, on the other hand, measure a good round if I did not lose a ball and a great round if I could get 4 pars. I stink! However, I play twice a week with Peter Weitsen and two other groups of friends and occasionally a third time in the week when my grandchildren are not playing in one of their many other sports activities. I have a great time every time I play. However, Jack stopped playing. I don’t know why but I presume because he cannot play up to the high standard he expects of himself.

I know other such situations where experts lose interest when their standards are not met. I, on the other hand, do not have such high standards in golf, or perhaps not the skills, talent and knowledge necessary to excel and just go about having a good time.

Jack and my brother approached my fun activity as their profession, and anything less than the highest standard of performance caused their interest to wane. On another level, perhaps Jack looks back at golf as his “job” and he considers himself retired. After all, golf was his job.

However, since golf is a sport that I fully enjoy, I think about it that way. To me, it is a shame that Jack no longer can enjoy a round of golf with some buddies. My brother was pretty young in 1963 but his great knowledge and high standards placed him in a position even at that period where he did not have a good time.

A job is a vocation, and a hobby is an avocation. Some people do not let go of their work (such as me), and some leave it fully behind when they retire and enter the next phase of their life, which, nowadays, hopefully, can be pretty lengthy.

Good luck to Jack. I haven’t asked my brother how he feels now about subpar performances, but I hope he gets some enjoyment out of attending concerts.

Me? I stink at golf and still cannot tell a sharp from a flat but have great times at both activities. Sometimes, a little knowledge can be good, and sometimes, not so good. Further the differences between a job a hobby could be confusing when someone’s job is another’s fun activity.

Comment: My Memoirs as a CPA book has been published and is available in Kindle and print editions. Buy it and enjoy it!