Farewell, Golden Bear

I'm probably one of the worst golfers on this forum, but I do love the sport, and when I was learning back in the 1970's, Jack Nicklaus was THE MAN in professional sports.

Kind of sad to see his farewell to competitive golf yesterday at the British Open, but it's also nice that he's going out while he can still play a respectable game.

Thanks for the memories, Jack.

 

Gee, and I thought it was Muhammad Ali.

When I was in the Army at Ft. Gordon, GA, which is actually in Augusta, I was a military journalist. I hated sports then as I do now, except of course for boxing.

I was sent out to cover the Master's! I could have cared less but I was the envy of my office. I saw a number of famous people, cannot remember any now, except of course some golfers. I remember seeing Slammin' Sammy Sneed and a few others. He didn't do too well, as I recall.

It was in 1975 and Nicklaus won.

 

I remember about a half-dozen years ago or so the guy made a real legit run at winning the Masters. He was in the hunt well into the day on Sunday, finished ahead of Tiger and only a handful of strokes away from bagging the another green jacket when he was pushing 60--incredible!

As awesome as Tiger is, he'll still have to do this about another decade or so to eclipse the Golden Bear. And that's not a foregone conclusion. Very few golfers can stay at the top for over a decade. Even Palmer and Bobby Jones--as great as they both were--were pretty much done as major championship threats within a decade after they started dominating.

Jack's unique. Thanks indeed!

 

I'm likely one of the better ones. (5 hdcp.)

Arnold Palmer made modern golf, single-handedly saved the British Open, and made golf a TV thang. Swashbuckling style, go-for-broke attitude on the course, good looks and a suave affect, ?Arnie became the golfer anyone could name if they could only name one. The Tiger Woods of the '50's through the '70's, Arnie won 8 majors, IIRC, and 60 PGA Tour events overall.

With all of that said, Jack Nicklaus was the greatest golfer of all time. Better than Palmer, better than Hogan, even better than Snead (who won more tournaments). Nicklaus won 18 professional majors (and two USGA Amateurs. In addition , he was 2nd 19 times! The next person on the list with major tournament wins is Hagen with 11.

Jack missed the cut at this year's British Open by just two strokes. That's at age 65 with a hip replacement. Amazing.

Arnie saved and made golf. But Jack was the best ever. Period.

 

Re: Re: Farewell, Golden Bear

You, my dear sir, received a very unusual privilege. Not many people have walked those hallowed grounds, particularly during the actual tournament. Quite a memory.

Ali was great. My favorite memory of him was the way he beat Foreman back when the latter was big and bad and seemingly invincible. It was pure genius.

 

I'd like to play a round with you. I used to be in the range of 2 - 4, but that was a good 15 to 20 years ago. Haven't played but about once or twice a year since we had our second child (we now have far more than that), and something had to give. Alas, it was my golf game. Now I can only manage to scrape it around in the low 80s when I'm able to get out at all.

Agreed 100%.

 

Re: Re: Re: Farewell, Golden Bear

Yea, and I am still awaiting my steak dinner I won in a bet with a barracks mate!

Never played golf. Played Putt Putt, ha! I understand golf is about the best exercise one can get.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Farewell, Golden Bear

Actually, it depends on how adept you are at throwing the clubs. Myself, I was quite the heaver, could put them out there 50 yards or more after a muffed shot. Great exercise. Particularly the good vigorous jog you got after they landed too close to the group playing ahead and they turned their carts back down the fairway enraged.

 

Me, I thought it was Gary Sobers. Or Gordie Howe.

 

Gee originally thought post was about Dr. Bear! Thankfully not. Who's Gary Sobers?
Greatest pro athlete? 1-Wayne Gretzky
2-Babe Ruth 3-Jimmy Brown. They didn't just break records they annihilated them.
So far ahead of the pack they lapped them.

Dan



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(Written Sat 7/16/2005 at 11:18 PM PDT)

Cool! So it won't be just me who isn't going to church tomorrow morning so that he can watch the final round!

 

Considering the fact that Dr. Gina is running a poll on the gender of degreeinfo members, I thought I'd make a contribution to the "athlete of the 1970's" that focuses on women. There are many possible nominees but my absolute favorite is Diana Nyad. Her accomplshments were huge in a sport that was (and remains) fairly obscure. She still has records on the books. I'll bet that some are never beaten. I don't have a link handy but, as always, Google reveals all.
Jack

 

Wasn't Diana Nyad a swimmer who was "bitten" (Do they bite?) by jellyfish while swimming in some event?

I think Billie Jean King tops the woman in the '70's simply for her smashing performance against that loud-mouthed Bobby Riggs!

 

Greatest athlete of 70's has to be Ali. Certainly no one ever drew crowds like he did.

 

Sir Gary Sobers

http://www.gnubies.com/tributes/sobers/sobey.htm

 

And he was named athlete of the century.

 

Jimmy: And [Ali] was named athlete of the century.

John: I'm afraid I've never quite understood what attempting to hit a person about the head until they are unconscious has to do with sport.

 

"Sobers played 86 Tests on the trot from 1954 onwards"

Thanks Uncle!Can't argue with those numbers. Can't because I haven't a clue of what is being talked about!

 

Dr. Bear said:
"Jimmy: And [Ali] was named athlete of the century.

John: I'm afraid I've never quite understood what attempting to hit a person about the head until they are unconscious has to do with sport."

I must say I agree.And sadly Ali has paid the price for that.For whatever reason I liked boxing as kid. Have a distaste for it now. The incredibly barbaric ultimate figting is far worse. How this has come to pass as a sport is simply amazing.And how ESPN can show this rot is even more pathetic.

More and more professional sport has become corrupt through combination of big money,drugs and gambling which has been spread through the likes of ESPN and other pay per view garbage.

 

I don't want to turn this into a flame thread, so I'll just say my piece, and be done with it.

I never liked Ali's "big mouth" style, and it was impossible for me to admire someone who refused induction into the military, while my uncle was in a military hospital, wondering if he would ever walk again (he did).