When Nicklaus talks, people listen
He designed Glen Abbey, and may influence new course decision
Jack Nicklaus has won 18 golf majors and 73 PGA Tour events, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, and owns a company that has designed more than 300 golf courses around the world.
He also cannot shoot a hockey puck to save his life.
“No one has ever handed me one of these before,” Nicklaus said on the 7th tee at Glen Abbey Golf Club, after he was given a stick and asked to fire a couple of pucks at a nearby net. The set-up is part of The Rink, a new addition to the RBC Canadian Open this year in which the par-3 7th is surrounded by hockey boards. There’s also a Zamboni near the forward tees and the tee blocks are goalie masks and the marshals on the hole wear referee stripes.
It is corny, yes. But Nicklaus, at 77, knows quite well how to play along. He donned a Golf Canada hockey jersey, asked for some tips on how to shoot, and pushed some pucks in the direction of the net. He asked how to raise the puck. More instruction was given. Pull the puck back, Jack, and move your right hand down the stick. Nicklaus said his right arm has seen better days. It was “dead,” he said. This was not a recipe for a top-corner snipe.
After a couple more tries, Nicklaus surrendered the stick and noted that at least he hadn’t missed the net. There were smiles and handshakes and photos. Nicklaus knows the drill: he is the sport’s biggest ambassador now, particularly after the passing of Arnold Palmer, and so everywhere he goes there are demands for him to loan a touch of his star power. He does it with humour and grace. At a ceremony to kick off the RBC Canadian Open on Tuesday morning, Nicklaus asks how many Opens there have been and is told the number is 108. “I played in most of them,” he says.
But, later, after the hockey stunt, the conversation takes a more serious turn. “I’m very proud of Glen Abbey,” he says. “It’s hosted, how many Canadian Opens?” He is told this week is the 29th. “Twenty-nine,” he says, sounding a little surprised at the passage of time. “That’s a couple. A lot of you aren’t that old. Anyway, I think it’s been good, and it’s contributed a lot to the game of golf in Canada.”
These words were freighted with extra significance, given recent developments.
Glen Abbey, Nicklaus’ first solo design, was built to be the permanent home of the Canadian Open. Its owner, ClubLink Corp., announced in 2015 that it wants to close the course and turn it into housing.
ClubLink is a long way from obtaining clearance for that — there are multiple ongoing attempts at the local and provincial level aimed at keeping bulldozers away from the Abbey — but, asked about the prospect of seeing one of his courses be replaced by ever-more-valuable housing, Nicklaus is frank. “It is what it is,” he says. “Glen Abbey is under pressure from that standpoint.” Then Nicklaus makes a sound that is close to a loud sigh. “I’d hate to see it torn down, but progress moves on. But, you know, we did this golf course 41 years ago, and I think we could do something better today.” This was not Nicklaus chaining himself to the trees.
But, was the golf legend acknowledging that he has been part of the discussions on possibly building a new permanent home for the national men’s open, somewhere else in the Toronto area? Nicklaus said he would leave that answer to “the RCGA,” which was a sign of his history in this country, since Golf Canada hasn’t been called the RCGA for some time.
Over to them, then. “He has been a very valued and trusted sounding board for us,” says Laurence Applebaum, Golf Canada’s chief executive, who has been on the job for less than two weeks.
In an interview, he acknowledges that part of Nicklaus’ visit this week has been to scout possible sites and talk to potential partners.
“We don’t have a formal arrangement with him, to be frank, but I like the conversations we’ve had in the last few weeks,” Applebaum says. “It would be wonderful to have his guiding hand through the process. It could only be a real asset.”
Embarking on the development of a high-end course that could host a tournament the size of the RBC Canadian Open would be a tough sell in today’s climate. But having Nicklaus lend it some shine would help open some doors, at the least. “I would continue to say ‘Watch this space’, ” Applebaum says.
The Golf Canada boss also makes a point of noting that Glen Abbey has been an excellent partner and he could see the tournament being the host for at least the short term.
As for Nicklaus, asked if any of his designs had been replaced by residences, he says: “Probably. But I’m not sure where.”
He never did win the Canadian Open, although he was runner-up seven times. What did he remember about playing here, and coming up the 18th hole, with the pond on one side and the natural amphitheatre on the other?
“Just don’t hook it,” Nicklaus said. “And don’t hit it fat.”
Good advice for this week, and probably a few more.