Clive Clark played alongside some of the greatest golfers of all time. But when he looks back on his rounds with Jack Nicklaus, it wasn’t the Golden Bear’s prodigious distance that stood out most.
“I played five times with Jack Nicklaus when he was at the top of his game, and it was a mighty game he had,” said the former Walker Cup and Ryder Cup player on the NCG Top 100s Podcast.
Clark, who finished third in the 1967 Open, and has enjoyed a long post playing career as a commentator and golf course architect, added: “The one thing that struck me more than the fact that he was the longest hitter of the good players, was how he hit very few destructive shots even with being such a long hitter. That stuck with me.”
Clark recalled that during his time playing alongside the 18-time major champion that 290 yards was considered a good drive for Nicklaus, especially in his era. Now, the top players, such as Rory McIlroy, are averaging upwards of 330 yards off the tee.
“He kept the ball in play in spite of his length, and some people argue he’s the best player who ever played the game. Some will argue Tiger, and that will go on for a long time.”
A memorable day with two of golf’s greats
As an 18-year-old amateur, Clark was once invited to play a practice round with Australian professional Bruce Devlin after impressing during a successful amateur season.
What he didn’t realise was Devlin had arranged for two other players to join them.
“I said ‘wow, who are we playing with?'”, Clark recalled. “He said, ‘a guy called Nicklaus and another guy called Palmer’. I just about fainted, I couldn’t believe it, and it happened. They were very nice to me all the way round, and it was a very memorable day.
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“And I was lucky I got to play. If you live in Britain, even if you’re going down, which I was, to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, you’re not likely to get a game with them (Nicklaus and Palmer).”
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