In town for the 73rd Senior PGA Championship in Benton Harbor, Mich., the golf legend spoke to nearly 130 kids and 200 onlookers about proper swing form and learning things “the old way.”
Jack Nicklaus took time out of his schedule of observing the 73rd Senior PGA Championship to teach kids a few tricks about the game he knows so well, the Kalamazoo Gazette reported.
At the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Mich., which Nicklaus designed, the golf legend spoke to about 130 kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Benton Harbor, The First Tee of Benton Harbor, the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA and other charter and public school golf teams.
A crowd of nearly 200 people watched from the grandstand as Nicklaus coached five participants on a few of the main principles he says are not taught today, but he believes are integral.
“I’m telling you stuff that was taught 40, 50 years ago,” the 72-year-old Nicklaus said. “They don’t teach this way now. And frankly, I don’t like the way they teach today. But if you put a few of these elements in your game, it’ll help.
“Learn to play golf without spin. Learn to play with trajectory. If you can learn to play without spin, the ball won’t hook as much, slice as much, or spin up in the air as much.”
Nicklaus adjusted the young golfers’ form to hold their hands closer on the club and to loosen the grip.
One of the participants, Jacob Ramirez, nearly knocked into Nicklaus with a wild swing, prompting Nicklaus to retort, “That’s OK—I’ve got some more teeth.” Still, Ramirez was awe-struck.
“He was one of the main reasons I got into golf. He’s just been my idol. I’ve watched videotapes of him with my dad a lot,” Ramirez said. “I couldn’t even breathe, I was so nervous.”
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