I'm probably the only bottom-heavy golfer in the country.
You get the kids today into the sport, and then they can't get to the "next level." I mean, come on, that's a bunch of junk.
And, of course, I'm constantly energized by designing courses around the world.
I like to catch fish and release them. I probably haven't killed a fish that I've caught in sport fishing for 20 years. No reason to kill it. You know, just take it and release it.
I think that Pebble Beach is my favorite golf course to go to. I think Augusta is my favorite place to go play golf.
You're not going to tell me that you're going to find a person who's not a very good athlete and he or she is going to be a great player. But anyone can play the game. That's the nice thing about the game. You don't really have to be a world-class athlete to play the sport [golf] and have fun because of handicap systems.
If I have a weakness, it's probably ice cream. That's where I get lax, sloppy. I'll sneak into the refrigerator at night and take two or three bites and put it back. Butter pecan. Only two or three bites, but it shows.
I think my boys handled it pretty much the same way with their children, but my grandsons all ended up playing football or lacrosse.
I suppose I get a lot of questions about Tiger. But Tiger Woods is a tremendous talent. He plays well. He has a great work ethic. He's probably as talented of a golfer as anyone who's ever played.
My kids all do love to hunt and fish. When they get together, I think that's what they get together more for than anything else.
I think I fail a bit less than everyone else.
For years, I never thought I needed a short game. Finally I just decided to do something about it. I needed to get up and down from tough spots on the par-5s for my birdies. So I went to Phil [Rogers]. He's the best. For the last couple weeks, Phil has been staying at my house and we've been practicing in the evening.
I love the golf courses because it brought the best out of me. It made me prepare, made me work at it, made me do the things I needed to do to be better, and that's what I loved about USGA events. If you couldn't handle it, then you got beat, and that's OK.
...said Nicklaus, 'was a brotherhood, I suppose'.
If you design something pretty with good golf shots in it, then I think that's the combination that creates a really nice golf course.
Nick O'Leary is a tough kid. He doesn't use gloves. It's freezing outside and he's obviously wearing short sleeves like all the other guys that let their "guns" stick out.
Nick O'Leary loves to compete. His work ethic is fantastic, and that's what I like about him. He works, and works, and works; and if he has to get better, he gets better.
None of my 22 grandchildren have genetics played. Three of my four boys were golf pros, but I think they all sort of said, "You know, I'm not going to push" with their children. I was the same with my kids. I said, "You know, if they want to play golf, that's fine, but I'm not going to push them."
I didn't push any of my kids into golf, and they played golf because they wanted to.
I have a couple [of grandsons] that are in college playing lacrosse. It's great and it's fun. But they all also play golf a little bit.
My boys don't play as much as they used to, but when we do go out and play, it gets competitive, that's for sure - there's no question about it.
I play the Father/Son every year on the PGA TOUR Champions. I split it between Jackie and Gary as my playing partners.
We also play a Father/Son at home and I play with Steve, too. I try to mix it up. We play two or three times a year, but that's about it.
[My boys] they're all different. Jackie was very competitive. He was a tough kid - a little bit like Nick. Steve was sort of a finesse guy. He was a little bit like Nick - if he could touch it, he'd catch it. He played wide receiver at Florida State. Then, Gary came along and Gary was more my size.
It's hard not to play golf that's up to Jack Nicklaus standards when you are Jack Nicklaus.
