Jack Nicklaus Popular Books

Jack Nicklaus Biography & Facts

Jack William Nicklaus (; born January 21, 1940), nicknamed "the Golden Bear", is a retired American professional golfer and golf course designer. He is widely considered to be either the greatest or one of the greatest golfers of all time. He won 117 professional tournaments in his career. Over a quarter-century, he won a record 18 major championships, three more than second-placed Tiger Woods. Nicklaus focused on the major championships—the Masters Tournament, U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship—and played a selective schedule of regular PGA Tour events. He competed in 164 major tournaments, more than any other player, and finished with 73 PGA Tour victories, third behind Sam Snead (82) and Woods (82). Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur in 1959 and 1961 and finished second in the 1960 U.S. Open, two shots behind Arnold Palmer. Nicklaus turned professional at age 21 in 1961. He earned his first professional victory at the 1962 U.S. Open, defeating Palmer by three shots in a next-day 18-hole playoff and launching a rivalry between the golf superstars. In 1966, Nicklaus became the first player to win the Masters Tournament two years running; he also won The Open Championship, becoming at age 26 the youngest player to win all four golf majors. He won another Open Championship in 1970.Between 1971 and 1980, Nicklaus won nine more major championships, overtook Bobby Jones's record of 13 majors, and became the first player to complete double and triple career grand slams. He won the 1986 Masters, his 18th and final major championship at age 46, the tournament's oldest winner. Nicklaus joined the Senior PGA Tour (now known as the PGA Tour Champions) when he became eligible in January 1990, and by April 1996 had won 10 tournaments, including eight major championships despite playing a very limited schedule. He continued to play at least some of the four regular Tour majors until 2005 when he made his final appearances at the Masters Tournament and The Open Championship. Today, Nicklaus heads Nicklaus Design, one of the world's largest golf course design and construction companies. Nicklaus runs an event on the PGA Tour, the Memorial Tournament, named after the annual honoring it bestows to individuals associated with the game of golf. Nicklaus's books vary from instructional to autobiographical, with his Golf My Way considered one of the best instructional golf books of all time; the video of the same name is the best-selling golf instructional to date. Early life and amateur golf pursuits Nicklaus was born on January 21, 1940, in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in the suburb of Upper Arlington. He is of German descent, the son of Helen (Schoener) and Charlie Nicklaus, a pharmacist who ran several businesses named Nicklaus Drug Store. Charlie was a skilled all-round athlete who had played football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and had gone on to play semi-professional football under an assumed name for the Portsmouth Spartans (who later became the NFL's Detroit Lions). Charlie had also been a scratch golfer and local tennis champion in his youth. Charlie Nicklaus died of pancreatic cancer at age fifty six.Nicklaus attended Upper Arlington High School, whose nickname and mascot are coincidentally the Golden Bears. In Nicklaus's senior year, he was an honorable mention All-Ohio selection in basketball as a shooting guard, and he received some recruiting interest from college basketball programs, including Ohio State. During his youth, he also competed successfully in football, baseball, tennis, and track and field.Nicklaus took up golf at the age of 10, scoring a 51 at Scioto Country Club for his first nine holes ever played. Charlie Nicklaus had joined Scioto that same year, returning to golf to help heal a volleyball injury. He was coached at Scioto by club pro Jack Grout, a Texas-developed contemporary of golf greats Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan; Grout had played quite successfully on the PGA Tour and would become Nicklaus's lifelong golf instructor. Nicklaus overcame a mild case of polio as a 13-year-old.Nicklaus won the first of five straight Ohio State Junior titles at the age of 12. At 13, he broke 70 at Scioto Country Club for the first time, and became that year's youngest qualifier into the U.S. Junior Amateur, where he survived three match-play rounds. He had earned a handicap of +3 at age 13, the lowest in the Columbus area. Nicklaus won the Tri-State High School Championship (Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana) at the age of 14 with a round of 68, and also recorded his first hole-in-one in tournament play the same year. At 15, Nicklaus shot a 66 at Scioto Country Club, which was the amateur course record, and qualified for his first U.S. Amateur. He won the Ohio Open in 1956 at age 16, highlighted by a phenomenal third round of 64, competing against professionals. In all, Nicklaus won 27 events in the Ohio area from age 10 to age 17. In 1957, Nicklaus won the International Jaycee Junior Golf Tournament, having lost the previous year in a playoff. Nicklaus also competed in his first of 44 consecutive U.S. Opens that year, but missed the cut. In 1958 at age 18, he competed in his first PGA Tour event, the Rubber City Open, at Akron, Ohio, tying for 12th place after being just one out of the lead at the 36-hole mark, and made the cut in the U.S. Open, tying for 41st place. Nicklaus also won two Trans-Mississippi Amateurs – in 1958 at Prairie Dunes Country Club and 1959 at Woodhill Country Club, with final match victories of 9 & 8 and 3 & 2, respectively. Also in 1959, Nicklaus won the North and South Amateur at Pinehurst, North Carolina and competed in three additional PGA Tour events, with his best finish being another 12th place showing at the Buick Open. While attending Ohio State, he won the U.S. Amateur twice (1959, 1961), and an NCAA Championship (1961). In the 1959 U.S. Amateur, Nicklaus defeated two-time winner and defending champion Charles Coe 1-up in the final 36-hole match when he birdied the 18th hole. This was significant not only because of Coe's proven ability as a player, but also because Nicklaus became the then-youngest champion in the modern era, second only to Robert A. Gardner, who won in 1909. In 1961, Nicklaus became the first player to win the individual title at the NCAA Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year. He was followed by Phil Mickelson (1990), Tiger Woods (1996), Ryan Moore (2004), and Bryson DeChambeau (2015). Nicklaus also won the NCAA Big Ten Conference Championship that year with a 72-hole aggregate of 283, while earlier claiming the Western Amateur in New Orleans. In his second and last U.S. Amateur win in 1961, Nicklaus convincingly defeated Dudley Wysong 8 & 6 at Pebble Beach in the 36-hole championship match. For the week, Nicklaus was 20 strokes under par, including 34 birdies and two eagles. At the 1960 U.S. Open, twenty-year-old Nicklaus shot a two-under-par 282, finishing in second place two strokes beh.... Discover the Jack Nicklaus popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Jack Nicklaus books.

Best Seller Jack Nicklaus Books of 2024

  • Arnie synopsis, comments

    Arnie

    Tom Callahan

    In this definitive biography, veteran sportswriter Tom Callahan shines a spotlight on one of the greatest golfers ever to play the game, Arnold Palmer.The winner of more than ninet...

  • The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia synopsis, comments

    The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia

    Ryan Hannable, Gary Player & Rob Oppenheim

    Become a golf trivia expert with these challenging questions about Jack Nicklaus, the Masters, Tiger Woods, and more!  The Ultimate Book of Golf Trivia tests and expands ...

  • Best Seat in the House synopsis, comments

    Best Seat in the House

    Jack Nicklaus II & Don Yaeger

    USA Today BestsellerJack Nicklaus II shares stories, insights, and lessons he’s learned from his father, the “Golden Bear,” that will delight golf fans of all ages, encourage fathe...

  • Arnie And Jack synopsis, comments

    Arnie And Jack

    Ian O'Connor

    A Sports Illustrated Top Ten Book of the Year and New York Times bestseller from ESPN.com's Ian O'Connor, Arnie & Jack: Palmer, Nicklaus, and Golf's Greatest Rivalry is a revel...

  • The Picture-Perfect Golf Swing synopsis, comments

    The Picture-Perfect Golf Swing

    Michael Breed

    Video swing analysis revolutionized the way golf is taught, but players have had to rely on teaching professionals to analyze their swing videos until now. The PicturePerfect Golf...

  • Golf My Way synopsis, comments

    Golf My Way

    Jack Nicklaus

    Hailed as a classic and read everywhere golf is played, Golf My Way has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide since it was first published in 1974.Finally, Jack Nicklaus, golf’...

  • Voices of Our Republic synopsis, comments

    Voices of Our Republic

    Douglas H. Ginsburg & Rob Chatfield

    This inspiring coffee table book serves as a companion to the threepart 2020 PBS series A More or Less Perfect Union, A Personal Exploration by Judge Douglas Ginsburg,&#x...

  • Jack Nicklaus synopsis, comments

    Jack Nicklaus

    Mark Shaw

    In this intimately penned biography, the only one written about the “Golden Bear,” author Mark Shaw, with the energy of a lifelong fan, chronicles Nicklaus’s life from his early da...

  • The Lost Masters synopsis, comments

    The Lost Masters

    Curt Sampson

    Of all the games ever played in a sporting competition, never has an event been so bizarre and yet so fitting for its historical moment: the 1968 Masters.Anger gripped America's he...

  • White Fang and the Golden Bear synopsis, comments

    White Fang and the Golden Bear

    Joe Wessel, Bill Chastain & Jack Nicklaus

    Augusta National is golf’s Holy Grail. Navigating the azaleas to play the exclusive course that hosts The Masters is a pipe dream for every golfer. Imagine being afforded the oppor...

  • Men in Green synopsis, comments

    Men in Green

    Michael Bamberger

    The instant New York Times bestseller from acclaimed Sports Illustrated writer Michael Bambergera warm, nostalgic, intimately reported account of golf’s greatest generation, and “m...

  • The Magnificent Masters synopsis, comments

    The Magnificent Masters

    Gil Capps

    The 1975 Masters Tournament always seemed destined for the record books. A veritable Hall of Fame list of competitors had gathered that spring in Augusta, Georgia, for the game's m...

  • The Ball in the Air synopsis, comments

    The Ball in the Air

    Michael Bamberger

    After a lifetime of writing about the professional sport, Michael Bamberger, “the poet laureate of golf” (GOLF magazine), delivers an exhilarating love letter to the amateur game a...

  • The Wicked Game synopsis, comments

    The Wicked Game

    Howard Sounes

    Golf is sometimes referred to as "the wicked game" because it is fiendishly difficult to play well. Yet in the parlance of the Tiger Woods generation, it's also a wickedly good gam...

  • Tales from Pinehurst synopsis, comments

    Tales from Pinehurst

    Robert Hartman & William C. Campbell

    Pinehurst, a pinpoint on the map of North Carolina, is a 100yearold course beloved by all true golf fans. In Pinehurst, golf is more than a game; it’s a way of life. In Tales From ...

  • The Anatomy of Greatness synopsis, comments

    The Anatomy of Greatness

    Brandel Chamblee

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERIn the first book from popular Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee, the network’s “resident scholar and critic” (The New York Times) explores the common ...

  • 1986 Masters synopsis, comments

    1986 Masters

    John Boyette

    At the age of fortysix, Jack Nicklaus was considered by some to be done as a championship golfer. Entering the 1986 Masters, most folks had written off the Golden Bear. But the win...

  • How Life Imitates Sports synopsis, comments

    How Life Imitates Sports

    Ira Berkow

    Memorable Stories From a Half Century of Sports Journalism For the last half century, Pulitzer Prize–winning sportswriter Ira Berkow has been at the center of some of the most memo...

  • So Help Me Golf synopsis, comments

    So Help Me Golf

    Rick Reilly

    A beloved New York Times bestselling author and golf aficionado shares his insatiable curiosity, trademark sense of humor, and vast knowledge of the game in this cavalcade of origi...

  • Die neun erfolgreichsten Golfspieler der Sportgeschichte synopsis, comments

    Die neun erfolgreichsten Golfspieler der Sportgeschichte

    A.D. Astinus

    Heute widme ich mich einem Thema – besser einem Sport – das viele auch interessieren dürfte, weil es große Teile der Menschen begeistert, egal, ob sie selbst ausüben oder nur zuguc...

  • How to Lead synopsis, comments

    How to Lead

    David M. Rubenstein

    The New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal BestsellerThe essential leadership playbook. Learn the principles and guiding philosophies of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Ruth Bade...

  • The Nicklaus Way synopsis, comments

    The Nicklaus Way

    John Andrisani

    Jack Nicklaus set a record for most career victories in major championships, capturing a total of eighteen between 1962 and 1986, including six Masters wins. In 1988 Golf Magazine ...

  • Unplayable synopsis, comments

    Unplayable

    Robert Lusetich

    The definitive chronicle of the most stunning year in the legendary career of Tiger Woods, when the world’s greatest golfer returned to competitive play following major knee surger...

  • Golfing with Dad synopsis, comments

    Golfing with Dad

    David Barrett

    Golfing With Dad is a heartwarming collection of golf’s best players’ favorite memories with their fathers and how those memories shaped them not only as players, but the men they ...

  • Two Good Rounds Titans synopsis, comments

    Two Good Rounds Titans

    Elisa Gaudet & Andrew Sharpless

    Two Good Rounds Titans: Leaders in Industry & Golf is the third book in the Two Good Rounds series. This book continues the exploration of golf and the feelgood golf lifestyle...

  • The Wit of Golf synopsis, comments

    The Wit of Golf

    Barry Johnston

    Building on the huge success of THE WIT OF CRICKET, this is a collection of the funniest golf anecdotes, jokes and stories.A bumper bag of humorous anecdotes and amusing tales from...

  • Two Good Rounds Superstars synopsis, comments

    Two Good Rounds Superstars

    Elisa Gaudet & Ernie Els

    Two Good Rounds–Superstars: Golf Stories from the World’s Greatest Athletes is the second book in the Two Good Rounds series. This book explores the very special connection between...

  • Ben Hogan synopsis, comments

    Ben Hogan

    James Dodson

    Authorized, intimate, and definitive, Ben Hogan: A Life is the longawaited biography of one of golf’s greatest, most enigmatic legends, narrated with the unique eloquence that has ...

  • The Secret of Golf synopsis, comments

    The Secret of Golf

    Joe Posnanski

    From “one of the best sportswriters in America” (The Washington Times)the New York Times bestselling story of the friendship and rivalry between golf legends Tom Watson and Jack Ni...

  • One for the Ages synopsis, comments

    One for the Ages

    Tom Clavin

    Chronicling the unforgettable and improbable triumph of Jack Nicklaus in the 1986 Masters, this celebration recounts how the tarnished “Golden Bear,” with his eldest son Jackie as ...

  • The Second Life of Tiger Woods synopsis, comments

    The Second Life of Tiger Woods

    Michael Bamberger

    It’s one of the greatest comebacks of all time. And for Tiger Woods, getting back to the winner’s circle was only half the story. Written by a New York Times bestselling author and...

  • Duel in the Sun synopsis, comments

    Duel in the Sun

    Michael Corcoran

    In the rest of the world, they call it the Open Championship. Americans call it the British Open, but if any tournament is considered the battle for the world championship of golf,...

  • Golf is Not a Game of Perfect synopsis, comments

    Golf is Not a Game of Perfect

    Bob Rotella

    Filled with insightful stories about golf, Dr. Bob Rotella’s delightful book will improve the game of even the most casual weekend player.Dr. Bob Rotella is one of the hottest perf...