Foreword

by Jack Nicklaus

MY FATHER WAS MY BEST friend. I know how lucky I was to have had a special relationship with him.

I think my sister got a little bit of the short end of that deal. That didn’t mean he loved her any less. But I was the apple of Dad’s eye, and he spent a ton of time with me. He introduced me to every sport. We threw the ball together. We shot baskets together. We kicked the football together. We played golf together. We hit tennis balls together. Whatever, that’s what we did.

Dad taught me a lot of things. There was a right way to do things. Like you wanted to be a good sport. If you lost, it wasn’t the end of the world. You have to deal with whatever hand you’re dealt. And, you kept your word. Your word is your bond. He also taught me how a father was supposed to act, so I tried to do the same thing with all of my kids. He taught me to introduce my kids to things and let them make up their own minds. I didn’t want any of my kids to play golf just because I wanted them to play golf. I wanted them to play golf if they wanted to play golf. I’d introduce them to the game, but I didn’t actually try to encourage them too much. I thought it was pretty difficult being my son from that standpoint. And if they ended up wanting to play, then that would be a great choice on their part. Well, it turned out that three of the four boys became golf pros. Steve did not. But Steve was almost as good a golfer as the other three. It made me very happy that my sons wanted to play, just as my dad was happy that I enjoyed the sport on my own terms.

Dad was a great athlete. He’d even played pro football for the old Portsmouth Spartans, who are now the Detroit Lions. I didn’t know it at the time, but Dad had wanted me to play football, too. You know, I quit football, and he never told me he was disappointed. He just supported what I wanted to do. And so that’s sort of what I did with my guys.

Obviously, Dad was a heavy influence in my life. He passed away far too early, at 56 of pancreatic cancer. He missed a great part of my career. But he got to see probably seven or eight major championships. I think about him every day.

A component of this book originated from the fact that one of my sons gave something away. My kids used to give all my stuff away. And that’s ok.

I had obtained one autograph during my childhood, that of Harvey Haddix. Most remember him as the guy who pitched a perfect game for the Pittsburgh Pirates before losing the game in extra innings. When Harvey played for the Columbus Redbirds, I got his autograph on a baseball. I was 6 or 7 years old. I had kept that ball on my dresser my entire life. Then one day, I came home from a trip, and the baseball wasn’t on my dresser. I wondered what happened until my son Steve, who was about 15 at the time, came in and said, “Oh Dad, our ball went in the lake, so we used this one.” He showed me the Haddix ball, and, of course, it was a mess. The autograph was gone. But that’s what kids do.”

Funny that White Fang would be one of the items he’d give away years later.

Obviously, a putter’s probably the most important club in your bag. You really have to have a good feel for your putter. If you’re not comfortable with what you’re using, you’re out of luck. You have to have confidence in what you’ve got. If you don’t have confidence in it, you’re not going to use it very well. I had that one putter I used for years, a George Low Wizard heel-shafted putter. I won fifteen of my majors with it. But there were times when all of a sudden it felt different. I wasn’t making any putts, so I’d put it down and putt with something else and have success. White Fang became one of those alternative putters.

White Fang was a Bull’s Eye putter painted white. When I looked at it, it gave me a different look. I putted well with it, and I gained confidence from using it, even won a major using it, the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol. You’re not going to win if you don’t have any confidence.

I met Joe Wessel when he roomed with Steve at Florida State. They both played football, so they spent a little bit of time together and became good friends. Joe ended up playing a little bit of golf, so they shared some time from that side, too. Occasionally, I’d see Joe when I went to Tallahassee for games. I’d always liked him, and when he returned White Fang to me, I liked him even more.

Getting White Fang back helped to facilitate a memorable outing. Joe Wessel had a special relationship with his father, a relationship that is the heart of this book. Being able to play a small part in their life together was something that brought me pure joy. I think that was a special day for Joe, and a special day for his dad. I hope you enjoy Joe’s account, as told by Bill Chastain, as much as I enjoyed partaking in it.