Jack Nicklaus

My Story

By: Jack Nicklaus, Ken Bowden

Narrated by: Ian Esmo

During his more than 40-year career as champion amateur, dominating professional, and senior star, the Golden Bear has won almost 100 tournaments around the world. Topping that astounding achievement are his record 20 major-championship victories: two U.S. Amateurs, six Masters, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens, and five U.S. PGA Championships.

This is Jack Nicklaus’ complete and compelling in-depth account of his legendary major triumphs, along with many other competition highlights—and some lowlights, too—of one of the greatest sports careers of all time.

©1997 Jack Nicklaus (P)1998 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“The most important golf autobiography since that of Nicklaus’ boyhood hero, Bobby Jones. A chronicle of rare insight and depth. It manages to increase the reputation of its subject. And like him, it will last.” ( Washington Times)

“Nicklaus is very calming in that unpretentious Midwestern way, and Ian Esmo's reading is controlled and blissfully unintrusive. It's like listening to the Golden Bear himself as he recounts the 20 major championships he won between 1959 and 1986.” ( AudioFile)

Walking through Nicklaus’s life

Amazing story as you feel like you’re side by side with him going through his life. The details,honesty, and understanding the man who was so misunderstood.
My only drawback is the voice of the guy reading. At first I thought it was a robot, maybe he was trying to sound more like Jack but eventually it grew on me or I just got used to it.

The GOAT

I truly enjoyed hearing about the life of Jack Nicklaus from himself. I think the ending could’ve been scripted better. I enjoyed this publication very much.

Great Story of Jack as you learn about family, golf, friends, and how hard he worked at golf

I recommend this story to all golfers and sports enthusiasts . A truly amazing life he has has on and off the course. The world is lucky to have Jack and Barbara as they have been great leaders setting a high bar on how to live life. Thanks

Two Thumbs Up

Narrator wasn’t the the best. Regardless, great insight into how talent is only a piece of the game and how the key to greatness is the mental side of of the game.

Jack’s memory is a steel trap

What an amazing walk down memory lane of some of golf’s finest hours. Jack is able to recall virtually every hole of every major. The ups, the downs, the ins and outs of the courses, the players, the rivalries and friendships that were all part of Jack’s life. From one of the early majors against the great Arnold Palmer: Arnie suggested the simply split the winnings instead of actually going through with the play off (different rules back then and amazing this was even an option, and playoffs were massively longer back then, thus a reasonable offer from Arnold). In as honest and innocent one can get, the young Jack Nicklaus could not split the earnings as he genuinely thought that Arnold would surely win. Well, of course Jack won and won and won and won. One can gain so much insight into how to play the game better from listening to Jack’s incredible insights around the course, from actual yardages, geographic hazards, environmental factors, but most importantly, what it’s like to think like Jack. Like why he did not go for the green in two by teeing off with his driver at Pebble Beach but instead using his three wood. To Jack, that was easy: the pin was in the front of the green making the ball impossible to stop with his 1 or 2 iron, so better to lay up to his normal location of a sprinkler head 85 yards shy of the green to allow him to stop the ball right next to the pin and allow him a chance to win this major just as he had many times before. And yes, per Lee Trevino, even God can’t hit a 1-iron (google this if you don’t know what I’m talking about :) but Jack can, and did, over and over again, to keep on winning and winning and winning. One of the best golf stories of all time.