Jack Nicklaus playing clubs now that never made his bag in his prime

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Jack Nicklaus won't have a bouquet of head covers in his bag when he plays the PNC Father-Son Challenge this weekend, though the 14 clubs in his bag have changed from his prime. 

 

Nicklaus said when he played on the PGA Tour he carried a driver and a 3-wood, a 1-iron through a 9-iron, pitching wedge, sand wedge and putter. 

 

"Now I've got a driver, a 3-wood, a 4-wood and a 5-wood," he said last week in a conference call. "I'm not a big hybrid guy, although I'm playing with one right now and I took out the 2-iron. That's pretty much where I am. I'm usually a 3-iron through 9-iron, pitching wedge and sand wedge. I don't know if that's 14 or 15 (clubs), but it'll be 14 when I tee it up." 

 

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No other player hit more memorable shots with a 1-iron than Nicklaus, a club that featured in three of his majors – the 1972 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, the 1975 Masters and the 1967 U.S. Open at Baltusrol. 

 

But there were times when he benched the 1-iron. 

 

"I used to even go to Augusta when I carried a 1-iron a lot, and sometimes I'd put in maybe a 4- or 5-wood, simply because you needed some elevation to stop it on the greens and some of the lies you played," Nicklaus said.