Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus talks golf, life and politics with Bret Baier
Jack Nicklaus
WSB Exclusive Speaker
Legendary Professional Golfer
No name is more synonymous with greatness in the sport of golf than the name Jack Nicklaus, and no single person has changed the face of the sport more than Jack Nicklaus – the player, the designer, the businessman, the philanthropist, and the good-will ambassador.
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Jack, 81, was named “Golfer of the 20th Century” or “Golfer of the Millennium” by almost every major golf publication in the world. He was also named Individual Male Athlete of the Century by Sports Illustrated, and one of the 10 Greatest Athletes of the Century by ESPN.
In June 2018, the Golden Bear received the Lincoln Medal from the Ford’s Theatre Society, making Jack Nicklaus just the fourth person in history—and the first athlete or sportsperson—to be honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005), the Congressional Gold Medal (2015) and now the Lincoln Medal.
Jack’s competitive golf career spanned five decades, and his legend has been built with 120 professional tournament victories worldwide, including a record 18 major-championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, three Open Championships) won over a 25-year period (1962-1986). He is one of only five golfers who have won all of golf’s modern majors—referred to as the career “Grand Slam”—and the first golfer to have done so on both the regular and senior Tours.
The legacy Jack has left as a player can be rivaled only by the legacy he is leaving as a golf-course designer, businessman and philanthropist.
Since 1962, Jack has added the moniker of “businessman” to his lengthy résumé. He is co-chairman of the privately held Nicklaus Companies. For a record six consecutive years, Golf Inc. magazine ranked Jack “The Most Powerful Person in Golf,” due to his impact on various aspects of the industry through his course design work, marketing and licensing business, his ambassadorial role in promoting and growing the game worldwide, and his involvement on a national and global level with various charitable causes. Jack has designed almost 315 golf courses over a six-decade career, and was voted 2017 Golf Course Designer of the Year by the World Golf Awards. Nicklaus Design, the thriving business he founded almost 50 years ago, is considered the industry leader, with over 425 courses in 45 countries and 41 states.
Among his most recent work, Jack has donated his design services to a number of courses that impact charities. Included is recently opened American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven, Michigan, which benefits Folds of Honor—an initiative that provides educational opportunities to the spouses and children of our fallen or disabled soldiers. The response to the project has been so overwhelming, American Dunes has sold out all available tee times for 2021.
Tireless philanthropists, Jack and wife Barbara are the guiding light for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, which supports numerous pediatric health-care services in South Florida, as well as nationwide, and has raised close to $150 million since its inception in 2004. Renowned Miami Children’s Hospital and Miami Children’s Health System have been re-branded to Nicklaus Children’s, and along with the flagship hospital, there are 20 Nicklaus Children’s Outpatient Centers spread across Florida. Recently, the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation of Canada was established.
Nicklaus Children’s Hospital has treated children from 119 countries and every state in the union.
The Foundation is part of an alliance with the Memorial Tournament and Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which is the primary beneficiary of the prestigious PGA TOUR event founded in 1976.
Focused on growing the game of golf, Jack is a Trustee of The First Tee. Three times he has spoken before the U.S. Congress on the character-building aspects of The First Tee. Jack is also a Trustee and spokesperson for PGA REACH—the charitable arm of the PGA of America, with focuses on youth, military, and diversity and inclusion.
Residing in North Palm Beach, Fla., since 1965 and in the same home they have lived since 1970, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus are parents to five children and grandparents to 22.
Featured Videos
Jack Nicklaus
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Jack Nicklaus
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Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus talks golf, life and politics with Bret Baier
Jack Nicklaus’s Speech Topics
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A Moderated Conversation with Jack Nicklaus– Golden Lessons in Golf and Life
When you ask Jack Nicklaus to share his life’s lessons, he most certainly recounts indelible moments from his decades-long adventure as a professional golfer. But weaved inside his tales of competitive sport are messages that resonate deep with athletes, business leaders, and mission-driven organizations alike.
From visualizing the next great golf course out of an overgrown field to balancing victory and defeat with the pressure to perform, Nicklaus learned in his time on the green what it means to chase your own potential.
In his journey to greatness, Nicklaus knew he couldn’t go it alone – he relied on his family, and their love and support, as inspiration for his great success. After nearly 60 years of marriage to his wife, Barbara, and having raised five children and 22 grandchildren, Nicklaus proves you can still do what you love when you put the people you love first.
On stage, Nicklaus make a powerful case for his core fundamentals of success – preparation, discipline, and graciousness – all the while lighting up the room with his nostalgic and humble view of dreams come true.
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Philosophy of Philanthropy
Most men work their entire life to retire to play golf. Jack Nicklaus played golf his entire life to retire to work – good work.
In the Golden Bear’s golden years, he and wife Barbara have dedicated their time to helping children and families get access to world-class pediatric healthcare. In 2004, they founded the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation to support this effort. Collaborating with pediatric hospitals across the U.S., their Foundation has gained momentum, and grown into a thriving charity capable of making a real difference for children on a massive scale.
It is their passion and commitment to children that led globally renowned Miami Children’s Hospital to change its name to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, and in 2017 to rebrand their entire Miami Children’s Health System to Nicklaus Children’s. The system includes 14 outpatient centers spread throughout Florida.
Nicklaus speaks passionately about his family’s charitable efforts, and how they were able to evolve from a life focused on the fundamentals of competitive sport to one driven by a philosophy of philanthropy.
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