‘We Were Young and Dumb’: Jack Nicklaus’ Wife Candidly Highlighted the Struggles of the 18x Major Champion in 2020

Jack Nicklaus is probably one of the biggest inspirations for all young golfers in the world. The golf star has seen lots of rough times in his life. However, Nicklaus doesn’t talk about the bad parts that much. But there was a time when his wife, Barbara, opened up about what the golfer had to go through before beginning his career.

Jack Nicklaus’ wife opened up about his rough times

Nicklaus, 82, has made tons of records on the field during his career. An inspiration to Tiger Woods, the golf legend holds the record for winning the most majors, 18, in professional golf. But like every greatest thing, it all starts from zero. And it was the same for Jack Nicklaus and his career in the sport.

Jack Nicklaus highly credits his wife, Barbara, for his professional success. The golfer met the woman of his dreams for the first time at the Ohio State campus. That is when the two clicked and soon started dating. However, unlike people in this generation, the two decided to marry each other without wasting much time.

“We were 20 when we got married. We were both still in school,” Barbara said in an interview. She explained how Nicklaus was trying to sell insurance at the time to make ends meet. Going to school and playing golf at the same time was pretty hard for the golfer. However, according to Barbara, Nicklaus had a habit of giving everything he did his best shot. And that is what got the two to reach the decision that Nicklaus needed to play golf professionally.

“Anything he’s ever gone into he’s done 110 percent. Jack said, ‘If I want to be the best I’ve got to play against the best.’ That’s when we both decided it was best for him to turn pro,” she said. Although they were not in a very good state financially, they had three children to raise. “I guess we were young and dumb, had three children before we could afford to have one,” she stated.

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But with a talent like his, it didn’t take long for Nicklaus to taste success on the field. However, despite his extraordinary love for golf, Nicklaus didn’t want to spend much time away from his family. “When he turned pro, he made a vow he would never be gone more than two weeks at a time,” Barbara explained. She recalled Nicklaus saying “I don’t want my children to grow up and say I wish I’d known my dad.”

Being a father and a professional golfer at the same time can be tough to handle. Another example of a similar situation is Tiger Woods and his kids. However, it might not be that hard in his case since his son Charlie is also on his way to turning pro and spends ample time with his old man. But for Nicklaus, the struggle of managing everything together was something else.

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