Nicklaus says 90 percent of his design work now in Asia
He's the Global Bear now.
Jack Nicklaus has embraced course design with the passion and intensity he brought to his golf game and in turn has became one of the game's most successful developers. Like any successful businessman, Nicklaus follows the money, and today the money for golf is in Asia, not the United States. In an interview with Reuters, Nicklaus said he expects the game to explode in popularity among "regular people" in Asia, not just the wealthy, and that Chinese players will someday be among the world's best.
Florida-based Nicklaus, who has won a record 18 major titles, does just 0.3 percent of his work in his home country.
"The recession has not been as severe here as it has been in the States, 90 percent of my work, golf course design work now, is here in Asia," Nicklaus, whose company has designed almost 350 courses worldwide, told Reuters in an interview.
The rise of Asia's economic power and golf's presence in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will boost course construction in countries like China and India and the former will one day provide five of the world's top players, Nicklaus predicted.
The sometimes curmudgeonly Nicklaus also had kind words for the USGA's groove rule change, which will become law of the land on Tour in January.
Initially a sceptic about rule changes to equipment, likening them to "the deckchairs on the Titanic", Nicklaus is now an enthusiastic convert and said the golf authorities avoided a fight they could not win.
"It's a domino effect," he said. "It's going to make itself felt throughout the whole game.
"I think they (golf authorities) have been very clever."
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