Nicklaus blasts proposed rule changes

Jack Nicklaus has given his initial reaction to golf's proposed rule changes -

and it does not make happy reading for the governing bodies.

"It's a start, I suppose, but it's the chair off the Titanic, I guess," said

Nicklaus when asked about the plan to alter grooves in clubs to make it harder

to control the ball from the rough and put more of a premium on driving

accuracy.

Nicklaus, speaking at a press conference to promote September's Presidents Cup

in Canada between the United States and an International side captained by Gary

Player, has long been in favour of a reduction in the distance a ball flies.

"I've never really spoken to any ball manufacturer who has actually told me

that they're against it," he commented. "I've spoken to quite a few who are

for it.

"If you take the ball and roll it back, whatever the percentage might be (10%

has been talked about), you really are bringing about 17,000 or 18,000 or 19,000

golf courses in the United States that are basically obsolete to the

professional back into play for a possible event.

"The average golfer now has a golf ball that is so high tech and clubs that

are so high tech that they may hit the ball on the face of the golf club maybe

one out of 10 shots.

"When they hit that one out of 10 shots on the face they say 'Wow, look how

far that goes' and they love it. But on the other nine shots the ball goes much

shorter than it would have if they didn't have such a high-tech piece of

equipment or ball.

"Part of this whole thing is to bring people in the game and keep them in the

game. And if you have a golf ball that you don't know whether you're going to

hit it on the face or not and there's 50 yards of difference between a good shot

and a bad shot, it's hard to learn how to play golf.

"I'd love to see the game be brought together for the average golfer and the

pros. Right now all they advertise on television is 'play what the pros play'.

Well, they can't play it - they just don't have the clubhead speed to play

it."