Jack vs. Tiger: Who's the Greatest Golfer?

[iacas]

I am old enough to have followed both of these players in tournaments. I say the answer would become clear if we had Tiger play his rounds with a 43" Persimmon Driver with a steel shaft that weighed 150 grams and a Balata ball. Personally, I have never heard anything like the sound of Jack hitting a Balata ball 300 yds. (As Jack himself has said, the biggest advantage of today's play - tee to green- is the golf ball.)

You say it yourself - it's hypothetical. It's not like golf isn't played against other people. The people Jack beat were using the same equipment and playing under the same conditions.

The point's been made several times - and Jack has agreed - that the equipment and course conditions severely negate a lot of Tiger's natural advantage. They level the playing field. So that might actually work against saying "Jack is the best." That's the common argument, anyway, and one in which I put a little stock. I think next year with the grooves Tiger will separate himself from the fields by just a little bit more.

What I will say is that Jack respected the game more. You never heard him swear, or slam a club - he'd turn bright-pink after a bad shot and just groan "Ooooh, Jack!"

Jack used to smoke on the golf course. And I have to take other people's word for it because I didn't watch Jack play much before the mid 1980s (and barely then, either), but others have told me he swore a fair amount too. We didn't have wall-to-wall coverage of Jack when he wasn't playing well, though, like we have with Tiger now, nor did we have microphones in the fairways like we have now.

You'd never have seen him let the gallery roll a boulder "loose impediment" out of his line, either.

So because Jack isn't clever enough to use the rules to his advantage, that makes him a greater golfer? I dunno... you're stretching. Tiger found a loophole and used it to his advantage. Arnie did in the Masters too when he played a second ball at the 12th hole once (1958?). The rule was changed (as I think it needed to be), but when Tiger did it, everything was legal, so I give him credit for knowing the rules. That's more than you could say for 99.9% of other PGA Tour pros.

[Philip]

My opinion is Jack was better, some reasons,
The equipment in his day hardly matches the titanium drivers and balls of today and for years Tiger and others played the same length courses, wasn't until only a few years back did they lengthen the courses to meet the latest equipment advancements, all these "new " guys had many years to use the latest equipment to catch-up on the old guys, and even still look at how many old guys collected majors:
Jack Nicklaus - 18
Walter Hagen - 11
Ben Hogan - 9
Gary Player - 9
Tom Watson - 8
Bobby Jones - 7
Arnold Palmer - 7
Gene Sarazen - 7
Sam Snead - 7
Can't name any other player today that has Major Victories anywhere close to these great golfers.
Bobby Jones who stopped all golf at the age of 28! What would have happen if
Jack also only for two weeks at a time, then home with family....
He didn't push to collect as many Majors as humanly possible, he wasn't given a golf club at the age of 3 and from then on golf was all he did, with training what ever the most money would buy.
Adding a couple of hundred yards to the Augusta will never make up for the new balls and clubs of today,
Personal Trainers, massages, psychic professionals that follow their golf Pro around from match to match, they should win every week!
To me JACK is the MAN!

phil

[Gordo]

Whoops - thought the debate was Jack vs Tiger. For you youngters, this is the official story of Arnold's second ball. He knew that the official had given him an incorrect local on course ruling . He was not stretching the rules, at all --- big difference. A thousand pound boulder that was intentionally put in place during construction of the course, takes 6 people to move and leaves a hole in the ground is not a loose impedament like a loose pebble, a twig or a pine cone. I'll never agree that it wasn't intended to be part of the course and that moving it was clever, not cheating.

After making the turn in even-par 36, Palmer dropped a shot at the par-4 10th. On the par-3 12th, he opted for a 4-iron from 155 yards. Too much. The ball flew the green and embedded between the rear bunker and the putting surface.

“The golf course was very, very wet and that day we were playing wet weather rules,” Palmer says. “I saw an official there and I said, ‘I’m gonna lift, clean and place this ball,’ and he said, ‘Oh no you’re not.’ He says, ‘You can’t do that.’ Well, of course, I knew better and so I begged to differ with the official.

“I said, ‘I’ll play two balls,’ and I did. I made five with one and I made three with the other.”

Palmer first played his original ball on his way to making double bogey. He then dropped from the embedded area and pitched up nicely for a gimme par.

It wasn’t until the 15th hole that Palmer was officially told that he was entitled to a free drop and that he would be credited with a par at 12.


This is not hypothetical, Jack has already won 18, finished second 19 times and had three Grand Slams - the greatest PGA major record ever. Not trying to discredit anyone's accomplishments- but Tiger ain't done it yet !!!

[jonnythan]

I don't get the equipment argument.

The same equipment is available to all players, and Tiger has to beat them all to win a Major.

[HytrewQasdfg]

I think tiger is better because

Huh?

Tiger has changed his swing several times. Nicklaus used the same swing his entire career (although he did modify it some as he got older.) As far as correct, saying there is a "correct" golf swing is like saying there is a "correct" way to skin a cat. I'm impressed that Tiger has been able to learn and excel at several different swing styles, but that isn't consistency. One big difference between them is Tiger has gotten almost universal fan support his entire career. People forget that Nicklaus was booed and heckled a lot during his early career by "Arnie's Army" (in fact, I saw an interview with an older Palmer where he essentially apolagised for the way his fans treated Nicklaus during the early days.) At the end of the day, Tiger might surpass Nicklaus (probably will IMHO), but at this moment I would still give the edge to Nicklaus.

[Phil-Mick#1]

Until Tiger has #19, Jack is #1

[12_Over]

I go with Tigre because of his raw power as well as his brilliant touch around the greens.

[fryfly]

I watched Nicklaus in his prime and he is the best, atleast for now.Tournament golf is tough but winning majors is a total different beast. Every one on the PGA tour is good, but only some are good enough to win a major. Jack has 18, Tiger still has a few to go.

[defrag]

Not a huge fan of Tiger. As a kid, I heard more of Jack. Based off of that I'd have to say Jack.

[whip_it_out]

This is not hypothetical, Jack has

I can agree with you,

when Tiger break's Jack's major records, he will be the best. But he is not yet. I will have to disagree with you in the statement of Jack's Grand Slams. He never one all 4 majors within one year. You may think of a Grand Slam as something different, that is what I, and a lot of other people consider it to be. And no one has done it yet.

[ZELUS70]

tiger!

[Herms]

I'd have to say Tiger, he is so dominate.

[rockrobinoff]

comparing athelets of different eras is close to meaningless. so many different factors are at play. all one can do is attempt to judge how far ahead the top player was or is from his contemporaries. both tiger and jack were miles ahead.

[ngrec82]

I can certainly appreciate Jack's greatness, considering the lack of technology when he played, although Tiger Woods' work ethic has got to be the greatest ever.. That is what makes him "unbelievable".. sometimes!

[sometimes a golfer]

to be honest, I think Phil is the man...

[Gordo]

I can agree with you,

The term Grand Slam ,in golf, was coined when Bobby Jones won the four most important tournaments of 1930. They were the US and British open and the US and British Amature events.

The entire sports world counts Golf Career Grand Slams. That is winning the four majors of today during a life-time. There is a short list for that: Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus (3) and Tiger Woods (3). Only five of the greatest players of all time have accomplished this. A lot of other people and I think that it is trully a great feat !! Jack and Tiger doing it three times makes them two very special golfers.

[dag2000]

18 is more than 14. So it's Jack. If Tiger wins four or more, then we can have a debate, like Tiger's relatively weak competition and Jack beating the likes of Palmer, Player, Trevino, and Watson (combined 29 major championships). But right now, it's Jack.

[kleraudio]

I was never really able to watch Jack in his prime either, so I gotta vote Tiger. Plus, over 300 from the tee box?? Thats just sick.

Jim