Jack: "The average golfer always wants to relate to the pro, and I don't think the average golfer can relate to the pro today"

Jack Nicklaus visited the Coachella Valley en route to the Rose Bowl game including his grandson Nick O'Leary of Florida State (Oregon beat FSU 59-20).

Finishing off Toscana for developer Bill Bone, the 28-hole facility will be 36 by next year and Nicklaus tells Larry Bohannan that the project is a sign of an improved economy. He also discussed various initiatives and the distance the ball flies in altering how the game is played.

In particular, he's fleshing out his case for a rollback by noting what was inevitable: the relatability factor for the average fan.

"The average golfer always wants to relate to the pro, and I don't think the average golfer can relate to the pro today," said Nicklaus, the all-time winner in golf's four major championships with 18 victories and third all-time in PGA Tour wins with 73. "How can you relate to someone who can hit it 330 yards, 340 yards?"

Nicklaus hopes initiatives like larger cups, which have been used on several Nicklaus courses across the country, and initiative like Tee It Forward, which promotes shorter and more appropriate tees for some players, will stem the slide in golf participation in the country.

"The only thing it is supposed to do is to bring people into the game and keep them in the game," Nicklaus said. "You introduce women and children to the game, well, it's a tough game. You really want them to have some kind of success. And the seniors who are struggling as they start to get a little older, losing their strength, you give them a bigger hole and they have a game where they can enjoy it.

"You are not trying to change the game for people," Nicklaus added. "You are just trying to bring people in and have them have more fun."