Jack Nicklaus: "Change the frigging golf ball"

It's no secret what Jack Nicklaus thinks about the golf ball and how far it travels.

But he's upped his game and tone with a "friggin" reference! From his Masters Tuesday, summed up by Ward Clayton.

Q.  There's been some talk that Augusta National officials might lengthen the 13th hole.  They apparently acquired some land at Augusta Country Club.  What would be the pluses and minuses of that and do you think it should be done?

    JACK NICKLAUS:  Well, you've probably got three or four different ways to handle that situation.  One would be very simply just make it a par 4.  They could do that, which they are not going to do.

    Number two is what they're proposing to do, and of course that depends on whether Augusta Country Club will share their property with Augusta National or not.  That's another question.  Depends on what the tariff is, not sure about that.

    The third thing they could do, and they've got plenty of room to do it, is recreate the green back about 30 yards.  They could do that very easily.  Probably make the same hole.

    Four, they could take and reroute the stream bed, push it out and put a few more trees in.

    So they've got a lot of options of what they could do.  I'm sure that from a traditionalist standpoint, the best way is probably to lengthen the hole, and then you don't change anything else.  They have done that once, bought some land from Augusta Country Club and did that.

    I think with the length the guys hit today, it's the only reason ‑‑ I tell you, the simplest solution is change the frigging golf ball (laughter).  The golf ball goes so far, Augusta National is about the only place, the only golf course in the world that financially can afford to make the changes that they have to make to keep up with the golf ball.  I don't think anybody else could ever do it.

    It's just so impractical to continue to allow the golf ball ‑‑ well, the golf ball hasn't gone that much lately, but what's happened is the golf ball has not changed a lot since probably 2005 or 2006, I suppose.  As I said, they've basically hit the limits to that, but the guys haven't hit the limits.

    I used to be called Big Jack.  I'm really huge now, about 5‑8.  But now the guys are all 6‑3, 6‑4, 6‑5, big long arms, and can hit it nine miles and they just take it right over the top of the trees.  Sam used to take it over the top of the trees when he was young.  He hit it a long way.  The trouble is the trees were only this high there (laughter) (indicating low).