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He describes himself as "deliberate, meticulous, and intensely
focused about anything that deeply engages" him. In the days
when he competed with Arnold Palmer, Arnie's fans saw Jack as
the man in the black hat and hissed and booed. Nicklaus used
it to inspire him with a "take no prisoners" mindset,
something he says is necessary to win. "I wanted to win and
then win and win and win again - everytime I teed it up, now
and forever." People interpreted his obsession as cold-
hearted and bleak, an emotionless machine.
He is somewhat defensive about the depth to which fans and
the media took this perception. He defends other introverted
golfers who, he claims, are very different on the inside than
on the outside. His father once described Jack as having "a
certain shyness. He doesn't go out of his way to make friends."
After he had been with his management company for several
years, Jack recalls that "the desire to control my own
destiny became irresistible." Here's a very revealing quote:
"...my makeup was such that I would never be content until I
was completely in command of every element of my life; that
peace of mind depended on making my own judgment calls."
So whether it's getting ruffled over being penalized for
slow play, professing a difficulty in revealing "what's
inside", or agreeing that people can count on him to tell
the truth, we see Mr. Nicklaus as Idealist and Diligent,
most likely Idealist /Diligent/Diligent.
Regardless, without knowing it, he endorsed one of our core
beliefs when he said, "...there is no question that a genuine
belief in yourself is the top requirement for winning golf
tournaments." Thanks, Jack.
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