Thank you for being a part of Malaska Golf and for continuing as a member. What we have for you here is some incredible insight from the greatest player in the history of golf. Jack Nicklaus was kind enough to allow Phil Blackmar and me to interview him, and we talked extensively about what he did at Augusta—how he approached the course and how he managed to win so many Masters.
What you're going to find here, as he walks through different shots and situations, is a wealth of knowledge that will help your game. It’ll also help you see the course differently—both Augusta and the courses you play—and use the same thinking and strategies that made Jack better to make you better.
Because at the end of the day, it's about understanding yourself and how to play the game. Jack was the best at that—and he's going to help you with your game. So make sure you stay tuned and watch. We've got over an hour of content from our interview with Jack, covering every part of the game—how he learned, how he plays, and how he thinks.
It's really incredible. There's an unbelievable amount of information in here, and much of it I’ve never even heard Jack share before. A lot of it he’s never really talked about publicly. So it’s going to be fascinating for you to hear—and even more important, to apply to your own game.
Now, let’s take a specific example. I always like the 12th hole at Augusta.
The 12th at Augusta is a hole where, when the pin is on the back right—which it was during the final round when Tiger last won—the green sits at an angle, left to right and slightly away from you. If you bring a draw into that green, you're going into the short side every time, and you're bringing the water into play.
For some reason—and I don't really know why—the wind always seems to affect that shot more when it’s going out to the right. It’s something I’ve learned over the years. I actually hit it in the water on 12 during the second round of my very first year at Augusta.
But since then? I’ve never hit it in the water again. Even at age 60. I learned why. And I saw the same thing happen in 2019 when Tiger won. I watched Koepka, Poulter, Molinari—all of them dump it in the water. Every single one of those shots was coming in left-to-right, with the wrong shape and angle.
At that point, Tiger hadn’t yet won the tournament. But then I watched him step up and hit this perfect little left-to-right cut—just over the left center of the bunker—right into the middle of the green.
I said to myself, “He’s turning it over. He remembers how to finish.” That’s exactly what I did in ‘86. I remembered how to finish. I drew on what I had done before and applied it to the situation. And I knew he would do the same thing. And he did. He won the tournament. And I give him a ton of credit for that. He was terrific.
Now look—everyone plays a shot differently. On 11 at Augusta, you're out in the fairway, and you obviously don’t want to hit the ball in the water. Some guys play a cut off the water. Some play it way out to the right and draw it back in. Some just aim for the right side of the green.
Who's to say what’s right? There's going to be a right way for you. And there was a right way for me.
For me, I never liked cutting it on that hole. I didn’t want to aim over the water. I didn’t want to risk not being long enough. I always aimed at the front right of the green. I didn’t mind having a sidehill lie, because I knew I couldn’t hook it too far. That angle let me eliminate the trouble and simplify the shot.
To play well at Augusta, there are about six shots you really need to watch out for—or you’ll be on your way home early.
1. Your tee shot on 2
2. Your second shot on 11
3. Your tee shot on 12
4. Your tee shot and second shot on 13
5. Your second shot on 15
Those are the key shots at Augusta that can get you into trouble. If you can play those holes smart, control what you're doing, and avoid big mistakes, then the rest of the golf course is manageable. Well, not easy—but manageable. And if you can do that, you’ll give yourself a real chance to be there at the end of the day. That’s how I figured out how to play Augusta.