Ronald savours treasured memories of an audience with the Golden Bear

05/04/2022

Memories are made of this. For PGA stalwart Craig Ronald, the experience of meeting his lifelong golfing idol, Jack Nicklaus, will remain stuck in his mind as if it’s been seared on with a branding iron.

Whoever coined the old adage ‘never meet your heroes’ obviously never met Nicklaus. On and off the course, Nicklaus, in Ronald’s eyes, remains the greatest of all time.

“He made us feel right at home and it was an absolute pleasure,” said Ronald of this spell in the 18-time major winner’s company at the Bear’s Club in Florida recently. “He’s been my hero since I was a kid and he still has that wonderful aura.”

The opportunity to meet Nicklaus was provided by Ronald’s friend and Lanarkshire businessman, Carl Saunders, who bought a golfing package with the Golden Bear at a charity auction for his own 60^th birthday. “When I was asked to go, I thought it would be lunch with a big group of people, but it was just the three of us on the trip, along with Jack, his son, Steve, and his PA,” he said.

Ronald had been up close, but not very personal, with Nicklaus many years ago. Having qualified for the 1994 Open at Turnberry, the long-serving Carluke pro found himself thwacking balls on the driving range next to this shimmering legend of the Royal & Ancient game.

“But I didn’t have the nerve to speak to him back then,” he reflected with a chuckle. “I thought ‘my God, that’s Jack Nicklaus’. I was scared stiff hitting balls next to him. Funnily enough, I’d told Jack’s PA about this prior to meeting him as they were doing due diligence on his guests.

"The PA obviously told Jack about it so when we sat down for lunch, Jack said to us, ‘now, I remember in 1994 there was this young kid hitting balls next to me and it was really intimidating. Any of you guys know who it was?’ We had a good laugh about it.”

Almost 30 years after gazing in wonder at Nicklaus on the Turnberry range, all eyes were on Ronald this time.

“He came out and watched us play the final hole,” said the former Scottish PGA champion of this audience with a golfing colossus. “I don’t think I’ve been that nervous since I was standing over a putt to make the cut in The Open. Or the play-off to win the Scottish PGA Championship. I went down the left on the par-5 into a bunker, laid up with a 6-iron and put a wedge to a foot. I was shaking like a leaf over the putt. Jack said, ‘what a birdie’.”

With the Masters looming on the horizon, Ronald has his own Augusta memory of Nicklaus to savour. “I had a pound on Jack at 33 to 1 to win in 1986 and he did,” said Ronald of Nicklaus’ mighty triumph at the age of 46. “It was the most excited I’d been in my life. I won £34 and thought I’d won the lottery. I was probably getting about the same amount for a week’s work in the pro shop at Torrance House. He was definitely my hero after that.”

As for meeting his hero? Well, you can’t put a price on that.