The stories started the way many great golf stories do—quietly, over lunch.
My friend, Nick Blodgett, had invited me to lunch at the Hideaway Club in La Quinta, California. He also invited his neighbor and friend, Clive Clark. So, here I was, sitting next to Clive sharing a hot dog with all the trimmings; it quickly became clear that this wasn’t just a casual conversation about golf. Clark has lived through several eras of the game—as a tour professional, Ryder Cup player, broadcaster, and later a respected golf course architect.
Within minutes the stories began flowing: rounds with Jack Nicklaus, conversations with Peter Thomson, interviews with Lee Trevino, and even a birthday round with Arnold Palmer.
But one story stood out above the rest.
Playing with Jack Nicklaus
Clark recalled being paired with Nicklaus in the final round of the 1967 Open Championship at Hoylake.
Nicklaus was already the dominant force in golf, and Clark admitted that standing on the tee with him was intimidating. In that era of persimmon drivers and balata balls, Nicklaus was hitting the ball forty to fifty yards past most of the field.
Trying to keep up, Clark made a decision early in the round that many players had likely made before him—he tried to match Nicklaus’ power.
It didn’t go well.
He opened the round 6-5-5, a difficult start in the final round of a major championship. He hit a two iron second shot out-of-bounds (OB) on the first hole, bogeying the next two. Clive said in 1967 they played the Royal Liverpool course with the same routing that we played on our trip, with on course OB on the first. The last couple of Opens hosted at Hoylake the routing changed so that this was the fourth hole.
Then he made an adjustment.
“After five holes I decided I wasn’t going to watch another Nicklaus swing all day.”
— Clive Clark
Clark went back to playing his own game. The result was an impressive recovery and a finish tied for third place with Gary Player, one shot behind Nicklaus and two behind eventual champion Roberto De Vicenzo. Here is a link to some of the championship highlights.
A Walker Cup Rivalry
Before turning professional, Clark had already built an impressive amateur career. He once held a 3-3-1 match play record against the great amateur Michael Bonallack, one of Britain’s dominant amateur golfers of the era and future Secretary of the R&A. Bonallack was knighted in 1998 and inducted into the world golf hall of fame in 2000.
Their lone tie came shortly before Clark turned professional at the Lytham Trophy, which I wrote about in my book A Week on England’s Golf Coast.
Clark laughed while recalling a Walker Cup memory involving Bonallack. In the 1965 Walker Cup Clive won every point he played—except the match where he and Bonallack were paired together against Deane Beman (another golf administrative Titan) and Donald Allen, where they halved.
As Clark joked, Bonallack always seemed to play great against him, but never quite carried his weight as a partner.
Favorite Playing Partners
When I asked Clark who he most enjoyed being paired with on tour, two names came immediately to mind: Peter Thomson and Ken Nagle.
Thomson, the five-time Open champion, was known for his wide-ranging interests. According to Clark, most players on tour talked almost exclusively about golf, but Thomson preferred conversations about art, literature, and politics while walking the fairways. It made him particularly enjoyable company during long tournament rounds. Clive said he often stayed with Thomson when he visited Australia.
Nagle, meanwhile, was simply great fun to play with—easy going, relaxed, and full of stories. He won the New Zealand Open 7 times and one at least one professional tournament every year from 1949-1975. Clive enjoyed their rounds together.
Peter Thomson from a bunker
The Easiest Interview in Golf
Clark also spent time working as a golf broadcaster, where he discovered that one player in particular made interviews incredibly easy.
Lee Trevino.
Clark described his interviewing technique very simply. He would hold out the microphone and say:
“Lee?”
Trevino would then talk for several minutes, entertaining the audience with stories and humor. When he finished, Clark would simply say, “Thank you, Lee,” and return to the broadcast.
Lee Trevino, Clive Clark's easiest interview
Arnie at 80
A Birthday Round with Arnold Palmer
One of Clark’s favorite memories came years later when he played a quiet round with Arnold Palmer at The Madison Club in La Quinta, CA.
The occasion was Palmer’s 80th birthday, and the two men had the course largely to themselves.
Clark said he always enjoyed playing with Palmer. The two spent the day reminiscing about tournaments, golf courses, and course design. It was less a competitive round than a walk through decades of shared history in the game.
But Palmer still had plenty of game left.
By the end of the round both players had posted identical scores:
Arnold Palmer — 74
Clive Clark — 74
Afterwards they went into the clubhouse for a drink and continued their conversation.
The Best Swings He Ever Saw
Before lunch ended, I asked Clark a question every golfer loves to debate: the best swings he had ever seen.
His answer was immediate:
- Ernie Els
- Fred Couples
- Tom Weiskopf
All three are known for swings that look effortless—wide, rhythmic, and perfectly balanced.
A Walk Through Golf History
As lunch came to an end, it became clear that what made Clark’s stories so enjoyable wasn’t just the famous names—though hearing about rounds with Nicklaus, conversations with Thomson, interviews with Trevino, and a birthday game with Palmer certainly didn’t hurt.
It was the perspective of someone who had experienced the game from nearly every angle: competitor, teammate, broadcaster, and architect.
Listening to Clark recount those moments felt less like hearing old tour stories and more like sitting beside a fairway while golf history quietly walked past.
Author’s Note
I’ve been fortunate to play many great golf courses around the world, but occasionally the most memorable moments in the game come away from the fairways. Lunch with Clive Clark turned into one of those rare afternoons when the stories were every bit as enjoyable as the golf itself.
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