Even before he was old enough to drive a car, it was obvious that Jack Nicklaus (also known as The Golden Bear) was destined to become a golf legend. At the age of 13, this son of a Columbus, Ohio pharmacist broke 70 while playing 18 holes.

When only 16, Nicklaus won the 1956 Ohio Open and won the US Amateur in 1959 and 1961. He came in second in 1960, to no less a player than Arnold Palmer. He would make up for this by playing on the Eisenhower Trophy winning team and establishing a as yet unbroken 269 score in four rounds that year.

Nicklaus was playing on the pro circuit by 1962, when he won his first US Open. Defeating Arnold Palmer in this tournament made him a household name overnight. He would win the Masters twice in the 1960’s even though it would be 1970 before he would win his next US Open. He took nine more major titles in the 1970s, breaking the 13 title record held by Bobby Jones. His last major tournament can in 1986, when he was 46; the oldest player to win this tournament.

He joined the Senior PGA Tour in 1990, where he racked up 10 wins by 1996 - eight of which were major tournament wins. His made his last Senior PGA tournament appearances in 2005. However, he has stayed active in the sport, writing on the subject, designing courses and even holding his own PGA tournament, the Memorial tournament. Hi runs one of the world’s leading golf course design firms and has written autobiographical titles as well as instructional works on playing the Nicklaus way.

Perhaps Nicklaus’ popularity came with golf’s popularity when he beat Arnold Palmer in 1962 at Oakmont in the US Open. With the emergence of television, Jack’s charisma, good looks, and true rivalry with Palmer attracted many viewers to golf-something they hadn’t seen before on TV. He won an unheard of prize money of $60,000 in 1962 and reached third place on the tour’s money list, and named Rookie of the Year. In 1963, one of his best years, he won the Masters and the PGA Championship.

In 1964, he won the British Open at St. Andrews and established a new record for lowest score in the last thirty-six holes-66-68. His Masters win in 1965 set a tourney record of 271-which stood until Tiger Woods shot 270 in 1997. In the 1968, The Golden Bear let his physical condition slip, which most felt affected his playing skills, but Jack improved in the fall of 1969 where he returned to top form. Sadly, he lost one of his biggest supporters and mentors, his father, Charlie Nicklaus in 1970.

Once asked about himself and his career during 1970, Nicklaus said, “I was playing good golf, but it really wasn’t that big a deal to me one way or the other. And then my father passed away and I sort of realized he had certainly lived his life through my golf game. I really hadn’t probably given him the best of that. So I sort of got myself back to work. So 1970 was an emotional one for me from that standpoint-it was a big boost.” Perhaps this is true, as Jack became known as the “Record Setter,” being the first golfer to win all four major tournaments twice in a career.

In 1974, Jack Nicklaus became one of the first inductees to the World Golf Hall of Fame which he followed up on the next year by winning his 5th Masters Tournament and 4th PGA championship, as well as being named Athlete of the Year by ABC’s Wide World of Sports. It would be impossible for anyone but The Golden Bear himself, but Nicklaus took his 6th and final Masters Title in 1986. He still shares a record (with Tiger Woods) for having won all of the major championships three times). Nicklaus will always be a legend in the game for is amazing achievements and his work to support and popularize the game, something which he continues to do to this day. Jack Nicklaus may have retired, but it seems he’s still an unstoppable force in the golf world.