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Wearing a glove while driving the ball off the tee is a common practice. You need to grip the club tightly to ensure it doesn’t slip out of your palms while you’re giving it a good swing. But did you know that Jack Nicklaus also preferred putting on gloves when he was using a putter? Interestingly, Ian Baker-Finch also imitated the Golden Bear, and it brought him success.

The retired pro-turned-analyst was asked if he was trying to copy Nicklaus during the Talk Birdie To Me Podcast recently. Baker-Finch told the hosts, “No, Jack for sure. Anything Jack did, I did. It’s funny you say that, but other youngsters have come to me and said, ‘Hey, I always putt with a glove on cause you did, and I love the way you putted.’ And I did it because Jack did.”

Finch was renowned for his abilities on the green. He was exceptional with the putter, especially when playing on fast-paced greens. His ability to control the pace and judge the trajectory of the curves to place pitch-perfect putts helped him win The Open at Royal Birkdale in 1991. As everyone is aware, the links course is known for extremely fast-paced and challenging greens.

Perhaps, using gloves gave him the right grip to control the putter the way he wanted. It certainly gave him the confidence to putt more like the magician, Jack Nicklaus. Maybe that was the secret behind his success on the green: better control over his club and the belief that he could execute the stroke just like the legendary golfer.

He may not have earned much praise from Jack Nicklaus for imitating him during his playing days. But Ian Baker-Finch still caught the attention of the Golden Bear for his contribution as an analyst when he was about to retire. And Nicklaus had a lot of kind words to share about the man who followed his path.

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Jack Nicklaus acknowledges Ian Baker-Finch’s contribution to golf

Only a few months ago, Ian Baker-Finch confirmed that he was retiring as an analyst and leaving his position with the CBS Network. He had spent quite a few years with them and had also worked with ABC Sports/ESPN in the past. Overall, the golf legend had 30 years of expertise under his belt.

Many analysts and former players had left beautiful messages to commemorate his amazing career. And one of them was Jack Nicklaus, who acknowledged his contribution to the sport as a player and a commentator.

In a special video, Nicklaus said, “Ian has been a great for the game of golf. He was a good player with a wonderful personality, and he has been a great addition to the CBS golf broadcasts. We wish him well and congratulations.”

The golf legend had a firsthand experience of how good a player Ian Baker-Finch was after he finished T44 at Royal Birkdale in 1991, when the Australian got the only major win of his career. In the end, he was only imitating Jack Nicklaus to try and grab the biggest win of his career.