"He told me to shut up" - Multiple PGA Tour winner reveals hilarious Jack Nicklaus exchange

Multiple PGA Tour winner Kevin Kisner has revealed details of an hilarious exchange he once had with Jack Nicklaus over the 16th hole at Muirfield Village. 

Nicklaus designed the Ohio-based course in the late 1960s and has served as tournament host of the Memorial Tournament since 1976. 

Kisner, 42, played the tournament six times throughout his PGA Tour career but missed the cut in half of those appearances. 

The American revealed on the latest edition of the Fore Play podcast that he enjoyed playing at Muirfield, except for the par-three 16th hole. 

So much so, he told the Golden Bear straight to his face. 

"When you walk in to eat lunch, you can sit down with Mr. Nicklaus and have lunch and make fun of his golf course like I did one year, and he told me to shut up - itt was just a 5-iron," Kisner told the pod. 

[My problem was the] 16th hole of Muirfield Village. The first time I played it on Tuesday, I was like, this is the biggest dog s--- hole. Whoever designed this hole is an idiot. You can't hit the green. This is just idiotic.

"I walk in, pissed off after 18, sit down right next to Mr. Nicklaus. He goes: 'Kiz, what do you think about the golf course?'

"And I said, 'Well, your 16th hole is complete dog s---, Mr. Nicklaus. I mean, you can't hold the green.'

"And he goes: 'I mean, come on, Kiz, it's just a 5-iron, just hit it higher.' And I said, 'I can't hit it any higher.'

"He goes, 'Well, it's probably not for you.'

Frankie Borelli gave Kisner credit for calling out the Golden Bear.

"Oh, yeah, he's great, man," added Kisner. "He loves it. He loves me. I mean, that's what the locker room on tour is all about, is just telling people like it is.

"You know what? He probably respects me more than every other guy that walks in, lies to his face and tells him how great it is.

"It [the hole] was so bad that he's redone it twice since then. That was about 2016 or something, so I wasn't wrong."

Watch Kisner tell the story here:

Incredible. 

Kisner isn't the only golfer to express an issue with the 16th hole. 

Three-time major champion Jordan Spieth also expressed his frustration, telling reporters in 2023 it was "not a great hole in pretty much everyone's opinion that's playing today". 

Hot mics also caught Jason Day saying it was a "mother f---ing stupid hole" during the 2025 Memorial.  

For his part, Nicklaus said he didn't want players to go around saying, 'What a great 17-hole golf course'. 

Though he stressed: "There's nothing wrong with that hole if we have the normal wind conditions, but if we have the wrong conditions the hole isn't good.

"I don't like to see it be brutally difficult. We'll adjust 16 next year. I'll do some things on that that will make it a more forgiving hole."