JACK NICKLAUS will be 56 tomorrow, but there is no sign of any let up in his forbidding work schedule. Having played in a total of 18 official tournaments last year - seven senior events and 11 on the so called regular tour - he is currently in Puerto Rico, competing at Dorado Beach in the Seniors' Tournament of Champions, which he captured at La Costa two years ago.

Though his prize money for the year wouldn't cover his fee for designing a golf course, it remained a very acceptable $606,986 - almost 80 per cent of it from the Seniors' Tour. From Puerto Rico, he heads to Hawaii and the Senior Skins Game next weekend, followed by the Pebble Beach Pro Am on February 1st to 4th. After that, he has a short break before returning to the regular tour at Doral.

Meanwhile, his design activities have taken an interesting turn. Where he once concentrated almost exclusively on high profile assignments such as Mount Juliet, he is now doing an increasing number of public courses. Indeed there have been quite a few occasions recently when, given the choice, he surprised observers by taking the public option.

Over the years, his undoubted rivalry with Arnold Palmer has been the source of considerable speculation and mischief making. And almost invariably, Nicklaus has emerged second best, starting with his decision to break from the International Management Group, because of what he perceived as an obvious bias by Mark McCormack in favour of his rival.

On being asked if he had ever felt envious of Palmer, Nicklaus replied with typical candour: "Of course. How can you help it? You have to be envious of what he has accomplished as a man and as a personality - his way with people. But that doesn't mean I want to take anything away from him. I might want to be a little more like him in some ways but I would not want to live Arnold's life. Nor do I think he would want to live mine."

Those, who for whatever reason would wish to see these great rivals as enemies, might note something that happened far away from the public gaze. The occasion was the halfway cut in the US Open at Oakmont in June 1994, when Palmer made a tearful farewell after 32 appearances, 31 of them successive, from 1953 to 1983. And it was at Oakmont in 1962 that he and Nicklaus had a momentous head to head before the 22 year old emerged victorious after a play off.

Hours later and still highly emotional, Palmer drove home to Latrobe with his wife Winnie. That evening, they had a phone call from Nicklaus. It was nothing important, he insisted, before adding: "Batara and I were driving around the neighbourhood and wondered if we could visit?" And so, these old protagonists swapped memories late into the night, providing Palmer with a perfect ending to an historic day.

RECENT correspondence with an enthusiast from the US, prompted the indefatigable Eddie Hackett to recall a remarkable distinction which he gained by accident 60 years ago. The Dublin based golf course architect, who has been responsible for the design of more than loo courses in this country, will be 86 on February 25th.

His memory was refreshed through writing to Robert Kroeger of Ohio, who in researching the life of Old Tom Morris, was fascinated by Hackett's involvement in what has become a marvellous, 27 hole layout at Rosapenna. The so called Valley course was originally designed by Morris, whose work was later modified by Harry Vardon and James Braid.

A few years ago, Rosapenna's owners, Frank and Hilary Casey, decided to employ Hackett to build another nine. The result is that the original front nine on splendid duneland, is now joined to Hackett's layout on similar terrain while the old back nine, which is essentially parkland in character, offers a contrasting challenge.

"Mention of Braid and Vardon reminded me of my first British Open at Hoylake in 1936, when I was attached to Elm Park" he said. "I failed to get through the qualifying stage, but compensation was at hand. It happened when I went into the diningroom for a meal."

Hackett went on: "The only vacant table was one in the middle of the room. In my innocence, I headed straight for it, whereupon a hush descended on the place. In a few minutes I understood why. To my astonishment, in walked Harry Vardon, J H Taylor, James Braid and Ted Rea and sat down at what I discovered was their own, special table where a magnum of champagne was ready for serving.

"My immediate reaction was to stand up and apologise but Vardon interjected: `Come up here lad and bring your plate. So I did. But as far as I can remember, I was too nervous to eat anything. I learned later that their lunch date was a ritual for these great men, all former champions who were no longer competing in the Open.

As an interesting aside, Vardon died the following year; Ray passed away in 1943, and Braid died in 1950. But Taylor, who with Vardon and Braid formed the so called Great Triumvirate - they won 16 British Open titles between them - lived to the grand old age of 92 before he died in 1963.

FOLLOWING the lead of some prominent American Id clubs, including Pine Valley, Valderrama has imposed a ban on steel spikes in golf shoes. The objective is to provide maximum protection for the greens until after the Ryder Cup matches against the US in September 1997.

Players are instructed to remove the spikes and replace them with the rubber equivalent. After play, they may have the old ones restored or purchase the new ones at a cost of 500 pesetas, about £2.50. So far, patrons have had no complaints.

Indeed the general view is that apart from being just as effective as metal, the rubber spikes don't damage the surface. On soft greens, he only discernable effect is a group of gentle indentations which disappear after a short period.

IF Portmarnock captain Seamus O'Shea weren't such a golfing realist, he would find the current attention of his fellow members touching, almost to the point of embarrassment. As it is, O'Shea is keenly aware that invitations to play as a fourball partner have to do with much more than personal popularity and a desire to honour his status in the club.

The seven handicapper knows that he is breaking with tradition in that far from regressing, the quality of his play has actually improved dramatically since he became captain on December 6th. And the point gained rich emphasis last Saturday when, over the first and third nines, he returned a stunning 44.

Stableford points to win the individual section in the first round of the winter League. A level par round that contained three birdies and three bogeys, gave O'Shea victory by a fivepoint margin.

ARISING out of a recent piece on the Karen Club in Id Nairobi, I have had a letter from a Hermitage member, Frank Cusack. The story of how a fourball, including an Irishman, happened to have scores of two, three, four and five at the par five 15th, reminded him of a similar incident on his home course.

Cusack writes: "About 30 years ago, while playing the 16th - which was then a par five with club colleagues Dr Theo Phelan, Larry Kelly and Edmund Browne (the tenor), the scores recorded were a four each from Theo and Edmund, an eagle three from Larry and an albatross two from myself. I holed out a six iron second shot."

He goes on: "There is a Karen connection insofar as played there in 1977. In fact on the morning of our group's arrival in Nairobi, we learned that the clubhouse had been burned down the previous night. Happily, the trip coincided with the victory by Liam Higgins in the Kenya Open, at nearby Muthaiga."

TEASER: A competitor invokes Rule 3-3 and plays a second ball. Subsequently, the competitor makes a stroke at one ball and it strikes and moves the other ball. What is the ruling?

ANSWER: If both halls lay on the putting green prior to the stroke, the competitor incurs a penalty of two strokes if the score with the striking ball ultimately becomes the competitor's score for the hole Rule 19-5. Otherwise, there is no penalty. The striking ball must be played as it lies Rule 19-5. The moved ball must be replaced Rule 18-5.