Many years back when I used to get tickets to The Memorial Tournament I was able to sit in on a semi-informal "clinic" (really a Q&A session) that Nicklaus held for some of the locals. While his ball-striking ability is unquestioned, it was interesting to hear Jack place almost as much emphasis on "playing smart", i.e., managing one's game, managing the course properly, positioning shots to play to one's strengths, etc. He mentioned that any number of times he gained a shot or two in a round by making the right play (and also losing a stroke or two from making poor decisions). It was interesting to hear that from a guy who most weekend hackers like me tend to think of as a big hitter note that smarts can serve you almost as well as clobbering the ball.
No doubt about it, those are great points.