By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Augusta

Jack Nicklaus hopes to be back playing the Masters next year at the age of 63 - and playing well enough "to scare people, including myself".

The record six-time Augusta champion is absent from the starting line-up for only the second time in his career this week because of back pains.

"I've had four scans and been told four different places to operate," he said. "My back's a mess, but most of it is muscular and I'm trying to exercise my way out of it.

"I don't know whether I will ever play world-class golf again and I don't care. I know what my age is. But if I can play decently I would love to play here again."

And by "decently" he means to the level he produced only four years ago, when he turned back the clock with a last-day charge before finishing sixth.

"At the moment I can only play golf the way I ski and play tennis. I don't think that's for public consumption!"

Nicklaus believes Augusta National were right to make the changes they have to the course rather than make the other, more dramatic step that has been talked about - introducing their own ball to limit the power-hitters.

But the Golden Bear also thinks it may be necessary eventually - and not a bad thing - for the Royal and Ancient club and the United States Golf Association, the two ruling bodies currently in disagreement over what to do about technology, to produce specifications for manufacturers to meet for tournament play.

"When they do that the kids growing up will want to play the tournament ball and, like the small ball did, everything but the tournament ball will disappear.

"We don't have a dozen courses in America that can handle the distance the ball goes now. If we brought it back 10 4.901810e-312 have thousands."