Gary Player: On Shooting His Age

When Gary Player is invited to reflect on the fact he is now the oldest living Champion Golfer, he instantly raises a smile.

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing,” he asks, before bursting into laughter.

In the course of a lengthy interview with Player to mark his 85th birthday on November 1, it soon becomes clear the statistic is one that understandably provokes feelings of great pride for the three-time Open winner.

“I think the word that comes to mind is gratitude,” says Player. “A lot of my golfing friends have passed away, so every day I’m aware of this and fortunately I’m very fit at the moment. (...)

Player’s extraordinary commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle is well-known, and he remains remarkably fit as he enters his 86th year. Such is his enduring energy, it is hard to believe 65 years have passed since he first travelled to The Open. (...)

The South African cannot recall the last time he completed 18 holes in a score higher than his age, and he continues to set new golfing goals for the years to come.

“The highest score I can think that I’ve shot in the last I don’t know how many years, I’m taking a guess, maybe 10 years, is 77,” he states emphatically. “On a normal golf course I average 72. I smash my age. I don’t beat it, I smash it.

“I’d like to beat it 3,000 times in a row. I don’t think anyone’s ever done that. And my other dream is to beat my age by 18 shots, a shot a hole.

“So the older I get, the easier it is, as long as I stay well. I work out hard, I rest well, I laugh a lot and I try to do the things to lead to longevity, but we cannot take health for granted.”

Player’s current fitness regime includes the “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups” he has sworn by for decades, and he insists he feels much younger than his actual age.

“I try and exercise four times a week,” he says. “The things that I’m doing are showing that it’s right and leading to longevity.

“I still run the treadmill at max (speed) and I can run, I can swim, I can ride a horse. All these things at 85.

“Today it’s astounding when you hear that and it shouldn’t be. Because actually at 85 I feel like a young man.”

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[ed. I saw something on Golf Channel about Gary shooting his age over 3000 times. I thought that couldn't be right, too crazy. Hardly anyone does that even once. Well...]

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If you were playing in this era and having the benefit in using today’s equipment would your total number of majors and PGA TOUR wins be the same or even greater?

Definitely more! Hard to hit the ball off-line with today’s equipment. I have broken my age well over 2000 times and with the old equipment I couldn’t have done that. Don’t forget traveling without jets played a large part, plus perfect greens and bunkers that are exactly the same all over the world today.