Gary Player
Big Interview: Gary Player
Gary Player
WSB Exclusive Speaker
Legendary Professional Golfer; "The Black Knight"
Grand Slam golf icon Gary Player teaches unexpected lessons on translating mastery in sport into mastery of life.
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Gary Player'S SPEAKING FEE Over $70,000
Gary Player is in his 80s, but he doesn’t like the word “old.” With a workout regimen that includes doing 1,000 crunches several times a week, often with a 100-pound weight on his chest, his logic is hard to dispute.
Considered one of the greatest professional golfers of all time – one of “The Big Three,” along with Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus – Player first became an icon of fitness during his professional golf career. Today, he inspires audiences with energetic talks about his career and the philosophy that has kept him in prime condition: fitness and a proper diet are vital to success in all endeavors.
“I can beat most youngsters in the gym,” he told Golf Digest. “I look at myself as young. I eliminate the word ‘old.’”
Nicknamed the Black Knight, Player booked 168 wins in a career that spanned six decades. He is one of only five players ever to complete the career Grand Slam, winning all four of golf’s major championships. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Later, Player became the only professional golfer to win the career Grand Slam on both the Regular Tour and the Senior Tour.
A native of South Africa, Player has penned or co-authored three dozen books on golf, including Gary Player’s Black Book: 60 Tips on Golf, Business, and Life from the Black Knight, which was published in 2017.
Exemplifying one of his core beliefs, that marrying personal passions with business results in a winning outcome, he has also launched several extremely successful firms. Player’s golf course design company – Gary Player Design – has designed more than 400 golf courses on six continents, and has consulted on luxury real estate projects worldwide. Player has seen similar success as a philanthropist, raising more than $64 million for children and impoverished communities through The Player Foundation.
Player no longer competes professionally – he has his hands full with 22 grandchildren – but he continues to play and teach. He has often said that “golf is a puzzle without an answer.” But perhaps Player’s most famous quote is, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
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Gary Player’s Speech Topics
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Translating Mastery in Sport into Mastery of Life
It’s how you respond to life that determines your successes, says Gary Player. Your attitude, being positive, and setting goals are all critical.
The rise to the top can be a lonely game – both in sport and in business. So, he argues, it’s up to the individual to rise above and overcome any adversity that stands between them and their success.
Player, who spent much of his professional career working alongside sport’s many legends, knows firsthand how preparedness, mental fortitude, and personal development can impact your trajectory.
With audiences of all kinds, Player is uniquely qualified to discuss and dissect the game, and the tenacity, determination, and grit it takes to win – both in sport and in life.
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Secrets to Fitness and Aging Well
Player is a strong believer that physical fitness is a precursor to success in all of life’s endeavors – and he leads by example.
Long before such terms as high intensity training and core body strength were common in locker rooms and gyms around the world, Player was working out. And he attributes much of his success, both in sport and in business, to his thoughtful fitness, health, and diet regimen.
On stage, Player discusses fitness as a strategy to counteract the impact of aging, and is living proof that we can remain fit – of mind and body – at any age.
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Committing to Quality in Business
One of the 10 commandments Gary Player lives by: Everything in business is negotiable, except quality.
This mantra is one he’s applied as a golfer during his more than 60-year career. It’s also how he conducts himself as a successful leader in golf course design, real estate services, and representing companies such as ROLEX for over 50 years.
With experience on more than 400 projects in 38 countries, Player offers deep experience and a unique voice to international consulting, cooperation across borders, and a commitment to excellence.
Player shares with audiences how he married his passion for golf with his business life, and the steps he takes to build long-term mutually rewarding relationships by displaying consistent integrity and credibility.
Works by Gary Player
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Gary Player
Gary Player: A Game For Life
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