GARY PLAYER AT 90
Fit For a
King
One of his monikers is ‘Mr Fitness’ and he remains an inspiration to those looking after their bodies on and off the golf course
Christiaan Maas’ all-encompassing love for the game is also to the benefit of those who have the privilege of watching him
play
BY CLINTON VAN DER BERG
It all started when Gary Player’s brother left for war aged 17. He gave the nine-year-old Gary a set of weights and made him promise to look after his body and ‘treat it like a holy temple’ for the rest of his life.
There’s little doubt Player embraced those words and has lived his life through them. He is surely the fittest 90-year-old on the planet and it’s undeniable that his fitness and work ethic helped make him the legend he is.
‘Looking back on the attitudes of golfers toward exercise, I am very proud to be the first to have helped changed their mindset,’ said Player in an interview. ‘Golfers were not really thought of as athletes even just a few decades ago. Now, they train like athletes in other sports like rugby. First Tiger Woods and now Rory McIlroy are great ambassadors for promoting fitness in golf. The PGA Tour even has a travelling gym. We have come a long way from when I had to go to the local YMCA.’
On his workouts:
‘I typically end my workouts on the treadmill, gradually building up from a brisk walk to a sprint. This was from a few years ago before I left on an overnight flight and I always exercise before travelling. Most importantly, it’s all about making sure your mind tells your body it can still move fast!’
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According to his former media manager, Bo Wood, Player trained in the gym four or five times a week, doing various leg, lower-back and neck stretches, sets of one-legged squats, 1 000 mixed crunches – the last done with extra weights – several core exercises, weighted wrist roles, sprints on the treadmill and sets of heavy leg presses.
Here’s a selection of quotes attributed to Player relating to exercise and fitness.
On longevity: ‘Eat half of what you do now, exercise double. Laugh as much as you can, and have unmeasured love in your heart.’
On the 1965 US Open: ‘I was the only player working out during the week. I vividly remember the night before the tournament, when I was in the gym and had one of my best workouts ever. That gave me the extra confidence I needed to take on the monster of a course that is Bellerive CC. People thought I was nuts, but my guess is many of the professionals are preparing the same way today I did 60 years ago.’
On starting young:
‘Exercising from a young age for core strength is vital. If you can’t make it to the gym for a full workout, taking just a couple of minutes to practise planking during the day will help you reap the rewards later on. Core strength is vital to swinging with power and control.’
On the core:
‘You’ve got to strengthen your core to play golf, just look at how fast the top players move their hips… it’s like a karate expert who breaks bricks with his fist. He doesn’t do it by having a strong fist, he does it by moving his body really quickly.’
On his finger strength: ‘For years, I’ve been challenging people to see if anyone can hold two clubs with only two fingers. No one has been successful so far. To make my hands strong, I crumpled old newspapers over and over again. Sometimes the most simple exercise can produce extraordinary result.’
On rotation:
‘The rotation in golf is the most important movement in the swing. Make sure you are working on both sides to ensure your spine is exercising in both directions.’
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‘I love this photo for several reasons. First, it reminds me of a time when I was steadfast in getting fitter and stronger as I knew it was the key to me being competitive. Secondly, it reminds me of a time when world-class gyms were not available at every tournament location and how I needed to be creative in order to keep getting stronger. Hotel rooms and stairways saw many of my training sessions.’
ERIK S LESSER / EPA / CHARLES KNIGHT / SHUTTERSTOCK / BACKPAGEPIX / instagram / GARY PLAYER
