It doesn’t matter where Gary Player is standing, looking over land that has been turned into a golf course, or visualising what mere mortals aren’t able to. His opinion and philosophy about golf course design is always the same.

‘Golf architects are making courses too tough and greens too undulating. I've been around professional golf for a long time, and believe me, there's nothing more irritating to professional golfers than playing on undulating greens. If it irritates professional golfers, can you imagine how it irritates the weekend golfer?’ he says.

‘Anyone can make a 6 000-yard course tough if you put in undulating greens. But it takes a special architect to make a course where your greens are soft and friendly and yet it's still a good test. That's what we like to try to do.

‘I try to do golf courses that don't have high costs. That's why golf is in such a poor state at the moment. Golf courses are so long, and the costs have gone up according to oil, water, machinery, manpower, and we've priced ourselves out of the business.

‘We've got to build courses that are more playable, are not as long, are more friendly and more beautiful, because the average man is full of stress. He comes out to play golf. If you can make it beautiful and enjoyable, it does something for his soul.’

Royal Portrush (N Ireland)

10 FAVOURITES

• St Andrews, Old Course (Scotland)

• Augusta National (US)

• Turnberry (Scotland)
• The Links at Fancourt (South Africa)

• Pine Valley (US)
• Thracian Cliffs (Bulgaria)
• Kingston Heath (Australia)
• Royal Portrush
  (N Ireland)
• Royal Lytham & St Anne’s (England)
• Muirfield (Scotland)

QUICK VISITS

FANCOURT

‘I feel this is one of the very best golf courses in the world, even though it may have been built on the worst piece of ground – clay as flat as an airport. I’m proud to have worked as the course designer and could not be happier with how it turned out. It has been designed to make golfers feel as though they were at Ballybunion, Dornoch or St Andrews, with rolling fairways, pot bunkers, big greens, high rough and a seascape appearance.’

LOST CITY

‘The bushveld atmosphere gives it such a great feel. You’ve got the crocodiles near the 13th green, the incredible bird life, the Pilanesberg overlooking the course – it’s like being in a game reserve. I think it’s a showcase of what it’s like to play golf in Africa.’

WENTWORTH

‘When I designed Edinburgh Course at Wentworth, I approached it with great respect for the land, the tradition of the club and the game itself. I wanted to create a course that rewarded strategy over brute strength. We blended the course into the natural landscape of the Surrey countryside, preserving mature trees, embracing the natural undulation and ensuring the views were as inspiring as the golf.’

OTHER SAMPLES OF EXCELLENCE

Gary Player Country Club: Named in his honour, this nearly 8 000-yard walking-only course is consistently ranked among the world’s top courses and is home to the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

Saadiyat Beach Golf Club (Abu Dhabi): The Persian Gulf’s first oceanfront course, notable for its dramatic coastal routing.

Mazagan Beach Resort (Morocco): A spacious seaside layout offering elegant design and sweeping views of the Atlantic.

BlackSeaRama (Bulgaria): Another coastal gem – 18 holes set above the Black Sea, praised for its beauty and design.

Jockey Club Kau Sai Chau (Hong Kong): One of the world’s busiest public golf complexes, comprising three 18-hole courses: North and South designed by Player, and the East by Nelson & Haworth.

DLF Golf & Country Club (India): 27-hole facility in northern India where Player refashioned nine holes and added nine new ones to an Arnold Palmer original, known for its dramatic bunkers.

More acclaimed designs include: Five Nations (Belgium), Cihelny (Czechia), Delhi (Lodhi) & Ria Bintan (Indonesia), Durban Beachwood, Erinvale, Ruimsig, Pretoria Country Club, Blair Atholl, Cascades at Somabay, Modry Las (Poland) and TPC Jasna Polana.

Note: This is only a snapshot of golf courses and projects undertaken by Gary Player Design to provide an example of their work.

OTHER COURSE MEMORIES

First course played: Virginia Park, Johannesburg.

Most played: Goose Valley (Plettenberg Bay) and in the US, The Bear’s Club (with Jack Nicklaus).

Sweetest memory: Muirfield – site of his first Major win (1959 Open).

Hardest played: Carnoustie in foul weather.

Underrated gem: Thracian Cliffs.

Bucket-list course: Barnbougle Dunes.

Emotional attachment: Blair Atholl.

One-more-round wish: Old Course at St Andrews.

Golf Course List source: Golf.com

TYRONE WINFIELD / DEON VAN DER MERWE / SUNSHINE TOUR / TRISTAN JONES / MARK RUNNACLES / LET / ROBERT PERRY / EPA / BACKPAGEPIX / GOLFRSA