As he continues to celebrate his 91st birthday, Gary Player will be found out on a golf course somewhere, rattling off a lifetime of stories, offering advice to his playing partners and bounding along with a youthful energy as he travails the undulation of the terrain.

Most likely, he will again be shooting his age, the expression given to a golfer who manages to complete 18 holes in under their age. The number of times he's achieved the feat – something us mere mortals will never do – must be close to 3500, by his own tally. One would imagine that every time he plays, which is several times a week, beating his age has been routine for him, over a period of many years.

I don't know what the current status is, but a while ago Mr Player admitted that one of his remaining golfing wishes was to be able to shoot 18-under his age. He'd done 16-or-17-under a few times. From the 1st of November that 18-under score has now stretched out to 73. Could this be the year that he achieves that?

'Ageless' is a word that deserves more scrutiny. Is he the fittest, most active 91-year-old on the planet? Quite possibly. Show me someone else who belongs in the conversation and we can have that debate. 'Rest is rust,' he has often said, and the nonagerian – another word one doesn't hear that often – follows a strict diet and fitness routine that, without doubt, puts to shame men and women half his age.

My late father told me the turning point in life comes when you start going to more funerals than weddings. He would then call me every so often to say 'I attended a funeral today' and finally it became, 'I don't have any friends left, they've all gone…'

Player's longevity is remarkable and that's not 'just' because he is 91. He will never run out of friends and he won't ever stop entertaining people. He lives to love life and one of his happiest moments of 2026 – I would assume – is overseeing the changes made this year to his treasured Gary Player Country Club layout which will host the Nedbank Golf Challenge in the first week of December.

I'm always saddened by criticism that South Africa's greatest-ever sportsperson receives both online and in casual conversation. The rise of social media has fuelled a generation of keyboard warriors, and opinion-seekers who have never achieved much more than changing batteries in their TV remotes.

Mr Player is a people's person. He communicates verbally and passionately in a world whereby those who shout loudest believe they are the ones heard most. That confidence unsettles some insecure people, even business leaders who have never met him.

A few years ago I was playing in a corporate golf day and a CEO, who 'used to be a 2-handicap' but on this day was struggling off a 16, was slagging off our sporting GOAT. The fourball conversation was split over Gary Player. For some he was a great golfer who had promoted South Africa so much over the years. A man who had wined and dined with royalty and pop stars and continued to roll back the years. No lies detected.

This CEO, had never seen Mr Player in the flesh, but was convinced that he was 'a cheat', based on Google and a reported allegation by Tom Watson in a 1983 Skins tournament. He also didn't like the way Mr Player promoted himself. A few holes later the same loudmouth hit a tee shot into a bushy area and we all helped him look for it. After a short while he shouted, 'found it!' and then hacked back onto the fairway. Except, it wasn't the same ball. We knew, he knew, but he defended the indefensible.

That's golf, we've all experienced it, but, oh, the irony.

Gary Player's feeds come through on my social media and his bunker instructions are particularly inspirational. Then, whenever I'm in the sand, I hear his voice in my head and try to execute. Most of the time I fail dismally.

He is truly one of a kind, a young 91-year-old who is universally ranked in the top five golfers of all-time and whose 'breaking 50' YouTube challenge with Bryson De Chambeau a couple of months ago was viewed more then 3.2-million times on the platform.

Happy birthday, Mr Player. Here's to shooting 73 and going where no man has gone before.

This CEO, had never seen Mr Player in the flesh, but was convinced that he was 'a cheat', based on Google and a reported allegation by Tom Watson in a 1983 Skins tournament. He also didn't like the way Mr Player promoted himself. A few holes later the same loudmouth hit a tee shot into a bushy area and we all helped him look for it. After a short while he shouted, 'found it!' and then hacked back onto the fairway. Except, it wasn't the same ball. We knew, he knew, but he defended the indefensible.

That's golf, we've all experienced it, but, oh, the irony.

Gary Player's feeds come through on my social media and his bunker instructions are particularly inspirational. Then, whenever I'm in the sand, I hear his voice in my head and try to execute. Most of the time I fail dismally.

He is truly one of a kind, a young 91-year-old who is universally ranked in the top five golfers of all-time and whose 'breaking 50' YouTube challenge with Bryson De Chambeau a couple of months ago was viewed more then 3.2-million times on the platform.

Happy birthday, Mr Player. Here's to shooting 73 and going where no man has gone before.