Gary Player

Even after 80 years, the Black Knight’s armour still shines true and bright as a beacon of optimism and all that is good in life.

- Richard Aldhous

During the fifties and sixties, Gary Player was one of golf ’s ‘Big Three’ alongside Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Player is tied with the legendary Ben Hogan for fourth place all-time with nine major titles and is one of only five golfers ever to have achieved a career Grand Slam and the only one to also have won the senior Slam for professionals 50 and over.

The South African is known as one of the fittest men to have competed in any sport. Now 80, he still does over 1,000 sit-ups every day, extensive stretching, 300lb leg presses while spending an hour on the treadmill. He famously posed nude in a stunning black and white pictorial for ESPN’s The Magazine in 2013 as a way of highlighting the importance of staying fit “and not accept getting old.”

That quote sees him highly active in charitable work as he travels around the world throughout the year. Apart from The Player Foundation, which has raised over $60 million for underprivileged children globally, Gary Player is a long-time member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique association of 60 of the greatest living sporting legends from sports as diverse as football, tennis, athletics, skateboarding and of course golf that was started by corporate luxury giants Richemont and Daimler and supported by its partners IWC Schaffhausen and Mercedes-Benz respectively. All members of the academy share a belief in the power of sport to break down barriers, bring people together and improve the lives of young people around the world.

When it comes to retirement, Gary Player scoffs at the very notion: “Retirement is a death warrant. We need to get fitter and exercise more. Think of how much that would save us in long-term health care costs and help people lead healthier lives well into their eighties and nineties.”

GV: At 80 years old, you’re much fitter than most people in their 30s. How do you do it?