Gary Player had an interactive session with kids at the launch of an eponymous golf course at DlF Phase 5. Iknoor Kaur took notes
There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip, but for Gary Player a slip always meant a new tip. Spotted recently at DlF Phase 5 at the launch of the Gary Player Course, the golf legend was seen swinging his club and at every shot sharing notes. “As a beginner when I went to St Andrews, I was a poor boy. I had 200 pounds in my wallet for a month and stayed at a place full of bed bugs. On my first day at the golf course there, a man by my side gave me a look after I made my life’s worst shot. He asked me, ‘What is your handicap, sonIJ’ and I replied with utmost wit, ‘Sir, I am a professional.’ There was only one thing he did after that — laughed at me,” he quipped.
“However, four years later I was the youngest player to win the British Open in 1959 at the age of 23. I went back and the same man looked at me and said, ‘Oh my god! This is a mirage.’ (laughs) So, never be judgmental or get bogged down by judgement. Work hard and stay fit,” shared the ‘fitness guru’ of golf.
While Player cracked a few jokes and showed off his classic moves there was an army of kids present to question him. One of the kids asked, “What is of more important while playing a shot — accuracy or powerIJ” and he promptly answered, “Accuracy,”
He also had fun with the kids and handed over a bunch of mobile phones to them. He asked one of the boys to do five push-ups in order to earn the gift. When the turn came to another boy, he asked for a promise. “Promise me you will not get fat and will play golf as a fit man.” The boy responded, “Sir, I am fasting,” and Player was on his knees with respect.
Player’s candid affair with the gathering went on for an hour through which he also gave a few fitness tips. He said, “Unfortunately, most people who play golf are very unfit. That is why we have golf carts. In fact some of them are so lazy that if the golf carts were removed from the course, they won’t come and play at all. How many people here are fitIJ May be five! Personally, I love walking. That is why at 77, I am still up and about (laughs).”
Before Player was headed to the gym, he revealed that his all-time favourite golf player is Jack Nicklaus and that Tiger Woods is a sheer genius.
The Gary Player Course at DlF was designed by Player himself. According to Akash Ohri, executive director, Business Development, DlF, the course is one of the best golf courses in the world. “Not because Gary Player designed it, but because of the way he conceptualised it. It is an environment-friendly golf course which has advanced systems of hydration. We also promote a lot of junior golf. In fact, Gurgaon can easily be called the golf capital of India after this,” he summed up.