Gary Player
Gary Player's induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame stands as a formal recognition of a career in golf, marking a body of work that drew acknowledgment from sporting institutions on an international scale.
Born on November 1, 1935, in Johannesburg, Player received his early education at King Edward VII School. A South African citizen, he went on to work as a golfer, operating in English across an international stage that extended well beyond the country of his birth.
The honors Player accumulated reflect recognition from both his sport and from governments on more than one continent. The World Golf Hall of Fame acknowledged the body of his professional work in golf. South Africa awarded him the Gold Order of Ikhamanga, a national honor extended to citizens who achieve distinction in their fields. The United States further recognized him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of that country's highest civilian distinctions. Taken together, these three awards — from a sporting institution, from South Africa, and from the United States — trace the geographic range of a career Player conducted across multiple countries.
The Library of Congress catalogs him simply as "Player, Gary," a plain designation that sits at some distance from the accumulated weight of those honors. That Player, born in Johannesburg in 1935 and educated at King Edward VII School, should receive formal recognition from both the South African government and the government of the United States offers a concrete measure of the reach his professional life in golf attained.
Quotes by Gary Player
Gary Player's insights on:
The first time I ever saw Arnold Palmer, I said, There’s a star. The first time I saw Jack Nicklaus, I said, Superstar. I feel the same way about Tiger Woods.
But golf being an international game and everybody loving the game the way they do, if you want to spread the game of golf, it’s good that you have great competition.
The player who expects a lesson to ‘take’ without subsequent practice just isn’t being honest with himself or fair to his professional.
The ideal build for a golfer would be strong hands, big forearms, thin neck, big thighs and a flat chest. He’d look like Popeye.
You can always speak with great authority on how well you played today, but never on how you’ll play tomorrow.
If there’s a golf course in heaven, I hope it’s like Augusta National. I just don’t want an early tee time.
When you play the game for fun, it’s fun. When you play it for a living, it’s a game of sorrows.