Posts Tagged ‘Gary Player’

Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, Italy

Apr 1st
2013

In the heart of Baroque Sicily near Ragusa lies the Donnafugata Golf Resort & Spa, located in one of the most fascinating parts of Sicily. The pride and joy of the resort are the two exclusive 18-hole championship golf courses designed by two internationally renowned masters.

The “Parkland” north course designed by Gary Player flows among olive groves and carob trees, the characteristic landscape of Ragusa. The course is totally immersed in the world of nature and between holes the golfers can even explore a Greek cemetery from the 6th century A.D.

In contrast, you can take in the “Links” south course designed by Franco Piras with a single glance as it follows two valleys as if it were the palette of an artist displaying all the shades of the beautiful colours of Sicily. But wait, there’s more

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Golf Books #99 (Great Moments of the U.S. Open)

Mar 26th
2013

The most exciting stories in the Championship’s history.

Great Moments of the U.S. Open celebrates the accomplishments of individual champions, shares their inspirational stories and chronicles the extraordinary circumstances each faced — all of which have helped to make the U.S. Open one of the world’s premier sporting events. This book, developed by the United States Golf Association, draws together heroes from different eras who shared common experiences and emotions.

The stories are brought to life with stunning archival images and artefacts from the USGA’s collection, connecting the present to a more distant past.

From American Francis Ouimet’s shocking victory over top British professionals in 1913, to Jack Nicklaus’s narrow defeat of Arnold Palmer in 1962 for his first professional win, to Tiger Woods’ breathtaking comeback on a broken leg to capture the 2008 U.S. Open — the gutsiest, classiest and most improbable victories are recounted here. But wait, there’s more

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Callaway Golf Pro Gary Player on Winning

Aug 30th
2011

Legendary Callaway Golf Pro Gary Player talks about golf, traveling, and going around the world playing golf wanting to win. Visit http://www.callawaygolf.com


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Golf Books #17 (Don’t Choke: A Champion’s Guide to Winning Under Pressure)

Jan 26th
2011

“Gary, as much as anyone I ever saw, has that thing inside him that champions have.”Jack Nicklaus.

Gary Player is one of golf’s greatest champions. As one of the “Big Three” of golf’s golden era (with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer), he helped launch golf as a major international sport. He sits fourth on the list of most major victories on the PGA Tour and built a reputation of being fearless on the course and steely on the greens. Don’t Choke is his look at what it takes to achieve success when the pressure is on. Player explains how and why he became a champion and what it takes to win in big-time golf, but he also explains how learning to cope in pressure situations can help anyone. He will review the most pressure-packed situations in his eighteen major victories and how he managed to succeed when things were most tense.

But this book is not all about golf. Player has had a long successful career in business since his playing days—designing golf courses, marketing golf equipment and sportswear, and more. If you want to do better in a boardroom or in your next job interview, Player’s advice will help. This personal glimpse into the mind of a champion offers lessons to everyone who has to face pressure—and today that is all of us.

“Gary is one the greatest competitors who ever played the game.”—Arnold Palmer 75 color illustrations

About the Author

Gary Player is considered one of the greatest golfers of all time, having eighteen major wins, nine on the PGA Tour and the other nine on the PGA Champions Tour. He is also considered the most accomplished international golfer of all time, winning 164 tournaments around the globe over five decades. Born in South Africa, he lives in The Cliffs, South Carolina.

Dr. Bob Rotella is consistently recognized as the world’s premier sports psychologist. He has dedicated his life to helping coaches, athletes, business leaders, and salespeople use their minds and emotions to take them to the top of their chosen professions. Rotella is the author of Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect, the bestselling sports psychology book of all time, as well as several other top-selling books. He has been selected as one of the “Top 10 Golf Teachers of the 20th Century.” In addition to being a columnist and editorial board member for Golf Digest magazine and a contributing editor for Sports Psychology Journal, he appears regularly on NBC’s High Performance Golf, on the Golf Channel, and Larry King Live. (source)

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The Lost City Golf Course, South Africa

Dec 20th
2010

The Lost City Golf Course is an 18-hole desert-style golf course within the Sun City entertainment complex in the semi-desert of the North-West Province of South Africa. Designed by South Africa’s grand master of golf Gary Player, the Lost City Golf Course covers more than 100 hectares and incorporates 28,000 m2 of water features. It comes as no surprise that golf carts are compulsory. The rich green fairways give a dramatic contrast to the bushveld backdrop and the barren waste bunkers are a special feature of this intriguing course; the fairways were originally planted with the Bay view strain of Bermuda, but later replanted with the hardier kikuyu, making the fairways easier to hit.

The front nine holes have a desert style layout with a classic links feel. Large waste bunkers are common to this part of the course preventing a safe landing area for drivers and placing a premium on straight hitting. Playing the back nine is like going on a golf safari. It has often been noted that the game is more exciting when played downhill and this is certainly the case here. In addition to the previously mentioned thirteenth, holes eleven, fourteen, fifteen and sixteen are all played from elevated tees offering thrill, excitement and a challenge to the golfer – as well as some of the most spectacular African views to be had on a golf course.

Unique to this 72 par course are the 40 crocodiles at the 13th hole, the signature hole, making this one of the most unusual golf courses in the world; the green is shaped like the African continent and from the elevated tee you can see the nine bunkers and water hazards that guard the hole. Golfers are discouraged from retrieving their wayward balls from the crock infested pool. On the whole, a round of golf at The Lost City is an experience which one will not easily forget.

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Golf Architects/Designers: Gary Player

Nov 28th
2010

Gary Player, born 1 November 1935 in Johannesburg, South Africa, is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf and one of the most successful international golfers of all time. Gary Player has achieved the kind of worldwide acclaim reserved for only a handful of sporting greats; he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player is indisputably the greatest international golfer of all time. He estimates he has spent more than three years of his life in airplanes and traveled some 14 million miles. In every year from 1955 to 1982, Player won at least one sanctioned international tournament, a 27-year streak. He won the World Match Play title five times, the Australian Open seven times and the South African Open 13 times. In winning the 1974 Brazilian Open, he shot the only 59 ever in a national open.

Since the early 1980s, Player translated his golfing experience into Gary Player Design, a company specializing in the provision stage of golf course design. Since then, the design firm has developed 40 golf courses in the U.S. and 200 worldwide, combining modern technology and traditional design principles to offer flexible courses catering to all levels of golfers. His credo for golf architecture is beauty and tranquility, as a golf course designer he believes in a course that offers an interesting mix of shots that tests the imagination and strategic skills of all levels of golfers.

Off the course, Player worked behind-the-scenes to improve the racial situation in his native South Africa, which for most of his life existed under the shroud of apartheid. He has always felt very strongly that we must look after our youth in order to ensure a positive future; in 1983 he founded The Player Foundation to promote quality education, nutrition, medical care and extra-curricular activities to the less fortunate children living in rural areas of South Africa.

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Leopard Creek Country Club

Mar 30th
2010

Leopard Creek, simply perfection, no other words can describe It.

The Best course in South Africa without a doubt! What makes this course unique is that not only are you playing a world class championship golf course, but you are sharing it with the wild animals of Africa.

Designed by Gary Player and working directly with the Kruger National Park and nature conservation authorities, the golf course was specially designed to blend in with the surroundings, providing leisure facilities in an untouched natural environment.

Original architecture and landscaping techniques ensure that the golf course and living areas are naturally protected from animals, while lakes and small streams have been diverted through the development to create scenic views and interesting golf strategies. Golfing hazards take on a new dimension at Leopard Creek.

Gary Player, course architect writes:

Leopard Creek is surrounded by bushveld. The fact that your could be playing while hearing a hippopotamus snort or seeing a lion near the fence is unique, as is the pitch shot you might hit over a lake full of crocodiles and hippos. The clubhouse, an extraordinary piece of architecture with a thatch roof, is filled with golfing memorabilia.

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