Gary Player has never had a problem telling you how good Gary Player is. The man is 90 years old, “about to be 91,” and he’ll still look you dead in the eye and tell you he’d be winning today if he were in his prime. Modesty just isn’t his thing. But with 165 professional wins and a career Grand Slam on the resume, he’s earned the right to say it.
Recently, Player showed up on Break 50, Bryson DeChambeau’s YouTube series where he tries to shoot 21-under in a two-man scramble. They didn’t get there that day. But Player let out three golf lessons that I think are worth stealing.
He’d still be winning today, and he means it
Ask Player how he’d stack up against modern equipment in his prime, and there’s no hedging at all.
“So much better. So much better. I mean, metal heads … What would have happened if I played when I was in my 20s? My goodness me. Golf, when I played golf, it was a tough game. And without being arrogant, I find golf an easy game now.”
Bryson pushed further, asking if he’d have won just as much. Player didn’t hesitate: “No doubt, not even a question.” That’s not the answer of a guy who’s mellowed with age. It’s the answer of a guy who still believes it and, honestly, the resume backs him up enough that you let him have it.
Here are the three lessons he let out during the round.
Lesson 1: Take care of your body early and keep taking care of it
Watching a 90-year-old walk 18 holes is impressive on its own. What’s more telling is how deliberate Player has been about it for decades. Fitness has been part of his routine since his playing days, well before it became standard practice among touring professionals, and he’s stayed with it consistently ever since.
That consistency shows up in a habit that sounds almost strange until he explains it. Player told Bryson he actively practices falling, on purpose, because he knows it’s coming.
“I practice falling. You know why? Because I’m going to fall continuously … As you get older, how many people in the world, 12,000 people a year die going downstairs, a million fall downstairs. Every day, thousands fall, break their hips.”
It’s blunt but it reflects the mindset that’s kept him competitive this long. The earlier you build the habit, the easier it is to maintain it, and the longer it pays off. The lesson isn’t really about golf. It’s about starting the work on your body while you still have decades to benefit from it, rather than waiting until you need it.
Being strong, flexible and agile helps you play better golf.
Lesson 2: Let the motion finish
Throughout the round, Player kept returning to a phrase he credits to Ben Hogan.
“Uninterrupted flow of motion through the ball.”
He treats it with something close to reverence. “Isn’t that amazing for a man to come up with a saying like that?” Regardless of handicap, it holds up as a genuine swing thought. The idea is to stop steering the club into the ball, stop stopping at impact, and let the entire motion carry through to your finish.
Lesson 3: The power comes from your core, not your hands
Ask Player what most amateurs get wrong and he skips grip and stance entirely.
“I think amateurs, they don’t transfer their weight … they all stand flat-footed and they flip their hands and they never follow through … The body is the power.”
He once asked elite athletes across multiple sports, Muhammad Ali included, where their power came from. Every one of them pointed to the same place: the core.
The takeaway
Gary Player has proved that his advice is worth taking. As Bryson put it near the end of the round: “If there’s anybody I aspire to be like when I’m that age, it’s Mr. Player himself.”
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