Simply one of the greatest athletes in the history of sport
Enjoy the film from nearly 50 years ago
This film, taken by Irv Schloss in the mid-sixties, shows Gary Player at his best. One of the first things to be admired about his swing is that there is little difference in comparison with the top players of today. He made his first contact with the sport at the relatively late age of 14.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1935, Player`s Professional golfing life began at just 17 years of age.
Although he had only started three years before, Player had already, at 16, announced that he intended to be the best golfer in the world. Since those early days until now, he has been a great example of self-belief and talent working in unison.
For another excellent example of the power of self-belief and talent combining together, click on the following link:
Gary Player splashing out. It is the shot he is most recognized for. Player told of how, as a child, he would practice perfecting this stroke late into the darkness, using a lamp tied on the flagstick to provide the necessary light.
This film is an animation of the Gary Player swing from an aerial view. Although it is an artistic version, the animation clearly shows the lower body response at the top of the backswing. As all great swings do, the forward response from the knees happens before it reaches the summit.
One of the most impressive segments of the Gary Player swing was how he collected the absolute maximum width in his start back. Player's shorter stature meant he would struggle to keep up with the physically bigger boys. This was the motivation behind his very high-energy action.
At the top, Player is tightly wound up like a spring. The split-second delay will be followed by a reverse sequence back to the ball. Delay in any of the returning elements will cause the cog threads to strip and the swing will lose its path.
The Gary Player contact area has all the modern elements we see in the best players today. Delayed wrists unyieldingly driving through the ball. The clubface held up "Tightly" against the ball with the left-fore arm winding in a counter-clockwise rotation and turning the toe of the clubface inwards.
