Gary Player is a man for whom the statistics roll off the tongue rather easily. Since turning pro in 1953, he’s won 163 tournaments, nine majors on the Regular PGA Tour, shot the lowest ever score in professional golf (a 59 in the 1974 Brazilian Open), won career earnings of over US$14 million and is regarded as The World’s Most Travelled Athlete, to the extent that he’s trademarked the title (hence the capital letters). An estimated 13 million air miles later, he sits before me, a picture of youthful enthusiasm and probably the healthiest man in the room, despite having been up since 4am, shaken innumerable hands and talked to far too many journalists. What is his secret? ‘Most businessmen hate travel, they don’t like people and they don’t enjoy their work,’ Gary proclaims in a familiar Afrikaaner burr. ‘I love my work, I love people and I love travel.’ He gives a grin, as if to confi rm this, and settles elegantly back into his chair.
It’s a fortunate thing he does, because he’s very much in demand at the moment. As well as charity, golfi ng and business commitments ranging from real estate to owning a stud farm, The Black Knight (dressed today all in white – well, it is 40°C) is here to run an astute eye over his new par 72 Saadiyat Beach Golf Course, a part of the major new Saadiyat Island development that is set to change the face of Abu Dhabi.
Consequently he is more than a little upbeat. ‘There will be a tournament here and the whole world will sit in their lounges and be able to watch this magnifi cent golf course by the sea,’ Gary predicts. ‘Very few people know where Abu Dhabi is. In fi ve years’ time, the world will know about Abu Dhabi, thanks to the Guggenheim, the Louvre, the golf courses and the architectural structures which are being built here… The world will know.’
He also believes that the introduction of new courses will help grow the golfi ng talent in the area, and sees parallels with his own rise to fame. ‘How come a little country like South Africa [could be so successful]? There were only around 12-13 million people at the time when I became world champion. Who knows? There might be a champion in one of these little houses here. Men or women.’
It is a story which rings true – the sudden rise to prominence of Korea’s female golfers suggests that a new generation of UAE talent could follow a similar path. However, other big golfing names such as Colin Montgomerie and Tiger Woods have sought to make their mark on the Middle East by designing courses in Dubai. Why Abu Dhabi, I ask? ‘Abu Dhabi has something special. I think it went the most pristine way of all the places of the Middle East. It’s very green, not too ostentatious. That is important… The difference between Abu Dhabi and Dubai is that Dubai started off with golf courses that weren’t really class. Now they have some that are very good, but they didn’t start off with enough that were quality. I can see Abu Dhabi starting off with quality from the beginning. And who’ll end up with the best golf courses? Time will tell.’
Having designed over 250 golf courses, Gary views Saadiyat Island as the perfect blank canvas. ‘It was a piece of ground as fl at as this table [gesturing to the smooth glass surface]. There was no top soil, nothing, just hard, hard ground. I wanted them to be able to say, “Look at what was created just from a fl at table top.”’
The difficulties in terms of the course construction are plentiful, but Gary has a rather surprising response to them all: ‘I am a farmer,’ one of the most celebrated golfers in history tells me. ‘I know the water, I know the rain, I know the fertiliser. I know all these things and have respect for them.’
He recollects the building process with relish; he recalls how they brought everything in, creating the mounds, dunes and lakes (salt and freshwater), then covered the ground with native grass and trees. The ecological aspect is hugely important – the course includes a wildlife protection zone, built to guard the breeding grounds of the native Hawksbill turtle, and there is also a unique solution to the pollution of the seas, as Gary excitedly explains: ‘Wherever you look there is building work [he points for effect]. The population is going to increase, so we need a place to put the effluent water. Golf courses are ideal for this. They are a natural filter… We’ve done tests to show people. We built an area where we put effl uent water on the bottom [of the course], and by the time it came out you could pour it in a glass and drink it. It’s a very encouraging thing for me, to take an ordinary piece of desert sand and create a gift to nature.’
Having made a mental note never to accept a glass of water from Gary Player, I learn that the course is still very much a work in progress. Only this morning, Gary tells me, he visited the site and completely tore up the plans to a hole that was still in its raw state, redesigning it on the spot. I ask him if he ever wants to change other people’s courses in a similar way: ‘Always,’ he gasps, ‘every round of every golf course that I see.’ This is the great thing about Gary Player; not only is he honest and passionate about what he does, but he clearly enjoys it, which is the real reason why Saadiyat Beach Golf Course will be a success.
The interview ends with a classic piece of Player wisdom. ‘How many people in the world like what they do?’ Gary asks, barely waiting for a response. ‘Eight out of 10 people are not happy. If you have a job that you love, you are a unique individual. If you have three meals a day, you are unique individual. If you have two meals a day, you are a unique individual… but we don’t think that, we get greedy, we forget how lucky and blessed we are. So I never forget to say thank you 10 times a day.’ Now there speaks a truly unique individual.
The Gary Player golf course at Saadiyat Beach is due to open late 2009. More info at www.saadiyatbeach.ae
