In a career spanning 60 years, South African legend Gary Player has earned nearly $14 million for his 24 wins on the PGA Tour, including nine Majors; 19 wins on the Champions Tour, including nine Senior Majors, and 115 victories worldwide.
Last year, the 78-year-old Player and his company, Black Knight International, raked in $36 million, according to a Forbes estimate.
That included $23 million from his golf course and real estate business, $8 million from corporate sponsorship, and the rest from licensing, merchandising and associated activities.
“When I tell people that I now make more money than when I was a world champion, they find it hard to believe. I don’t profess to have great business acumen.
“But what I bring to the board is great common sense, which I think is vital to running a business,” said Player, who was in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last week for a visit to his Saadiyat Beach Golf Club and meetings with TCA Abu Dhabi.
“I have a great team working with me, who know far more about sales, marketing and accounts than I do. And that is a very important factor in succeeding in a business. The key is to hire people who know more than you. So, they take care of the business, while I ensure that they do not forget some of the basics.”
In an exclusive interview with Joy Chakravarty, Player revealed some of his secrets of how to succeed in business.
Always be on time
First of all, and golf has taught me this, you’ve got to be on time. I have only been late once for my tee time in my entire career of 60 years, and I was late by about five seconds on the digital clock, and I got a two-shot penalty. This was about four years ago in Tampa, Florida, and it wasn’t even my fault. My caddie gave me wrong information.
I’d rather reach for an appointment 10 minutes before time than five seconds late. And I expect each and every person working with me to have the same regard for time.
Hard work is the only shortcut to success
Another thing that golf has taught me. Of course, talent can take you to a certain point, but if you really want to succeed, you have got to work hard for it. That is the only reason I won more than 150 times across the world. I always wanted to put in more hours than the other players at the range.
Believe me, the only reason Tiger Woods has succeeded in winning so many tournaments and has been the world No1 for so many years, is because he slogs every day to become a better golfer.
Health is wealth
If you are healthy yourself, chances are that your business would be healthy too. I have always been a fitness fanatic, and I keep telling everyone who works for me that they need to work out regularly and keep in shape. A fit person is definitely more productive for a company and he is happier.
I will be digressing a bit, but I need to tell you this. I have been coming to the Middle East for quite some years now, and the amount of obesity I see here is just shocking.
The parents need to realise that by letting their kids eat all kinds of unhealthy food, they are actually killing their children. What it costs the government through the medical health system and their parents is going to be staggering. Obesity is like a magnet for diabetes.
It is said that 100 million Americans will be suffering from diabetes in 50 years. That’s almost one-third of their population. I have tried to do my bit through the Gary Player Foundation, and by hosting the Gary Player Invitational in various parts of the world, we have raised more than $50 million till date.
I can’t say the Foundation is a business, but it takes a lot of my time. I love designing golf courses, but spreading the word about health and fitness is my No1 objective. I have been contracted by Humana to be part of their PGA Tour event.
They saw that I have the energy of a lion at 78. Nobody pays me for this kind of work and I do it on my own. It is the first time somebody is actually paying me to spread the word about health and fitness.
There’s no substitute for personal contact
There are two things I take great pride in – I have personally met each and every one of our clients and business associates, and I make it a point to send them handwritten congratulatory notes if they have achieved something.
This thing [pointing to my cell phone] is actually ruining human relationships.
You can send an e-mail and perhaps it is a more efficient way of doing things, but I see people spending more time on their phones than talking eye-to-eye with others. Also, when I was playing on the Tour, I’d make it a point to stay with friends in whichever city I went rather than staying in hotels. Those people are still some of my best friends even today.
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
One of the reasons my golf course design business did not suffer as much as others during the economic downturn is because through my travels, I realised many decades ago that there was a world outside the US. Many golf course designers are struggling in America and Europe, because they were in a comfort zone and they would not seek work outside.
I was the opposite. I said I am going to go everywhere. And because I have been to these countries many, many times, I am going to get a special preference over others because they understand loyalty. Our golf course design business continues to do extremely well because we are doing golf courses in Gabon in Africa, in India, in China, in Bulgaria, in Montenegro, in Honduras. We are very busy.
Appearances matter
One thing I insist on is that those working with me shave. Here you are representing a big company, and you come out looking terrible. It’s something that I have noticed among new generation golf professionals as well.
It takes less than five minutes to shave, but it creates a good impression. Having said that, I don’t mind if someone is growing a beard and has trimmed it properly. But I won’t hire a person if he hasn’t shaved. And I don’t like sneakers. I like good, polished shoes.
I want my staff to smile
I tell them that you’ve got to enjoy what you are doing. I encourage them to smile more.
I firmly believe that happiness is contagious, and that people would rather associate themselves with a person who is smiling than a person who is sad or angry.
Never forget we are in the service industry
One of the reasons America became such an economic superpower is because they realise the importance of service.
The other day, on my farm in South Africa, I needed something urgent, and I contacted three suppliers, and each of them said it would take them three weeks to deliver. Can you believe it? In America, I will get it overnight.
So, I tell my staff not to forget that we are in a service industry. If someone wants something from us, we’d rather get it done as soon as humanly possible.
