July 14, 2021 • 23 mins
In the second part of Gary's interview with Sir Nick Faldo, they discuss the swing and how it changes, the differences in modern golf, and Gary and Sir Nick make big plans for the British Open.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Well, I'm joined by my dear friend, Sir Nick Felt,
one of the great players of our time, and very
excited to be speaking to him. So it's amazing the
things we remember. And I can remember all my eighteen majors,
nine and nine on both tours. I can remember each
tournament what swing I was using that week, and they
(00:27):
were all different, most of them. Well that's that's the
art of experimenting, you know, because you know people get
you know, you've got to keep experiment in that game.
You experiment every day. I mean, it's um. I I
was just looking at a tweet when they were saying,
well I was experiments and filling with my swing. You know,
(00:49):
should it? Should it? I love that line when they said, well,
shouldn't he just do what he's doing naturally? I love
that to Sam Sneed said, I hit ten million balls
to make my swing look natural. I mean, that's that's
a that's a great thing. That's a great I've trying
to come up with some wisdom and I thought, I said,
I came up with this morning. If if when man
(01:12):
learned to stand up and walk, he said, that's good enough.
Where would mankind be? Now? Yeah, that's my wisdom because
if we don't keep striving and and and the beauty
of our game. And I've been I think I'm blessed
because I bet you're the same. I know you're the same.
(01:33):
Even tomorrow, when you tip a bag of balls out,
You'll be excited, won't you. Yeah, I can't wait. Isn't
amazing We've been tipping a bag of balls out now
for a month. C I've been playing this game for
fifty years. Now, fifty years is coming up. I was
inspired so fifty years ago I watched television at the
(01:54):
Master's when Coody one Charles Jack was obviously the all
the attention. I'm on the BBC, So fifty years ago,
I was inspired two play golf, try golf. And I know,
I think the greatest thing is I've never been bored.
(02:15):
And I've never said ever she should got to go
to hit balls tomorrow? Never never, And I know. Now
I go and practice and I laugh because I was
with Trevino and we go, so what are we practicing before?
We're not playing any tournaments anymore? And that's isn't that great?
Things that we go and hit balls and we got
(02:37):
I think I've got it. I think I think I
found something that was actually that is better than yesterday
or last week. I think I've found and I'm staying
that to myself now, and I think I've got to
go and play. If I don't play something because I
think I got it again, I mean that is that
I played yesterday. You know, I've beaten my age now
(02:58):
over three thousand times in a row, and I'm trying
to beat my age by eighteen shots. And I'm saying
to myself, you're not playing tourments anymore. But yesterday I
played and I hit fourteen greens and I didn't put
well Man. Before I had my drink, I went to
the pudding green. Yeah, what are you doing? I said, No,
it's engraved in us. It's this game is a disease.
(03:21):
It's a good one. Yeah, and yeah, that's my that's
my argument to people to say, you know, in our experiment,
you go because an experiment is a test, that's the
other good word. And you and every time you hit
a good shot, you what do you say to You said, oh,
how do I do that again? Well, then it's a test.
How do you do it again? Physically, technically, mentally, how
(03:43):
do you do it again. So that's that's the coolest
thing about a game. That's my argument that why we
keep why we keep working on it. Yeah, it's such
a great game. It's actually and you you think about it, Nick,
when you wouldn't golf tourments, you've got to be a
great packer, and you've got to have a great mind.
And the mind is so we is having scratched the
(04:04):
surface of the mind. Yet what is involved and how
it Okay, I've got a serious question for you. So
when Gary player could not play like Gary player when
it obviously it happens one day to an athlete, Yes,
did that hurt you? No, No, they didn't, because first
of all, we could go on to the Champions Tour,
(04:26):
but even after that, because I you know, when nine
majors on the Champions Tour, and that was very significant
for me because I stayed in shape and I was
ready to play. And then came the time when I
couldn't play there anymore. And I said, look, you've got
to be realistic. You know, you've had a wonderful long career,
and I have had a very long career, longer than
(04:47):
probably maybe anybody has ever played the game. So you've
had a feast. Gratitude. Gratitude is so important. I say
to people, a man is never so tall as when
he's on his knees, and so you should be thanking.
And I mean if you're playing this great country in
America as you and I know, I mean, I see
ethletes complaining about this and then and this and that
(05:08):
being paid fifty million, five hundred million. You can't go
to another country and even make one million. So to me,
gratitude is a big thing. And I and I have
a feast. So when you have a feast and you
leave the table, yes, And so your your career fortunately
just tapered out because physically, like an athlete, you know,
(05:31):
we're like a new same boat. Once he knows that
the younger kids will eventually run faster him, and you
cannot run faster than in your prime you then you
then let go. So you were able to let go.
You know my career now, I my last win was
when I was thirty nine, and then I start playing
(05:51):
badly and you start and it tapered and that hurt me.
So when I I stopped, it hurt for a while
because I thought I can't play punic photo could play.
So I was hurtful while but then luckily I hit
the word when I went to tout in the TV tower.
I looked out the window and watched these guys doing
this and winning, and I went, wow, I was able
(06:13):
to do that. I could go and play on a
Sunday trying to win. And then the gratitude word hit me,
and I realized how exactly the same thing. And I said, well,
I'm really grateful I had that time. I had a
good pair of hands and a good head and good heart,
and and I had that for my period. And then
then I was fine, and I was realized, Yeah, I
(06:34):
had my day, I had my time, and I am
very grateful that I had it. So but you've got
to find that. You've got to find that gratitude word.
There's nothing worse than seeing f t too, being champions,
trying to make a comeback and failing. You know, go
out when you're winning. But the mind is so fascinating,
and records will always be broken. When the masters at
(06:56):
forty two, and I said to my wife, the two
things I did in my life that I said to
my wife, she's a wonderful girlfers. She had two holes
in one in the same round. She could really play.
And I said to it, nobody will win the Masters
at forty two. Again, well, Nicholas comes along and Windsor
at forty six. So it's such a wonderful, humbling game.
And then to me, people often say, what's the greatest
achievement in sport in the history of sport? Well, I
(07:21):
have quite qualified to say that, being eighty five and
having been around a long time, and you know, I
won the Grand Slam at twenty nine. I said to
my wife, nobody will do that. Nicholas comes along winsor
Tiger Woods. Now here's the thing, when's the Grand Slam
at twenty four. That's the greatest achievement in sports, in
the history of any sport. You'd like to mention, you're
(07:44):
going for all sports. That's that's a that's a good
that's a good call. That's something that uh could be done.
But the odds are extremely slim, extremely It's yeah, it's
now that his Tiger's achievements are amazing, you know, like
(08:05):
we're saying, he despite what we were saying talking about
the wealth, he wanted to win. All he wanted to
do was win. And how a man. Can you know
how you can come out and have seasons when you're
winning eight majors, sorry, eight tournaments a year and then
you know some of that that hit and his dominance,
(08:27):
and we know this game is a tough game to dominate.
I mean, because it's just just you. You've got to
be feeling great and being able to come out each
day you walk out your hotel room and go to
the golf course, be feeling good and those opening balls
and it's all got to and to be able to
do that and come out and just be doing that
all the time. Uh, pretty extraordinary. Well he was able
(08:50):
to do unbelievable and young people must realize, yes, yes,
would I have my life over? Now? Would you have
your life over? No? Back, It's not all roses. You're
away from your family and many occasions, I was away
from my children and my wife for three months, away
from your home, away from your country. You're living in
motels every week, traveling an airplanes, sitting in airports, having
(09:14):
torments where you played terribly badly. You know, it's not
all roses, And young guys have got to understand it's
not a bit of roses. It's there's a lot of adversity.
Of course, adversity, its adversity is the greatest gift bestowed
upon a man. But it's a fascinating game and it's
a game you can play forever. Nick Up won't way
(09:35):
to go and play tomorrow. Yeah, that's way way to
go and play. And I mean a lot of players
in their sports can't do that anymore. And that's why
we get to see golf grows. I think with this
the way golf is going now, you're going to see
a lot of half and say, well, listen, if I
go to the NFL three years and I can't walk again,
and I'm going to die earlier because I've been thumped
(09:56):
so hard my head and my body, where's gold? You
know you can make more money at eighty than you
made when you were world champion. Now, they're not other
sports that you can do that. It's not only the money,
it's a competing and it's be able to play in.
Longevity is a big thing in a man's career. Okay,
(10:17):
going back to the hotel life. It's funny because you know,
I'm in a hotel again for for TV, and I
think that's the hardest thing on the road, because, like
we were talking before, you're you're so well off. Now
you're living in a beautiful home anything from six thousand
to twenty six thousand square feet, and then you come
(10:38):
to a hotel and you're in Well, I'm I'm pushed
this week. Yeah, I've got eight walls, I've got a
bedroom and I got it a lounge. Okay, but compared
to my home, this is horrible, you know. But so
if you're doing this week after week and you've got
that at home, this is a tough life. You know.
I've been on the I've been on the road since
(10:58):
I was eighteen, and I'm into go. Hm, this is
getting a little like half work when I know what
I've got at home and that's my life. And I
think that's, you know, that thing that can add, as
you said, to how the guys look at being on tour.
I mean, it's it's because they've got such great wealth
at home, and surely you've got you gotta remember how
(11:20):
you got your wealth at home, because you've got it
on the golf course. So and you have to have
that sacrifice, as you said, to come and stay in hotels,
grinded out practice hard. Um so Yeah, I think that's
all part of it. That's that's that's all part of
the modern golfer. And and then can you have longevity.
(11:41):
You don't have to have longevity like you've done, or
you can have ten great years on tour and boy
or boy, you are absolutely set for life. Whether you've
designed to do more is is down. Whether you think
I've got a twenty year window as a golfer, that's
probably pretty realistic. Um, that's a great that's a great
gold to have twenty great years out there. And and
(12:04):
then if you wish to go out on the senior
tour after that, that's your your choice afterwards. But it's
all about it's about that commitment for those twenty years.
It's the most important thing. Yeah, I when I judge golfers,
I look at longevity because if you've got a good
cart last a long time. And if you look at
Sam sneed and I'll tell you what, I've never seen
(12:25):
a more rhythmical, loose, beautiful golf swing than Sam Snead.
And he played forever, so you've got to put him
right up there. You've got to put him right Ahare
was strong. He was strong as his ox, his aunts.
Was he stropped form. I mean he used to take
that hit cry stick, didn't they? I mean they did.
(12:46):
He went into the words and he found a stick.
You know, we've been big knots on it and he
whittled it with his knights and putting like two degrees
aloft on this not and he could hit. And I
heard the stories that he managed to get green height.
That said the team that at the Greenbrier there he
got green high in two even doesn't matter what how
(13:07):
doesn't part five with that old with that old golf
for him in And he said, I used to take
this thing out on the tour and give it to
the guys and tell him to hit it off the debt.
He said that the top off the end of the team.
Nobody could get it airborne. And he could hit that thing.
And and you know he could at sixty five he
could take the ball out of the cup with his
(13:28):
knees straight and he could he come in the locker.
We say Sam kicked the door a normal Doyd put
his foot driving on the top of the door. Its amazing,
And he could do five went on push ups. I mean,
the guy was absolutely remarkable. But I loved you know,
Hogan used to irritate him, but because people would come
and say, you know, Sam, because you've heard this, you
(13:50):
know that Hogan hits the ball so straight that he
puts his driver and the same devit he was in yesterday.
He said, if he was that straight, why did he
hit it to the left or the right of it? Yeah? Yeah,
they might said, they must said a good right, they
were choking cheese, weren't they. They were? They certainly well,
actually amazing, amazing anyway, And you do such a nice
(14:15):
job on TV because you've been in the arena. And
the important thing is there's nothing worse than hearing an
answers give opinions and they're really wrong. Of course, we
all have our opinions, but you've been in the arena
and you know what it is to come to the
last hole inded afford to winn't And so I love
your opinions very much. Keep it going, and my my,
(14:38):
my opinions are right, that's the bottom line. So it's
nice to listen to them all. And there's a good
line from somebody today's it's just because you disagree with
somebody doesn't mean you're you're right, you know, so yeah,
I just I just you know, fortunately still hit balls,
(15:00):
so at least, you know, I stand out and misagreement
a wedge. And then so when a guy does misagreement
the wedge, you sure it's a bad job, but say
why you why was it a bad shot? Rather than
that's dreadful. That's what we can say it, you know,
but things happen, and try and say, yeah, I'm trying
to get more of you know, how and why things happen,
(15:20):
you know, and what what's he got to do? How
is he going to do it? And why did that
happen rather than speak the obvious, you know, so what
you can see? So that's that's important to me to
keep keep working on that too. Hey, just give some
good insight into what the players only guess what they're thinking.
Not a mind reader, but but you can definitely help
(15:44):
the golfers with some little tips here and there. I
like doing that, like trying to give a bit of
insight some try this, feel that, think that. So yeah,
I'm enjoying it. It's it's it's a it's a it's
a good gig. Two things that come to mind. It's
wonderful to see golfer is you know, doing so much
for charity. I think golfers are renowned as wonderful contributors
(16:07):
to charity. And the other thought that came to my
mind knowing that you're going to have the open at
sirt Andrew's and deshambro is going to drive probably firm conditions,
nine greens. So yeah, this has got to be a
lot of exciting things to look forward to. And thanks
very much, Nick. Yeah, I just like brys and get
(16:28):
if they get the right wind. If he gets down
wind at the first, he might even calculate first bound
will go over the burn. If he lands it's jot
on a rock hard fairway dying he could well, yeah,
if he can carry it three fifty, he will get
well down wind. They say he carries one three sixty
(16:48):
at the first, well, that's will learn just short one
big hot be and will hopefully stopped by the back
of the green. That will cause a bit of a stir.
Then he has to play it back to the flat.
But but you're right, if you've got down wind, if
they get favorable wind, you know, John Daily got very
(17:09):
close to number two. I mean the fairways are running
rock card. John Daily got closer so you've got to
obviously three you can drive now he can drive three,
not the four or five part five yes too. Six
down winds he will get seven, seven, seven, he could
actually he could somehow get it onto the eleventh green
(17:30):
of seven he can go up that way. And then
obviously nine and ten you already can. Twelve, you already care.
And if you if you got down wind fifteen it's
the fairways, all downhill, rock hard when it gets when
it gets silvery shiny, sixteen brutal, prediculous shot. But wow,
(17:55):
he could he could aim at the second green and
somehow get it up very close to there. It might
be in the hay, I don't know. And then of
course a team will be but he might be hitting
his forearn if it's down wind on a team, so
that that will cause a bit of a stir so
we But but if they get the dreaded left to
(18:16):
right wind going out and coming back, you're very happy
to break empty. Four our viewers that I never forget
played here the very first time. I thought they spoilt
a good marsh, and afterwards I learned it was one
of my favorite places the world. I've got such a respect.
But under one green there. It's about the six or something.
(18:38):
I had a hundred yard plant, a hundred yards and
I said Magetti. His name was Jock. I said, Jock.
He's at the flags holding the flag. I said, give
me a line. He says, Laddy, I can he give
you a line? I can give you a yard, bitch.
I can't even see it, he said, keep keep keep
talking to me because I can't see you down there.
(19:00):
And we got we've gotta we've gotta tell everybody what
we're gonna do, Gary, because you know your stories are made.
When you first went to s Andrew's, you didn't you
didn't have enough money for the hotel, so you put
your water proofs on. You went in the sand dunes
down I guess it must have been right of number two,
somewhere there, opposite the hotel, and you put your water
(19:22):
proofs on, and you make camp and you slept in
the sand dunes. You know. So I've been thinking about
we're trying to work on this, because remember when we spoke,
we were talking about when you're when I'm older, and
you said, well, obviously we're gonna be in San Andrew's
next year. So somehow we need us for what we're doing,
and say we need a sponsor for this. We're going
to do this for charity for the homeless maybe or something,
(19:46):
and we're going to do a celebrity camp out. So
we're well, yeah, we'll start. We will start with a
nice party so we're fed and watered. Maybe we can
get then we can get Bush Mills to give us
some lovely whiskey to keep us war all at night.
That'd be lovely. And then um, and then I thought
we can all somebody could sponsor us. We have a
(20:06):
waterproof or cash me blankets, right and if it's not
and if it's raining, we need a little bit of
a canopy. But we thought we'd go and sleep in
the sand dunes to honor you, my great friend, and
we can maybe do a bit of do a bit
of good for charity. So if there's anybody out there
listening to that, of things will be and you can
(20:28):
come and join us. You can buy a ticket for
the evening and come. And we think it would be
a hell of a laugh, My goodness, will I think
it would be hilarious. We hope, we just we hope
it's not a chilly evening. I have to have to
chip carry out of a ditch. If there's mind diving, well,
(20:51):
if he dies, he dies. It was a great evening,
So it might be what's the circle of life? If
that's where you started with Snares, that's where you're gonna finish,
my boy the next day. The next day I got
a room for ten shillings and sixpence. That was a
(21:12):
dollar bed and the room was so small. When I
put the key in the keyhole, the window correct clubby
was facing the sea. It was facing the bloody WC.
And I didn't have a curtain. There were no curtains
in the room. And I mean, you know it was.
It's hilarious when you think. I mean, I remember taking
(21:33):
a Greyhound bust from fort Worth to Houston. I mean
it's not the same as your your own private jet,
is it? Not quite? So I love to tell the story,
you know it, And it's my favorite. I got on
the first year Saint Andrew's my first year. Then I
was very nervous. The fairway so white, and the guy says,
(21:56):
play away, bloody, there's big do a guy with his
kill John and I hooked up damn ball and was
going to get out of bounds and I, thank goodness
I hit that white ray League and it came back
in the fince and we will. Walking off the tea
said Laddy, come here and watch your name. I said,
my name is Gary Players. He says, and where are
you from? I said South Africa and he says, and
what is your handicap? I said, no, I'm a pro.
(22:18):
He said, you're a pro. I said. He says, you
must be a hell of a chimberant. Butter lady, I
won the Open of twenty three, the youngest at that stage.
Came back to Saint Andrews. He's hitting like and he
says it's a miras this is important, a bloody miracle. Yeah. Anyway,
(22:45):
thanks very much, my friend was a delight talking to you. Yeah,
that was fun. Don't forget to subscribe to the Player
series on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast
Well, I'm joined by my dear friend, Sir Nick Felt,
one of the great players of our time, and very
excited to be speaking to him. So it's amazing the
things we remember. And I can remember all my eighteen majors,
nine and nine on both tours. I can remember each
tournament what swing I was using that week, and they
(00:27):
were all different, most of them. Well that's that's the
art of experimenting, you know, because you know people get
you know, you've got to keep experiment in that game.
You experiment every day. I mean, it's um. I I
was just looking at a tweet when they were saying,
well I was experiments and filling with my swing. You know,
(00:49):
should it? Should it? I love that line when they said, well,
shouldn't he just do what he's doing naturally? I love
that to Sam Sneed said, I hit ten million balls
to make my swing look natural. I mean, that's that's
a that's a great thing. That's a great I've trying
to come up with some wisdom and I thought, I said,
I came up with this morning. If if when man
(01:12):
learned to stand up and walk, he said, that's good enough.
Where would mankind be? Now? Yeah, that's my wisdom because
if we don't keep striving and and and the beauty
of our game. And I've been I think I'm blessed
because I bet you're the same. I know you're the same.
(01:33):
Even tomorrow, when you tip a bag of balls out,
You'll be excited, won't you. Yeah, I can't wait. Isn't
amazing We've been tipping a bag of balls out now
for a month. C I've been playing this game for
fifty years. Now, fifty years is coming up. I was
inspired so fifty years ago I watched television at the
(01:54):
Master's when Coody one Charles Jack was obviously the all
the attention. I'm on the BBC, So fifty years ago,
I was inspired two play golf, try golf. And I know,
I think the greatest thing is I've never been bored.
(02:15):
And I've never said ever she should got to go
to hit balls tomorrow? Never never, And I know. Now
I go and practice and I laugh because I was
with Trevino and we go, so what are we practicing before?
We're not playing any tournaments anymore? And that's isn't that great?
Things that we go and hit balls and we got
(02:37):
I think I've got it. I think I think I
found something that was actually that is better than yesterday
or last week. I think I've found and I'm staying
that to myself now, and I think I've got to
go and play. If I don't play something because I
think I got it again, I mean that is that
I played yesterday. You know, I've beaten my age now
(02:58):
over three thousand times in a row, and I'm trying
to beat my age by eighteen shots. And I'm saying
to myself, you're not playing tourments anymore. But yesterday I
played and I hit fourteen greens and I didn't put
well Man. Before I had my drink, I went to
the pudding green. Yeah, what are you doing? I said, No,
it's engraved in us. It's this game is a disease.
(03:21):
It's a good one. Yeah, and yeah, that's my that's
my argument to people to say, you know, in our experiment,
you go because an experiment is a test, that's the
other good word. And you and every time you hit
a good shot, you what do you say to You said, oh,
how do I do that again? Well, then it's a test.
How do you do it again? Physically, technically, mentally, how
(03:43):
do you do it again. So that's that's the coolest
thing about a game. That's my argument that why we
keep why we keep working on it. Yeah, it's such
a great game. It's actually and you you think about it, Nick,
when you wouldn't golf tourments, you've got to be a
great packer, and you've got to have a great mind.
And the mind is so we is having scratched the
(04:04):
surface of the mind. Yet what is involved and how
it Okay, I've got a serious question for you. So
when Gary player could not play like Gary player when
it obviously it happens one day to an athlete, Yes,
did that hurt you? No, No, they didn't, because first
of all, we could go on to the Champions Tour,
(04:26):
but even after that, because I you know, when nine
majors on the Champions Tour, and that was very significant
for me because I stayed in shape and I was
ready to play. And then came the time when I
couldn't play there anymore. And I said, look, you've got
to be realistic. You know, you've had a wonderful long career,
and I have had a very long career, longer than
(04:47):
probably maybe anybody has ever played the game. So you've
had a feast. Gratitude. Gratitude is so important. I say
to people, a man is never so tall as when
he's on his knees, and so you should be thanking.
And I mean if you're playing this great country in
America as you and I know, I mean, I see
ethletes complaining about this and then and this and that
(05:08):
being paid fifty million, five hundred million. You can't go
to another country and even make one million. So to me,
gratitude is a big thing. And I and I have
a feast. So when you have a feast and you
leave the table, yes, And so your your career fortunately
just tapered out because physically, like an athlete, you know,
(05:31):
we're like a new same boat. Once he knows that
the younger kids will eventually run faster him, and you
cannot run faster than in your prime you then you
then let go. So you were able to let go.
You know my career now, I my last win was
when I was thirty nine, and then I start playing
(05:51):
badly and you start and it tapered and that hurt me.
So when I I stopped, it hurt for a while
because I thought I can't play punic photo could play.
So I was hurtful while but then luckily I hit
the word when I went to tout in the TV tower.
I looked out the window and watched these guys doing
this and winning, and I went, wow, I was able
(06:13):
to do that. I could go and play on a
Sunday trying to win. And then the gratitude word hit me,
and I realized how exactly the same thing. And I said, well,
I'm really grateful I had that time. I had a
good pair of hands and a good head and good heart,
and and I had that for my period. And then
then I was fine, and I was realized, Yeah, I
(06:34):
had my day, I had my time, and I am
very grateful that I had it. So but you've got
to find that. You've got to find that gratitude word.
There's nothing worse than seeing f t too, being champions,
trying to make a comeback and failing. You know, go
out when you're winning. But the mind is so fascinating,
and records will always be broken. When the masters at
(06:56):
forty two, and I said to my wife, the two
things I did in my life that I said to
my wife, she's a wonderful girlfers. She had two holes
in one in the same round. She could really play.
And I said to it, nobody will win the Masters
at forty two. Again, well, Nicholas comes along and Windsor
at forty six. So it's such a wonderful, humbling game.
And then to me, people often say, what's the greatest
achievement in sport in the history of sport? Well, I
(07:21):
have quite qualified to say that, being eighty five and
having been around a long time, and you know, I
won the Grand Slam at twenty nine. I said to
my wife, nobody will do that. Nicholas comes along winsor
Tiger Woods. Now here's the thing, when's the Grand Slam
at twenty four. That's the greatest achievement in sports, in
the history of any sport. You'd like to mention, you're
(07:44):
going for all sports. That's that's a that's a good
that's a good call. That's something that uh could be done.
But the odds are extremely slim, extremely It's yeah, it's
now that his Tiger's achievements are amazing, you know, like
(08:05):
we're saying, he despite what we were saying talking about
the wealth, he wanted to win. All he wanted to
do was win. And how a man. Can you know
how you can come out and have seasons when you're
winning eight majors, sorry, eight tournaments a year and then
you know some of that that hit and his dominance,
(08:27):
and we know this game is a tough game to dominate.
I mean, because it's just just you. You've got to
be feeling great and being able to come out each
day you walk out your hotel room and go to
the golf course, be feeling good and those opening balls
and it's all got to and to be able to
do that and come out and just be doing that
all the time. Uh, pretty extraordinary. Well he was able
(08:50):
to do unbelievable and young people must realize, yes, yes,
would I have my life over? Now? Would you have
your life over? No? Back, It's not all roses. You're
away from your family and many occasions, I was away
from my children and my wife for three months, away
from your home, away from your country. You're living in
motels every week, traveling an airplanes, sitting in airports, having
(09:14):
torments where you played terribly badly. You know, it's not
all roses, And young guys have got to understand it's
not a bit of roses. It's there's a lot of adversity.
Of course, adversity, its adversity is the greatest gift bestowed
upon a man. But it's a fascinating game and it's
a game you can play forever. Nick Up won't way
(09:35):
to go and play tomorrow. Yeah, that's way way to
go and play. And I mean a lot of players
in their sports can't do that anymore. And that's why
we get to see golf grows. I think with this
the way golf is going now, you're going to see
a lot of half and say, well, listen, if I
go to the NFL three years and I can't walk again,
and I'm going to die earlier because I've been thumped
(09:56):
so hard my head and my body, where's gold? You
know you can make more money at eighty than you
made when you were world champion. Now, they're not other
sports that you can do that. It's not only the money,
it's a competing and it's be able to play in.
Longevity is a big thing in a man's career. Okay,
(10:17):
going back to the hotel life. It's funny because you know,
I'm in a hotel again for for TV, and I
think that's the hardest thing on the road, because, like
we were talking before, you're you're so well off. Now
you're living in a beautiful home anything from six thousand
to twenty six thousand square feet, and then you come
(10:38):
to a hotel and you're in Well, I'm I'm pushed
this week. Yeah, I've got eight walls, I've got a
bedroom and I got it a lounge. Okay, but compared
to my home, this is horrible, you know. But so
if you're doing this week after week and you've got
that at home, this is a tough life. You know.
I've been on the I've been on the road since
(10:58):
I was eighteen, and I'm into go. Hm, this is
getting a little like half work when I know what
I've got at home and that's my life. And I
think that's, you know, that thing that can add, as
you said, to how the guys look at being on tour.
I mean, it's it's because they've got such great wealth
at home, and surely you've got you gotta remember how
(11:20):
you got your wealth at home, because you've got it
on the golf course. So and you have to have
that sacrifice, as you said, to come and stay in hotels,
grinded out practice hard. Um so Yeah, I think that's
all part of it. That's that's that's all part of
the modern golfer. And and then can you have longevity.
(11:41):
You don't have to have longevity like you've done, or
you can have ten great years on tour and boy
or boy, you are absolutely set for life. Whether you've
designed to do more is is down. Whether you think
I've got a twenty year window as a golfer, that's
probably pretty realistic. Um, that's a great that's a great
gold to have twenty great years out there. And and
(12:04):
then if you wish to go out on the senior
tour after that, that's your your choice afterwards. But it's
all about it's about that commitment for those twenty years.
It's the most important thing. Yeah, I when I judge golfers,
I look at longevity because if you've got a good
cart last a long time. And if you look at
Sam sneed and I'll tell you what, I've never seen
(12:25):
a more rhythmical, loose, beautiful golf swing than Sam Snead.
And he played forever, so you've got to put him
right up there. You've got to put him right Ahare
was strong. He was strong as his ox, his aunts.
Was he stropped form. I mean he used to take
that hit cry stick, didn't they? I mean they did.
(12:46):
He went into the words and he found a stick.
You know, we've been big knots on it and he
whittled it with his knights and putting like two degrees
aloft on this not and he could hit. And I
heard the stories that he managed to get green height.
That said the team that at the Greenbrier there he
got green high in two even doesn't matter what how
(13:07):
doesn't part five with that old with that old golf
for him in And he said, I used to take
this thing out on the tour and give it to
the guys and tell him to hit it off the debt.
He said that the top off the end of the team.
Nobody could get it airborne. And he could hit that thing.
And and you know he could at sixty five he
could take the ball out of the cup with his
(13:28):
knees straight and he could he come in the locker.
We say Sam kicked the door a normal Doyd put
his foot driving on the top of the door. Its amazing,
And he could do five went on push ups. I mean,
the guy was absolutely remarkable. But I loved you know,
Hogan used to irritate him, but because people would come
and say, you know, Sam, because you've heard this, you
(13:50):
know that Hogan hits the ball so straight that he
puts his driver and the same devit he was in yesterday.
He said, if he was that straight, why did he
hit it to the left or the right of it? Yeah? Yeah,
they might said, they must said a good right, they
were choking cheese, weren't they. They were? They certainly well,
actually amazing, amazing anyway, And you do such a nice
(14:15):
job on TV because you've been in the arena. And
the important thing is there's nothing worse than hearing an
answers give opinions and they're really wrong. Of course, we
all have our opinions, but you've been in the arena
and you know what it is to come to the
last hole inded afford to winn't And so I love
your opinions very much. Keep it going, and my my,
(14:38):
my opinions are right, that's the bottom line. So it's
nice to listen to them all. And there's a good
line from somebody today's it's just because you disagree with
somebody doesn't mean you're you're right, you know, so yeah,
I just I just you know, fortunately still hit balls,
(15:00):
so at least, you know, I stand out and misagreement
a wedge. And then so when a guy does misagreement
the wedge, you sure it's a bad job, but say
why you why was it a bad shot? Rather than
that's dreadful. That's what we can say it, you know,
but things happen, and try and say, yeah, I'm trying
to get more of you know, how and why things happen,
(15:20):
you know, and what what's he got to do? How
is he going to do it? And why did that
happen rather than speak the obvious, you know, so what
you can see? So that's that's important to me to
keep keep working on that too. Hey, just give some
good insight into what the players only guess what they're thinking.
Not a mind reader, but but you can definitely help
(15:44):
the golfers with some little tips here and there. I
like doing that, like trying to give a bit of
insight some try this, feel that, think that. So yeah,
I'm enjoying it. It's it's it's a it's a it's
a good gig. Two things that come to mind. It's
wonderful to see golfer is you know, doing so much
for charity. I think golfers are renowned as wonderful contributors
(16:07):
to charity. And the other thought that came to my
mind knowing that you're going to have the open at
sirt Andrew's and deshambro is going to drive probably firm conditions,
nine greens. So yeah, this has got to be a
lot of exciting things to look forward to. And thanks
very much, Nick. Yeah, I just like brys and get
(16:28):
if they get the right wind. If he gets down
wind at the first, he might even calculate first bound
will go over the burn. If he lands it's jot
on a rock hard fairway dying he could well, yeah,
if he can carry it three fifty, he will get
well down wind. They say he carries one three sixty
(16:48):
at the first, well, that's will learn just short one
big hot be and will hopefully stopped by the back
of the green. That will cause a bit of a stir.
Then he has to play it back to the flat.
But but you're right, if you've got down wind, if
they get favorable wind, you know, John Daily got very
(17:09):
close to number two. I mean the fairways are running
rock card. John Daily got closer so you've got to
obviously three you can drive now he can drive three,
not the four or five part five yes too. Six
down winds he will get seven, seven, seven, he could
actually he could somehow get it onto the eleventh green
(17:30):
of seven he can go up that way. And then
obviously nine and ten you already can. Twelve, you already care.
And if you if you got down wind fifteen it's
the fairways, all downhill, rock hard when it gets when
it gets silvery shiny, sixteen brutal, prediculous shot. But wow,
(17:55):
he could he could aim at the second green and
somehow get it up very close to there. It might
be in the hay, I don't know. And then of
course a team will be but he might be hitting
his forearn if it's down wind on a team, so
that that will cause a bit of a stir so
we But but if they get the dreaded left to
(18:16):
right wind going out and coming back, you're very happy
to break empty. Four our viewers that I never forget
played here the very first time. I thought they spoilt
a good marsh, and afterwards I learned it was one
of my favorite places the world. I've got such a respect.
But under one green there. It's about the six or something.
(18:38):
I had a hundred yard plant, a hundred yards and
I said Magetti. His name was Jock. I said, Jock.
He's at the flags holding the flag. I said, give
me a line. He says, Laddy, I can he give
you a line? I can give you a yard, bitch.
I can't even see it, he said, keep keep keep
talking to me because I can't see you down there.
(19:00):
And we got we've gotta we've gotta tell everybody what
we're gonna do, Gary, because you know your stories are made.
When you first went to s Andrew's, you didn't you
didn't have enough money for the hotel, so you put
your water proofs on. You went in the sand dunes
down I guess it must have been right of number two,
somewhere there, opposite the hotel, and you put your water
(19:22):
proofs on, and you make camp and you slept in
the sand dunes. You know. So I've been thinking about
we're trying to work on this, because remember when we spoke,
we were talking about when you're when I'm older, and
you said, well, obviously we're gonna be in San Andrew's
next year. So somehow we need us for what we're doing,
and say we need a sponsor for this. We're going
to do this for charity for the homeless maybe or something,
(19:46):
and we're going to do a celebrity camp out. So
we're well, yeah, we'll start. We will start with a
nice party so we're fed and watered. Maybe we can
get then we can get Bush Mills to give us
some lovely whiskey to keep us war all at night.
That'd be lovely. And then um, and then I thought
we can all somebody could sponsor us. We have a
(20:06):
waterproof or cash me blankets, right and if it's not
and if it's raining, we need a little bit of
a canopy. But we thought we'd go and sleep in
the sand dunes to honor you, my great friend, and
we can maybe do a bit of do a bit
of good for charity. So if there's anybody out there
listening to that, of things will be and you can
(20:28):
come and join us. You can buy a ticket for
the evening and come. And we think it would be
a hell of a laugh, My goodness, will I think
it would be hilarious. We hope, we just we hope
it's not a chilly evening. I have to have to
chip carry out of a ditch. If there's mind diving, well,
(20:51):
if he dies, he dies. It was a great evening,
So it might be what's the circle of life? If
that's where you started with Snares, that's where you're gonna finish,
my boy the next day. The next day I got
a room for ten shillings and sixpence. That was a
(21:12):
dollar bed and the room was so small. When I
put the key in the keyhole, the window correct clubby
was facing the sea. It was facing the bloody WC.
And I didn't have a curtain. There were no curtains
in the room. And I mean, you know it was.
It's hilarious when you think. I mean, I remember taking
(21:33):
a Greyhound bust from fort Worth to Houston. I mean
it's not the same as your your own private jet,
is it? Not quite? So I love to tell the story,
you know it, And it's my favorite. I got on
the first year Saint Andrew's my first year. Then I
was very nervous. The fairway so white, and the guy says,
(21:56):
play away, bloody, there's big do a guy with his
kill John and I hooked up damn ball and was
going to get out of bounds and I, thank goodness
I hit that white ray League and it came back
in the fince and we will. Walking off the tea
said Laddy, come here and watch your name. I said,
my name is Gary Players. He says, and where are
you from? I said South Africa and he says, and
what is your handicap? I said, no, I'm a pro.
(22:18):
He said, you're a pro. I said. He says, you
must be a hell of a chimberant. Butter lady, I
won the Open of twenty three, the youngest at that stage.
Came back to Saint Andrews. He's hitting like and he
says it's a miras this is important, a bloody miracle. Yeah. Anyway,
(22:45):
thanks very much, my friend was a delight talking to you. Yeah,
that was fun. Don't forget to subscribe to the Player
series on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com