More Life Lessons from the Black Knight
Friday, May 9, 2025
“You fight hatred with love.” – Gary Player, referencing Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela
Yesterday, we looked at Gary Player’s on-the-course record as a professional golfer and how his stringent exercise routine and healthy diet have contributed to his long life and good health. However, there is so much more to learn from the “Black Knight” who, along with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, comprised golf’s “Big Three” during the 60s and 70s.
Here are Gary’s four tips for living a long, happy and healthy life…
1. Eat half as much as you do right now. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to have to work on this one, especially when it comes to desserts.
2. Exercise twice as much as you currently do. Sorry, Gary, but 55 years of playing contact sports have taken their toll on my arthritic knees (but golf, half-court basketball, and light weight training are still on my weekly schedule).
3. Laugh three times as much. “Laughing affects the endorphins in your system, which feeds the youth cells and keeps you happy,” Player says.
4. Have unmeasured love in your heart. Player followed his own advice during his 63-year marriage to his wife Vivienne, who died in 2021. “You know, I was with her 72 years (including the years they dated)”, Player said. “Everyone thinks their wife is the best, but there’s no way you could have had a better wife than mine… I miss her every day, but here’s the conclusion – I sat at the greatest table with the greatest food in the world and I left the table content.”
Ah, there it is, the secret to a happy life… contentment. It sounds to me like Gary Player and the Apostle Paul would have gotten along just fine.
“I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to abound. In any and every situation I have learned the secret of being filled and being hungry, of having plenty and having need. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:11-13 (BSB)
- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President
