OKAY senior and veteran golfers, what’s your plan to remain healthy so that you can extend your golfing careers into your 80s or 90s?
One man who knows something about longevity is 89-year-old Gary Player, who in a long career has racked up 159 professional tournament victories including nine majors and seven Australian Opens.
Perhaps we aging golfers can take a leaf out of Player’s play book.
The South African continues to follow a strict workout regimen and watches his diet.
“Most people are dead at my age,” he told Biznews.com. “You know, really think about what the odds are living to my age. Not much in your favour.”
So, what is Player’s secret to longevity?
Eat less, exercise, sleep, laugh (a lot), read to keep your mind sharp, learn to speak, build your vocabulary, have many friends and have love in your heart.
Gary Player keeps on keeping on as he takes aim at a century.
I played a round of golf with Player at Sun City some years ago and in his wallet is a list of 10 must-do things he relies on to extend his years on the planet. Effectively, it’s his bible.
“I like to study and read and I have travelled the world – to India, Singapore, China and America and other places – searching for longevity because I love life, I love people, love travelling and I love my work.
“So, I’m trying to reach 100,” he said.
“The conclusion was meeting people who work on longer lifespans and they gave me 10 things to work on.
“One of the most important things to do is wake up and have an ice bath. I get into this ice bath which takes away inflammation and rejuvenates the cells.
“I sleep nine hours a night unless I have an appointment early the next morning.
“The other important thing is people must undereat. Two meals a day is ideal. Having big dinners is not healthy.
“A man in India said, ‘Gary, you don’t put petrol in the car when you park it in the garage at night’.
“And there is a great message in that, but people have these big dinners at night, go to bed on a full stomach and they put on weight.
“And once you put on weight you are starting to die. Your heart has to pump more and it affects your whole system and the body cannot work in the morning as it should do so undereating is important.
“I don’t tell people what to eat, but I don’t touch bacon, I try to eat as little bread as possible, I don’t drink milk – I might have a little in one cup of coffee a day – and I drink a lot of water and take vitamins.
“You have got to learn and study what keeps you alive and keeps you going because there is nothing worse than getting sick and to live in pain is a terrible thing.”
Inside Golf Editor-at-Large David Newbery enjoyed a round with the great Gary Player at Sun City in South Africa.
Player says regular laughter is also important.
“I laugh all day because laughter is the best medicine,” he says. “Look at the discrepancy in laughing or being miserable. It’s enormous.
“I read a lot and I have friends and that’s important so I do these 10 things every single day. So, to live to 100 you have to work at it.
“Everybody thinks it’s luck – luck is the residue of design. So, I work at it very hard and do it with great enthusiasm.
“I go to the gym and still push 300 pounds (136kgs) with my legs and I run the treadmill at maximum speed, lift heavy weights and I do hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups.
“It such a great feeling to get to nearly 90 and have great vitality and energy. It’s such a thrill because most people my age are dead.”
Player says when he goes out to hit golf balls or play golf he skips going to the gym.
“I don’t go to the gym every day because I hit golf balls,” he said. “You take a full swing with the driver and it’s a massive exercise and walking the course means you are exercising.”
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