Name: How golfer Gary Player became a global business leader
Uploaded: 2014-08-04
Duration: 4 min 51 s
Description: Gary Player is widely regarded as one of the greatest golf players ever. After retiring from the sport, Player began an international company called Black Knight International—an umbrella company that includes five global businesses.

Gary Player is widely regarded as one of the greatest golf players ever. After retiring from the sport, Player began an international company called Black Knight International—an umbrella company that includes five global businesses.

How golfer Gary Player became a global business leader

Yeah. Mm, Yeah. The only man in the world in the world. Eight billion people, Whatever it is to have won the Grand Slam on the regular tour and the Grand Slam on the Senior Tour. And they will try, I think. Gary Player, the golfer was extremely charismatic, and he was a character that became well known and well regarded right away. He represents a lot of first. He was from South Africa and was the first guy from there to win a lot of majors. He became known as the Man in Black for his style on the course. He only wore black from the beginning. He had a brand of being someone who was classy and respected the game and also respected himself. I wanted to try and be the best in the world. I I didn't worry about money because I didn't make any money. And my parents were very poor, you know, we couldn't envisage that they're going to be playing for a million dollars a week first prize as they do now. It was incomprehensible, so But I thought, well, the money that I am making, I got to invest wisely. My dad obviously has been one of the great golfers of of all time, and I knew that at some point in time he wouldn't be able to win anymore. So how do you build a business around an individual that's performing? When Gary retired and he soon got into golf course design, That wasn't yet the kind of ubiquitous thing it is today, where everyone has golf courses that they lend their name to his contemporaries. You know, they're called the Big Three. Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player and Jack and Arnold were also designing golf courses. But Gary differentiated himself by placing an emphasis on being eco friendly in the design. If 400 golf courses in our portfolio, we've done that over a 30 year period, depending on where it is and how much time we're gonna put into recharge between three and $5 million. So there's a billion dollars in golf course design. It's a serious business for a small company like ours are a number of different businesses. There's designing the golf courses, which is called Gary Player Design. Then there's player real estate where they're building properties on top of these golf courses, then Of course, you have black Night, just the apparel and merchandise on. Then you have Gary Player invitational tournaments where they get celebrities and semi pros to come play. And the money from those tournaments goes toward the Gary Player charity, which raises money for education and poor youth across the world. I don't profess to have a great business document, but what I can do is having traveled more miles than any human being that's ever lived. I'm able to contribute common sense to the board. To build your brand, uh, is very simple. It takes work. If you look at the corporate partners have been running Rolex since 1965. That's over 50 years. Most people signed a deal for three years and they go to media. We stuck with Rolex Rolex so they really we do build these relationships. What's interesting about Gary is that he has really limited what he does to this premium feel. He only wants to partner with big blue chip brands, and he is very selective about what he puts his name on. Well, we have clients all over the world and one of the things that I try and do is not just an occasion to meet them, stay in touch with them, give them a service, make them feel that you're not just taking their money, that you're part of their company and you want them to be part of your business. So he's very hands on. He wants to hold your hand. He wants to look you in the eye. He wants to have dinner with you. He wants to play golf with you, wants to go horse racing with you, come to my farm and we'll swim. Well, we'll ride very engaged. That's a differentiating factor for us in the business. If you look at some of our competitors, not all of them love people. Gary Player. If you stopped him for an autograph, he'll sell it to you, to your auntie, to your wife field. Kiss your child. He'll he'll engage with you. And so it's because he loves people. You wake up, you have a choice to choice is happy or sad. 40% of people choose said I just have, even though I've had a very difficult life as a young person, I choose happy his style and his personality is one could say old school but never goes out of fashion integrity, the honesty, the personal contact, that's those are really traits. Those are characteristics of him as a man and as a business person and as a father. So in a sense, beyond Gary, Player of the Man, you now have the Black Knight brand, which is this global known company that stands for golf but also stands for a lot of the values that Gary has very vocally espoused as he travels the world. Fitness, nutrition, respect, golf being environmentally friendly, all these things they've managed to make the company stand for, and it is a legitimate global brand.