With a global worth of almost $100 billion, the golf industry generates more wealth than the GDPs of several countries, such as Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Honduras, Croatia, North Korea, and Uruguay. And at an individual level, Tiger Woods was at one point earning $8,637 per hole on the PGA Tour. There are untold riches in the golf industry. At the same time, golf is unrivalled in the world of sport in terms of its potential to give back.
Golf has long been the preferred game of the business world. A 2011 study quoted by The Economist found that business managers and directors who do not play golf are paid 17 percent less on average than those who do. Golf remains the most powerful networking tool in sport, and the pro-am is golf’s competitive advantage in terms of its ability to provide for the world No. 1 playing the same game with a major CEO playing off an 18 handicap. A billionaire cannot play rugby with the Springboks or basketball with the LA Lakers. But he can tee it up with career Grand Slam champion Gary Player in a competitive environment. And the personal contact these two can share over a four-hour round is priceless.
The world’s top professional golfers have the opportunity to generate incredible wealth through massive amounts of prize money, and then by endorsements that often dwarf this. It is exactly this wealth in professional golf that allows the sport to excel at giving back. In 2014, the PGA Tour reached $2 billion in all-time charitable giving since its first donation in 1938.
The Gary Player Invitational series plays a major part in golf’s charity initiatives. It is one of the biggest and most global charitable initiatives in golf with events in Asia, Europe, the United States, the Middle East and Africa. At the 2014 tournament in South Africa, the fundraising drive from a glamorous gala dinner auction raised more than $300,000. And since 1983, The Player Foundation has raised more than $60 million for charity worldwide.
When a golfer such as Padraig Harrington attempts to make sense of the almost unfathomable wealth in professional golf, he often turns to this kind of charitable effect.
“You realise you’ve got to do your best to help out,” said Harrington, “even though you can’t change the world. But you can help. And then you realise that the best thing you can do is play good golf. If I play good golf then I can afford the time and the money to help others. Golf gives us that opportunity.
“Most professional golfers do something for charity, and what lies behind it is we’re very lucky. We’re out there and we’re earning colossal sums of money throughout the year. Prize funds have gone up so much. And to be able to look at yourself in the mirror in the morning, you’ve got to give something back.
“There is no doubt, in a practical sense you would suggest we are overpaid for our ability to hit a little white golf ball. We have to always realise the position we’re in and how privileged we are to be doing so well out of it. It would be hard if you just kept taking. It’s nice that you can give back.”
Gary Player has long recognised the value of golf to make a meaningful contribution to society, from the time he gave his cheque for winning the 1965 U.S. Open back to the United States Golf Association to use for junior golf development and cancer treatment and research programmes, to his establishment of a foundation that raises millions worldwide for children’s charities.
“I think the difference comes when you realise that what you have is really just on loan to you,” Player said. “Even the talent we have. It’s just on loan, and it can be taken away tomorrow. It’s happened in the game so many times. Great players just suddenly disappear overnight. But true success is judged by your relationship with your fellow human beings.”
As the recognised global ambassador of golf, Player has mastered the art of the charity golf day. So much so that Black Knight International attracts the support of one of the oldest banks in the world, Berenberg of Germany, as a partner of the Gary Player Invitational event in the United Kingdom. Player’s influence also allows him to draw in the support of the world’s leading professionals and other major benefactors, all with the shared aim of raising money for charity.
“It is all about the union of business and golf helping those less privileged,” said Player. “I want my epitaph to say, ‘Here is a man who was interested in his fellow man. And in education and health. And he bettered the lives of poor people.’
“Surely that is the greatest legacy a man can leave? I have been blessed to have the support of such great companies to help make this possible.
“We are loaned only so much time in our lives and it is up to us to use this time as best we can. I can think of no better way to do this than in service to my fellow man.”
For more information please contact:
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
b.wood@garyplayer.com
+ 1 864 477 2720
Meagan Fester – Black Knight International
meagan@garyplayer.co.za
+27 21 448 7777
ABOUT DEPAUL UK
Depaul UK helps young people who are homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged.
– We protect young people by finding them a place to call home.
– We prevent young people becoming homeless by rebuilding family relationships and offering through the gate support to young offenders.
– We provide young people with opportunities through skills development and support to help them progress beyond homelessness and fulfil their potential
Depaul is based around the UK working with young people to tackle homelessness at every level. Our Nightstop UK service also offers emergency short term accommodation in the homes of local volunteers on a night by night basis.
Depaul UK has helped over 50,000 people since we were founded in 1989 and continue to work with over 3,000 young people a year providing over 120,000 bed nights to those who are vulnerable and in need.
ABOUT BLACK KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Established in 1983 by Marc Player, Black Knight International is a global holding company for The Player Group and the constantly expanding family of Gary Player® brands. With a powerful presence in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Black Knight is a multicultural and multilingual company offering branded services for the leisure and real estate industries. This rapidly growing firm is diverse and infused with the same tenaciousness and drive as Gary Player, world renowned iconic golfer. The holding company divisions include: Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate, Black Knight Enterprises, Black Knight Solutions, Black Knight Capital, Gary Player Academies, and The Player Foundation.
ABOUT THE PLAYER FOUNDATION
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by four Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever- expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated over $50 million dollars to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world-class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
ABOUT BERENBERG
Berenberg was established in 1590 and today we are one of Europe’s leading privately owned banks. With our headquarters in Hamburg and strong presences in Frankfurt, London, New York and Zurich we work from 19 offices across Europe, America and Asia. We deliver our expertise through four divisions – Private Banking, Investment Banking, Asset Management and Corporate Banking. Our Managing Partners lead Berenberg’s 1,250 professionals in their commitment to delivering a modern and efficient service, while maintaining a firm connection with our heritage and traditions.
“We are proud to call Gary Player our Brand Ambassador, as he is truly a great Ambassador for the game of golf,” says Dr. Hans-Walter Peters, Managing Partner of Berenberg. “This must be measured not just in terms of his career achievements as a Grand Slam Champion, but also in driving such outstanding philanthropic initiatives as the Gary Player Invitational series. The event’s great virtues and its ability to give so much back to charity is one of the many reasons we have chosen this sponsorship as an important business platform for years to come.”
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