Gary Player Bares All for 2013 ESPN Body Issue

By Ryan Park

Photograph by Peter Hapak for ESPN The Magazine

This July, as it does every year, ESPN The Magazine released its “The Body Issue”—a special edition magazine filled with images of the world's greatest athletes in the nude. The images offer a raw look into the well-oiled machines that make the sports world so incredible. This year, some of the images captured legendary golfer and PGA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner, Gary Player. Unlike many of the other images, Player's feature does not display god-like body proportions or jaw-dropping physique; rather it highlights the triumph of human will power, self-respect and inspiration. In his own words, Player eloquently expressed his motivation:

“I have this great ambition to show the world how fit you can be at this age. People retiring at 65 is a joke. I'm almost 78 — if I retire, I'd be dead in one year. I still work on my ranch, I do golf course design, I'm traveling seven months a year. You've got to keep moving.” -Gary Player

Photograph by Peter Hapak for ESPN The Magazine

Player also discusses the importance of fitness in his life, in this exclusive video by ESPN.

 

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image credits: ESPN

Colorado Avid Golfer is not affiliated with ESPN Magazine. Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.