STILL GOING STRONG

At 87-and after life's ups and downs - Gary Player shows sign of slowing down no

- MARELIZE GRBICH

HE TEES off five times a week, hits the gym four times and eats just two meals a day. Golfing great Gary Player is widely considered one of the fittest 87-year-olds on the planet – and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

Just take this month, for instance.

“I’m on my way to England to attend the Royal Ascot horse races and I’m also going to Wimbledon and the British Open. Then I’m thinking of visiting Germany and then I’m off to India where we’re designing a golf course, before I return to America,” he tells YOU.

We’re catching up with the retired golfer via video chat from the Philadelphia home of his young est child, Amanda- Leigh Player Hall, and her family. Gary is getting ready to take his grandchildren to the greens and his trademark black golf shirt is pristine.

The former world champion has no trouble keeping up with youngsters. Many golfers half his age have tried to emulate his strict fitness regime but he’s pretty much in a league of his own.

His secret is pretty simple. “There are things I do religiously. I exercise every day, I sleep at least nine hours a night, and I eat only twice a day,” he says.

“The biggest mistake people make is eating too much. They say the gym is important and it is, but what you put in your mouth is more important.”

Laughing, he says, is also key to living a longer, fuller life. “I laugh and laugh and laugh. It does something for your soul and it’s the infusion that keeps you young.”