Have You Gary Player's Focus?

Oh Westie! When will Lee Westwood win a major? Last Sunday he achingly fell away as American lefty Mickleson tore up the links to romp home. The Open golf champ is yet again from other shores.

In the build up to the final round, I caught a ten minute video of South African great Gary Player. Nearing 80, he was bubbling. He boasted about doing 1,200 sit ups every day still, and even showed off a nude photo taken for ESPN’s Body Issue, swinging everything at his age still.

The most ear-catching remarks he made though, were about ability.

When talking about the youngsters coming into the game, he was most dismissive about what hopeful parents usually say to him. ‘You should see how far he drives the ball…’ seemed the most common.

His response was enlightening.

I don’t care how long they can hit, I’m only interested in their focus.

For him, it’s less about aptitude, but all about attitude.

How hard are they prepared to work at their game?

It obviously reminds me of people I’ve been made aware of with lines like, ‘they can sell sand to the arabs’, ‘…ice to eskimos’ or even, ‘…a new commission plan to their chief exec’ (!)

I know. I’ve seen it first-hand. Most reps extemporise. That is, they ‘perform without preparation’. They wing it. And even take pride in that. The real winners though, well, they don’t. As Player also famously once said;

the more I practice, the luckier I get.

Have you got the focus this (one of only five ever) career grand slam champion looks for?