During the illustrious career of World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player, few venues have held more significance than Augusta National. And few tournaments have been more special than the Masters.
But this week, Player, a three-time Masters champion and longtime respected starter, offered a rare criticism of the club. The criticism, revealed in an interview with Golf Monthly, comes after Augusta National denied Player’s request to play a round with his grandchildren at the historic course.
Here’s what you need to know.
Gary Player criticizes Augusta National for playing around with grandkids: ‘They won’t do it’
The player, 90, captured nine major titles in his career, including three Masters wins in 1961, 1974 and 1978. He, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus were known as the “Big Three” golfers of their era, all making their mark at Augusta.
As of 2012, Player joined Palmer and Nicklaus as first-place honors at the Masters, the tournament in which he has played more than anyone else. He has retained that role to this day.
But unlike Palmer and Nicklaus, Player was not granted membership at Augusta National. Although his past championships earned him the right to play Augusta, because he is not a member he is not allowed to bring guests to play with him.
And that’s the source of Player’s hatred for the club, which he explains in his monthly Golf interview.
“I’ve been an ambassador for Augusta all these years, yet they won’t let me have one round of golf in my life with my three grandchildren,” lamented Player. “My grandchildren want to know about their grandfather’s adventures on that golf course.”
He went on to say that any other course to host a major tournament would have accepted Player’s request, but Augusta turned him down, blaming the decision on the “current management” of the club.
“All the golf courses that host the Open [Championship]the US Open and the PGA [Championship] they can, but they won’t do it at Augusta,” Player argued.
The player went on to sing the praises of Augusta National co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts, as well as President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a notable member of the team, arguing that they laid the foundation for what the team became.
He went on to say that he, Palmer and Nicklaus “made Augusta” with their inspired play at the Masters in the 60s and 70s.
“[Jones, Roberts and Eisenhower]they basically made Augusta. Then Arnold [Palmer]Jack [Nicklaus] and I came and we fought every year, and then we thanked Augusta for the publicity and publicity we generated for the Masters, whether the club liked to admit it or not. They won’t agree, but we did Augusta.”
Gary Player’s history of controversies at Augusta National
This is not the first time the player has complained about not getting the rights to Augusta National.
In 2023, he said he was “disappointed” with how difficult it was to play there with a guest.
“A lot of people think I have those rights, but they’re wrong. If I want to play a practice round with friends, I can’t just call the pro shop and make those arrangements,” Player said at the time.
;)
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To play with a guest, he needs to find the perfect member of Augusta National to manage, a project he says is “not easy.”
When asked to rate the four men’s majors in terms of their importance in early 2023, the Player said “never mind the Masters” and ranked them last.
“I rate the Open [Championship] in one, two US Open, PGA [Championship] three and four Augusta; “Four amazing tournaments,” Mdlali told the UK Daily Mail.
At the 2021 Masters, the player’s son Wayne got into hot water for an unexpected golf ball ad during an event honoring Lee Elder. It was reported that Wayne was banned for life at Augusta National for this incident.
Then in 2022, Player filed a lawsuit against his son, Marc, and grandson, Damian, for selling some of his golf memorabilia. Among the memorabilia were the Players’ 1974 Masters trophy and the shoes he wore in his 52nd Masters appearance. The player said he did not authorize the items to be sold.
