Gary Player wasn't always known as the Black Knight, but it's a nickname he has fully embraced over the decades of his golf career and subsequent years as one of the game's most-traveled ambassadors. Gary Player's businesses, and those created by his son, Marc, use the Black Knight name and logo to make clear the association with the nine-time major champion.
The reason why Gary Player is called the Black Knight is an easy one. Gary Player has long liked to wear all black on the golf course. So, in appreciation of that, he was called the Black Knight as a valiant golfer who goes into battle.
Sometimes over the years, Player has worn an all-white outfit. He doesn't become the White Knight when he does.
But what got Gary Player into wearing all-black outfits in the first place?
Why Gary Player wears all black
In a chat with ESPN, Player said, the original influence was a TV series called "Palladin" where the hero wore all black. Player said his father told him to have a trademark, and the Black Knight responded by saying he would wear all black.
"My dad said don't be like the sheep that walk in the fields and have their heads by the other's backside ... hold your own head up high," Player said.
On Twitter, he explained further, saying, "Black is mysterious, sophisticated, strong and elegant. You can wear black at any age. You can wear black for any occasion. You can wear black at any time."
So even though Gary Player is no longer competing on a regular basis, and he spends much of his time at his ranch in South Africa, he's still held on to the Black Knight moniker and it has paid in spades.
