Gary Player’s lawsuit against his son Marc, filed in Palm Beach County, Florida, accuses Marc of selling trophies, clubs, watches, and other memorabilia without permission after a 2019 business split, and of refusing to hand back social media accounts and the GaryPlayer.com domain. A separate suit names Player’s grandson Damian. In December 2022, a Florida judge issued a temporary injunction blocking further sales and freezing the proceeds of past ones.
How the Family Fight Started
The rupture became public in 2019, when Gary Player cut ties with Marc, who had been running the Gary Player Group in South Carolina. That company handled course design work and sold branded merchandise under Player’s “Black Knight” nickname. The elder Player revoked the trademarks, likenesses, and logos assigned to entities Marc controlled.
The dispute went to arbitration and settled in May 2020. Gary Player received $5 million in what his attorney Stuart Singer described as unpaid royalties, and he regained full control of his name and likeness. Court filings confirmed the Gary Player Group “no longer has any right to use the Player name, likeness, image, or any of the other Ownership Rights.”1Compleat Golfer. Gary Player Wins Legal Dispute With Son Singer called it a “contractual dispute” and would not elaborate on its origins.2ESPN. Golfer Gary Player Gets $5 Million in Legal Dispute With Son Marc
The settlement did not end things. Within a year, items from Player’s collection began appearing at auction.
What the 2022 Lawsuits Allege
Gary Player filed suit against Marc in May 2022. The complaint alleges Marc failed to return memorabilia as required by an agreement stemming from the 2020 settlement, refused to transfer social media accounts and the GaryPlayer.com domain, and continued to use his father’s image and name after losing the right to do so.3Golf Channel. Gary Player Files Lawsuit Against Son, Grandson Over Sale of Memorabilia
A second suit followed in November 2022 against Player’s grandson Damian. It accuses Damian of soliciting buyers for items stored in 19 lockers at a South Carolina storage facility and of selling or helping sell multiple Rolex watches to a Florida buyer for what the complaint calls “significant sums of money.”4New York Post. Gary Player Also Suing Grandson Damian for Selling Memorabilia The complaint was filed by Boies Schiller Flexner and brings claims of tortious interference with contract, civil conspiracy, and conversion.5UniCourt. Player, Gary v. Player, Damian
Singer described the litigation as a last resort. “Only with the greatest reluctance and after many years of trying to avoid this did Gary have to enforce his rights in this way,” he told the Palm Beach Post.6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia
The Trophies and Items at the Center of the Case
Court filings identify a 2021 auction that Player says was unauthorized. Items sold there included his 1974 Masters Tournament trophy for $523,483, his South African Open trophy for $48,841, his 1965 U.S. Open irons for $17,947, and a pair of Masters golf shoes for $1,171.6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia
By August 2022, additional pieces had been listed. Player posted a public statement to Twitter: “I would like to draw the public’s attention to the fact that several trophies and other pieces of memorabilia that form part of my legacy have been put up for auction by my son and ex-manager, Marc. These items belong to me and I have taken action to recover them.”7Yahoo Sports. Gary Player Calls Out Son for Allegedly Auctioning Trophies, Memorabilia The newly listed items included a 1959 Black Knight putter, a 1968 World Match Play trophy, the clubs used to win the 1965 U.S. Open, and a 1988 Belgian Classic crystal trophy.6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia
Marc Player’s Defense
Marc pushed back through his attorney, Darren Heitner. In a court filing, Heitner argued that the 2021 settlement agreement Gary Player relied on was invalid because the property rights to the memorabilia belong to a trust rather than to Gary Player personally.8Golfweek. Gary Player Sues Son, Grandson in Memorabilia Dispute Available reporting does not identify the specific trust.
Heitner also called the claims “petty” and “baseless” in a statement posted to Twitter, and argued that some of the memorabilia had been given to Marc by his parents and had been in his possession for decades. “You cannot take back what no longer belongs to you,” Heitner said.6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia Heitner confirmed he was not representing Damian, who could not be reached for comment.4New York Post. Gary Player Also Suing Grandson Damian for Selling Memorabilia
The December 2022 Injunction
On December 8, 2022, Palm Beach County Circuit Court Judge Gregory Keyser granted Gary Player a temporary injunction. The order bars Marc Player and anyone acting with him from selling items that were in their possession at the time of the 2021 settlement. It requires that proceeds from earlier sales, including the 1974 Masters trophy, be placed into a trust. It also temporarily prohibits Marc from using his father’s name or image on social media.6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia
The injunction applies to Marc and his associates. Public reporting does not describe a separate order directed at Damian. As of the most recent available reporting, no final resolution of either 2022 lawsuit has been documented.
The Separate Auction House Dispute
Alongside the family litigation runs a parallel argument with Golden Age Auctions over replica major championship trophies. According to Golden Age president Ryan Carey, Player’s company Black Knight International sold a collection of replica trophies to a private buyer in 2020 through a transaction Golden Age facilitated. Carey said the company was dealing with “serious cash flow issues” from the COVID-19 pandemic and needed to meet payroll.9Golfweek. Gary Player 1974 Claret Jug Sold Without Permission
The private buyer later resold items at a November 2020 Golden Age public auction, including Player’s 1978 Masters trophy ($253,386), his 1972 PGA Championship trophy ($80,736), and his 1965 Open Championship trophy ($97,691).10Cllct. Gary Player in Dispute With Auction House Over 1974 Claret Jug Replica Player said the trophies were sold without his knowledge by “the person entrusted with ensuring the safekeeping of these items.” Marc denied involvement and said his father had previously sold his original Grand Slam trophy collection to billionaire Johann Rupert.9Golfweek. Gary Player 1974 Claret Jug Sold Without Permission
The dispute flared again in 2024 when a 1974 Claret Jug replica sold at a Golden Age auction for $481,068. Player again said the sale was unauthorized. Carey responded that he had “yet to hear from Player’s lawyers” and said Player’s lawyers had “backed down” after making similar claims in 2020.10Cllct. Gary Player in Dispute With Auction House Over 1974 Claret Jug Replica No formal lawsuit had been filed over the Claret Jug sale as of mid-2024.
Why Player Says It Came to This
Player told reporters back in 2003 that he had sold a collection of 300 memorabilia pieces through Christie’s to Johann Rupert in part to “set up a trust fund for his family” and to “avoid any fighting among his children over the items after his death.”6Palm Beach Post. PGA Golf Legend Gary Player Wants to Stop Sale of Memorabilia The fighting arrived while he was still alive.
Now in his late eighties, Player appeared at the 2022 PNC Championship with his grandson Jordan, an indication that not every family relationship is fractured.11Sports Illustrated. Gary Player Suing Son, Grandson Over Memorabilia Dispute The lawsuits against Marc and Damian, however, remain the last documented court activity in public sources.