Oscar Buzz: Golf Movies Are Not the Stuff of the Academy Awards

It’s that time of year again for the Academy Awards, the most prestigious of any award in the entertainment field and the most glamorous night on any A-list celebrity’s calendar.

But as attention turns to the 2011 Oscars, sports fans need not worry about the inclusion any sports films.

"The Blind Side" was an exception to the rule in 2010 and remains one of only a select number of sports movies that has won awards for the performances.

"Chariots of Fire" (1981), "Rocky" (1976) and most recently "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) are the only sports films to have won best picture.

The biggest problems filmmakers have when making of sports films is that actors, by and large, make very poor sportsmen and sportsmen make notoriously bad actors.

It is a recipe for a disaster.

It's not surprising, then, to realise that most sporting films are not usually the stuff of Oscars.

This is particularly true of golf films, where it is necessary for actors to master the most difficult art of the golf swing, something that even players cannot always do to their complete satisfaction.

Efforts to make good films, however, have been made and below are two golf films that are certainly worth a watch.

"Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius"

Starring Jim Caviezel as Bobby Jones, this film was made in 2004 and is based on the life of one of the legendary figures of golf. The film covers many of the conflicts that Jones faced in his life and also adequately portrays his great achievements in 1928, when he won the British and US Opens as well as the British and US amateur championship.

Although there is plenty to admire about the film—particularly the location shoots at the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland—the film fails ultimately to inspire the audience, with a tendency to show Jones hitting the ball far too many times rather than using more exciting sequences.

The film also makes the important point that Jones was an amateur and took great pride in the fact that he took no money from his sport, which, of course, is far removed the reality of the professional golfer of today. 

"Tin Cup"

This 1996 film stars Kevin Costner and gives a fictional account of an unambitious but talented golfer, Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, who runs his own driving range, which he also uses as a drinking haunt with his friends.

After being invited by a professional playing friend, David Simms, to caddy for him at a benefit tournament, Tin Cup needles his Simms about his tendency to lay-up on his approach shots rather than go for the green.

It ends up with a bet between the two that going for the green is a better option, with Tin Cup backing himself to make the green from a position while Simms takes the up the soft option.

Needless to say, McAvoy makes the shot and angers Simms, who fires him on the spot. Simms' actions provide the ambition for McAvoy to take his golf more seriously. He decides to get himself qualified for the US Open.

Of course, this could never happen in reality, which is where the film becomes quite silly.

McAvoy makes it to the US Open and puts himself into a winning position, but he has to play the final round with Simms, as well as Peter Jacobson (one of several actual players who made cameo appearances in the film).

Simms plays a lay-up on his approach shot to the final green, not taking any chances with the pond near it. McAvoy on the other hand, takes the more direct route, refusing the safe option and going for the green.

Unfortunately, McAvoy misses, finding the water hazard instead. A second ball comes out and the same happens, which effectively costs McAvoy the tournament.

But he refuses to take the penalty, preferring to keep trying for the green with the remaining balls in his bag. He makes it with the last one!

"Tin Cup" is certainly not a film worthy of Oscar nominations, but it's watchable because Costner knows how to swing a golf club, and it also has a strong cast, with Renee Russo as the love interest and Don Johnson as Simms.

"Dead Solid Perfect" starring Randy Quaid was a popular film about a second-string pro-golfer trying his heart out to make it on to the full tour.

"Caddyshack" was an attempt to make a comedy from golf, but this slapstick effort that stars Chevy Chase and Bill Murray becomes utterly silly and challenges the audience to stay until the end.

"The Legend of Bagger Vance," directed by Robert Redford, is set against the backdrop of a golf tournament. Matt Damon stars as Vance, a WWI veteran, who loses his way after the war but finds himself after employing a mystical caddy, Will Smith, in the tournament.

"Follow the Sun" from 1951, which stars Glenn Ford, is a respectable attempt to tell the story of golfing legend Ben Hogan, the man said to have had the most perfect swing. Ford plays the part well, but the film is dated and not one for the younger element of today.

On the whole, golf films and the Oscars simply don’t go together and as such should be best left alone.

If I’ve missed any out that you feel are worthy of discussion, please feel free to contribute to the discussion.