Golf Clubs � The Movies � Robert Redford's Epick

The movies love sport, but why has Robert Redford chosen to focus on golf clubs rather than fishing rods or baseball hoops?

The movie

Robert Redford's movie The Legend of Bagger Vance uses golf as a metaphor � in a way that perhaps anyone who has battled with a set of golf clubs can relate to.

In an interview with the BBC he discussed why picking up a set of golf clubs can tell you something about life, and why the sport is perfect for the movies.

Golf a metaphor

�I'm not interested in a film about golf but I am interested in golf as a metaphor. There's no better metaphor. Sport is a wonderful metaphor for life,� Redford told the BBC. �Of all the sports that I played - skiing, baseball, fishing - there is no greater example than golf, because you're playing against yourself and nature. There's some force that's bigger than you. You can't completely control the sport - Tiger Woods comes close. The test is against yourself and nature's own way. I find golf a particularly good metaphor for this story.�

Narrative Drive

It may sound rather grand for a game that is all about swinging different types of golf clubs to hit a small ball but the movies often use sport as a subject � the fact is it offers drama, suspense and tension and perfect narrative drive. 

Mythical journey

The movie's protagonist is a golfer played by Matt Damon and Will Smith plays the caddy that carries his golf clubs. And this Redford 's film isn't just about a man swinging his golf clubs against the elements or against the odds � the movie's a journey of discovery. The protagonist is of mythical stature like Homer or Ulysses, who falls into darkness and temptation, and the journey returns him wiser and a fuller person.

�I went through that,� Redford told the BBC. �I came to a place where I realised what true value was. It wasn't money. Money is a means to achieving an end, but it's not the end.�

Play the game

Despite the movie's philosophical approach to the game, its rare Robert Redford picks up his own golf clubs to play. He doesn't feature on the Hollywood Top 100 golf players list. Maybe the movies are getting in the way of picking up his golf clubs?

�I only played six holes while we were shooting, I was so busy. Golf has become so manicured, so perfect. The greens, the fairways. I don't like golf carts. I like walking. Some clubs won't let you in unless you have a caddy and a cart. I like carrying my own clubs, which is how I started to play. There's something about carrying your own clubs to each ball you hit - the labour of playing the sport, to me, is part of it.�

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