Golf: The Ridiculous Obsession (2003)
Review by Doc Ezra
Film:
DVD:

Written and Directed by Robert Duncan

Features:

• Strange But True Tales from the Green
  
• Golf Quotes
  
• Golf Trivia
  
• Golfing Truths
  

Released by: BFS Entertainment
Region: 1
Rating: NR, suitable for all audiences
Anamorphic: N/A; appears in its original 1.33:1 format.

My Advice: Golfers (or those hoping to understand them) should give it a rental.

As the introductory voice-over informs us, there are over sixty million golfers worldwide. Of those sixty million, less than one-tenth of a percent are really any good at the game at all. This leads the filmmakers here to wonder: which group of people are really playing golf, and which ones are playing some other, albeit admittedly similar, game? This documentary sides squarely with the weekend duffers, those of us that consider any day on which we leave the course with as many golf balls as we showed up with as a resounding success. It examines the game from equipment to the courses themselves, interviewing fans of the game, casual players, and the merely obsessed (including an ex-caddy from Pebble Beach that has been tending a stolen divot hit by Arnold Palmer in a flowerpot for nearly two decades).

There's a great bunch of characters interviewed in this two-part documentary. There are couples that met on the links, advanced materials scientists that build lighter clubs, and octogenarian addicts that have played for decades without once ever coming close to par. And of course, there's some time spent on the legendary locales of the golf world: Pebble Beach, St. Andrews, etc. There's even information on how regular double-bogey weekend golf slobs can go and play those courses themselves (the answer, as you may have already guessed, is a boatload of money).

Now for those that aren't even marginally interested in golf or golfers, there's very little here. If you tend to be a bit of a trivia hound, there's enough factoids in the bonus features to win you a few bar bets, but that's about it. If you've ever played, or know anybody that does, this might grant you a little more insight into the weird obsession it often brings on in weekend players who, despite playing once a week, can't figure out for the life of them why they can't play as well as Tiger Woods.

The picture and audio on the disc are both excellent. There are some truly stunning panoramas to show off at some of the historic courses, too. The bonus features have some excellent trivia, quotes, and anecdotes from pros, amateurs, artists, and politicians relating to the game. If you know your mashie from your Texas wedge, there's plenty of stuff here to entertain and provide you with tee-box conversation topics the next time you decide to hit the links and pack a few beers away while losing golf balls in the pond.