Redford movie sparks off Hollywood interest

The imminent release of The Legend of Bagger Vance, directed by Robert Redford, seems to have sparked off considerable interest in golfing movies. As it happens, plans are already in hand for the filming of The Greatest Player Who Never Lived, and Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt stars as an assistant professional in Dr T & the Women.

In the novel by J Michael Veron, the story is told by the central character, Charley Hunter, a summer intern for the Atlanta-based law firm where the great Bobby Jones was once a partner. Jones is one of the central characters in Bagger Vance.

In Veron's captivating yarn, Hunter goes thumbing through Jones's old files where he stumbles across a press clipping about the 1928 Southern Amateur. It concerned an unknown 15-year-old by the name of Beau Stedman who happened to beat Jones on the 20th hole of their semi-final match.

The inquisitive intern later learns that in 1930, Stedman was wrongfully charged with murder and, on the legal advice of Jones, used various aliases to stay out of sight. Thus the title of the book. "We received more than 20 calls from Hollywood people," said publisher Brian Lewis. "It's perfect for a movie."

In the John Grisham mould, Veron is a lawyer from a small town in Louisiana. But unlike Grisham, who has retired from practising his profession, he has been unable to spare the time for interviews to publicise his novel, because of involvement in a major law suit against Shell Oil.

Meanwhile, Ms Hunt plays a very different character from her award-winning, harassed waitress in As Good as it Gets. Among other things, she took golf lessons to try and do justice to her role as the assistant club pro who is fresh from the LPGA Tour. And a large photograph of her with costar Richard Gere and the lengendary teacher, Harvey Penick, was hung prominently in the golf shop for visual authenticity.

Club golfers would have no difficulty in understanding how Ms Hunt could drive the ball beautifully between takes but not when the cameras were rolling under the direction of Robert Altman. Eventually, a somewhat bemused Altman was moved to remark: "That's OK Helen, we won't see where the ball goes in this shot."

All of the golfing scenes were filmed at the Stonebriar CC near Dallas last winter. Apparently Stonebriar is where the eponymous Dr T, played by Gere, plays golf to try and escape the madness of the women in his life - Farrah Fawcett, Shelley Long, Laura Dern and Liv Tyler - until he meets the formidable Ms Hunt.

Just like any average Irish golf club, you might say.

Quote: "If your goal is to be the best, getting there is only part one. Part two is finding a way to stay there." - American sports psychologist Dr Bob Rotella on what will motivate Tiger Woods from now on.