A ROUND or two for a pound or two. The origin of that saying is manifest in Jason Connery’s film, with a debut screenplay by Pamela Marin and Kevin Cook.
By the 1860s the game that had developed from beginnings in the Kingdom of Fife in the 15th century had become a symbol of class differences in Scotland. Gentlemen players could become members of clubs. Caddies who carried gentlemen’s clubs around the course could never be admitted into a club.
And betting on the outcome of matches involved big money.
Young Tom Morris (Peter Mullan) worked in the caddy shop of his father Tommy (Jack Lowden). As a teenager, he played a mean game. In fact, at age 17, he won a trophy permanently after winning in three consecutive years.
The film tells of the last third of Tom’s short life, marriage, the death in childbed of his young wife, and death aged 24.
It’s a nice tale, affectionately told. And it’s a compelling reminder that modern golf is sissy stuff compared with how it was then. No smoothed fairways or manicured greens. No cancellation of matches for inclement weather. Snow on the course? Use a black ball.
And for filmgoers, even if they don’t play, delightful fun leavened with sombre moments.
At Palace Electric, Capitol 6 and Dendy
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