Semi-OT: Golf's 30-for-30 film

[Phil McDade]

ESPN has undertaken a wonderful series of films that have been airing lately, to commemorate the network's 30th anniversary. Here's a Wiki list of the ones done so far:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_for_30

and here's columnist Bill Simmons' take on how the idea was developed, and in particular what kind of films they were looking for ("We were especially attracted to stories that resonated at the time but were eventually forgotten for whatever reason.")

http://30for30.espn.com/bill-simmons-essay.html

Simmons mentions that not all the ideas floated for the project got done, including one on Tiger Woods.

What would golf's film be (noting that it's a story from the past 30 years, not before then)? My own GCA-related idea: The USGA deciding to host the US Open at Shinnecock in 1986, and the re-birth of the movement in golf architecture (expressed here on this site )toward what might be called minimalism, or naturalism, or something of the sort. One can arguably point to Shinnecock and the '86 US Open as the jumping-off point for things like Sand Hills, Bandon, Friar's Head, and Whistling Straits.

Thoughts?

[George Pazin]

How could they not do the 86 Masters?

I guess many of the films have emphasized the tragic side of sports. In that vein, they could do Greg Norman's near misses.

Might be kinda cool to see one on the last brutal day of the 92 US Open.

I burned the Len Bias one to DVD, but haven't been able to bring myself to watch it. Watched a bit of the Iverson one last night, hope to catch it in full sometime, looked interesting. Only one I really saw a lot of was on The U; watched it in honor of Jim F.

[Jim Franklin]

Thanks George. I have seen quite a few of these and I will say The U has been the best one yet. The Len Bias was terribly sad. I remember that was close to the same time I moved back from Florida. The one about the Baltimore Colt band was okay...they are nuts.

A golf one would be Tiger Woods right now. His demise...and reincarnation?

[Matthew Petersen]

This has been a great series.

And I agree that the 86 Masters would have been my first choice if I could have picked a golf event of the past 30 years.

[Tony_Chapman]

This has been an AWESOME series. The one on Miami was awesome to see, "The U" especially as a Husker fan. My favorite, personally, was "The Guru of Go" about Paul Westhead and the 1990 Loyola Marymount Lions with Bo Kimble and my favorite, Hank Gathers. I wore 44 in high school for Hank. I've also seen "Without Bias" and it is a great watch.

As for golf architecture, I think to be even more distinct you could literally do the movie on Dick Youngscap. I think even more specifically, you could trace the beginnings of Sand Hills back to his success with Pete Dye's Firethorn GC that Youngscap had a hand in in Lincoln. Had the "tall grasses" at Firethorn not been a success or that golf course been the hit that it was, Youngscap may never have gone out to Mullen to find nirvana.

As for the sport of golf, I'd do the piece on Greg Norman and the "Saturday Slam" that he "won" in 1986. He held the lead going to the fourth round of all four majors that year and lost in dramatic fashion to a pair of greats: Floyd and Nicklaus. Then he wins the British in a route and then loses to Tway's hole out at Inverness.

[Carl Nichols]

Perhaps something about the Q School?  Feinstein could rewrite one of his books again for the script.   

[Will MacEwen]

Isn't the '86 Masters too well remembered?

The first "modern era" Ryder Cup that the Euros won would be an interesting one.

[Michael Huber]

What I like about the 30 for 30 series is that it focuses on interesting stories that aren't the first thing that pop in your head.

I.e. when you think of football in the 80s, you may consider the Bears/Super Bowl Shuffle, and not the USFL.  

As a result, I dont think Nickalaus winning the Masters in 86 would be the top choice.

A few I would like to see:

1.)  In the late 80s to mid 90s, the best players in the world were Nick Price, Nick Faldo, and Greg Norman.  I could be wrong, but I don't think they won anything of note after tiger smashed the hell out of everyone.  Why did these guys totally fall off the map?  They were not spring chickens when tiger won his first masters, but they still should have had some miles on the tires.

2.)  I'd like to see in depth commentary on why the number of golf rounds remain flat/have fallen despite technology, the course boom, tiger woods popularity, etc. al.  We all thought tiger would change the way people thought of golf and he really hasnt.

3.)  The changes of Augusta National since tiger kicked ass.  I.e. the course modification, the whole womens rights things, etc. al.

4.)  The demise of the country club.

These topics have been discussed ad nausem on GCA, but id still like to see it from a different point of view. 

[Phil McDade]

To me, the '86 Masters is so well known, among both golf nuts and the casual sports fan, that I think it falls outside of the idea of focusing on events or personalities that occupied the sports consciousness for a while, but have since faded. I think Norman's year of 1986 is a very good idea, a year that incapsulates both his brilliance and the shortcomings of his career. (My first idea, although it fell outside the 30-year limit, was Trevino's summer of 1971, when the best golfer of all time -- Jack Nicklaus -- was at his peak and Lee hit the triumvirate of the US, Canadian and British opens.)

The Tiger filim in about 10 years would be a good one, just to see how this plays out. The one on Jordan to me gets it exactly right -- basketball's all-time best (one of them, surely), "retires" in mid-career to ride the busses of baseball's minor leagues, and fails.

[Phil McDade]

What I like about the 30 for 30 series is that it focuses on interesting stories that aren't the first thing that pop in your head.

I.e. when you think of football in the 80s, you may consider the Bears/Super Bowl Shuffle, and not the USFL.  

As a result, I dont think Nickalaus winning the Masters in 86 would be the top choice.

A few I would like to see:

1.)  In the late 80s to mid 90s, the best players in the world were Nick Price, Nick Faldo, and Greg Norman.  I could be wrong, but I don't think they won anything of note after tiger smashed the hell out of everyone.  Why did these guys totally fall off the map?  They were not spring chickens when tiger won his first masters, but they still should have had some miles on the tires.

Michael:

I thought of this idea, too, and the guy I think you could focus on would be Els. Price, Faldo and Norman were all pretty much past the peak of their careers when Tiger came along in late 1996, and changed everything at Augusta in 1997 (i.e., Price was 40 when Tiger won at Augusta; Els was 28). Els was absolutely primed to be the next Nicklaus -- had won a major already, won the major right after Tiger's win in 1997 (Congressional US Open, 1997), and then pretty much was steamrolled by Tiger, with just one major triumph since. And there is some poignancy with Els' story -- raising an autistic child surely changed his perspective on golf, and winning, and the all-out dedication needed to be held in the same esteem as Tiger or Jack.

[George Pazin]

I like the Norman Saturday Slam idea, as well as the Youngscap idea. One could also do a Keiser/Bandon movie.

If one wants something a bit less mainstream, maybe a Mac O'Grady takes on the PGA...

The uproar over Shoal Creek would be interesting to many, though it wouldn't shine too kind of a light on golf.

Updated: I like the Els idea as well.

[Will MacEwen]

Bobby Clampett's journey from phenom to also-ran would be a good one.

[Ted Kramer]

Crenshaw winning the Masters in '95 after Mr Penick passed away . . .

[George Pazin]

I think we have a winner. They could even have a sidebar on DLIII's high finish.

[Mike Hendren]

Hubert Greens victory at the 1977 U. S. Open at Southern Hills while under a death threat.

Lou Graham, who had won the U. S. Open in 1975 at Medinah finished second by a shot.  I once asked Lou about the death threat and he dead-panned:  My wife phoned it in.  Classic.

Mike

[Mike Hendren]

Oops - I guess mine recommendation would have to be 30 at 33!  Moron.

I'll go with Daly's win at Crooked Stick. 

[Tom Yost]

... My own GCA-related idea: The USGA deciding to host the US Open at Shinnecock in 1986, and the re-birth of the movement in golf architecture (expressed here on this site toward what might be called minimalism, or naturalism, or something of the sort. One can arguably point to Shinnecock and the '86 US Open as the jumping-off point for things like Sand Hills, Bandon, Friar's Head, and Whistling Straits.

Thoughts?

I think that one might only be shown on "The Ocho."   

[Sam Morrow]

What about the rise of The Ryder Cup from an almost forgot about exhibition to what it is today?

[Sean Leary]

Jordan Wall's evolution on GolfClubAtlas...

[Dale_McCallon]

Payne Stewart/Mickelson duel at Pinehurst and then Payne's tragic death later that year or the USGA taking the Open to Bethpage would make an interesting film.