Advanced Power Golf

Golfer Gerry James is the 1997 Competitive Long Drive World Record Holder with a golf drive of 473 yards. He was the 1990 Mr. California Bodybuilding Champion. He also holds the record for the Longest One Camera Monologue in a Golf Video, as far as I know. In what is surely the essence of a low budget production, Mr. James stands at the tee for what seems like 45 minutes, giving us pointers on how to hit longer drives. While the information presented may be marginally useful, the technique of the video is so unimaginative that it will surely tee off all but the most die hard golf enthusiasts. In what became a zen like, Warhol-esque meditation on a single shot, my mind began to take pleasure in the smallest details. I watched people pulling their cars into the parking lot behind Gerry, and watched as they left 36 holes later. I noted the cheap microphone and the wire running up his right pant leg. I calculated the number of golf balls lying in the foreground and the length of time between his drives and developed a stunning prediction of when the video would end (April 7, 2002). Suddenly though, and miraculously, Gerry takes us into a weight room for stretching and body work exercises, where he proceeds to strike a number of self conscious Mr. California poses around the gym floor. What exactly this has to do with advanced golf is as much of a stretch as Mr. James' well oiled musculature. I am no Tiger Woods, but it doesn't take a genius to see that having the build of a linebacker isn't absolutely necessary for power golf. Accuracy, clubhead speed, a mental approach and attention to the smaller details of the game (like putting) seem as important as raw muscle and time spent in the gym. Badly in need of a more balanced treatment and craving a course in two camera production technique, Advanced Power Golf is not recommended. Aud: P. (R. Ray)