This may be the first time I have included a documentary as “family entertainment” but The Short Game fits the bill, especially of you have a budding athlete in the house. The Short Game hit select theaters last weekend and I recommend you add it to your “must watch” list, if it isn’t available in your local theater it will probably be available on DVD or on Netflix soon so keep checking for it.
About The Short Game
The Short Game follows the lives of eight of the best 7-year old golfers in the world as they train for and compete in the World Championships of Junior Golf. The annual tournament held at golfing mecca Pinehurst, North Carolina, brings in 1500 young golfers from 54 different countries and determines who will be crowned golf’s next phenom. In its course, the eight stories entwine to form a fascinating and often funny portrait of a group of very young athletes and their families, in which the narrow-focused, peculiar and highly competitive junior golf subculture becomes both a window into contemporary global society and an inspiring reflection of the human condition.
The only sport my boys excelled at was bowling, they are much better at the performing arts than athletics, I honestly have paid little attention to the junior sports world other than a few seasons of t-ball and indoor soccer. I am also not a golf fan so I am totally clueless about the world of Junior Golf where kids start playing the sport at age 2 or 3 and are competing at the international level by age 6! The Short Game follows eight golfers from 5 counties on their quest to become the world champion golfer in their age group.
The Mom Maven’s Thoughts
This movie is insightful, funny and educational as it shows us the stress, fun, focus and family dynamics that are involved in the life of a junior golf champion. One thing that really interested me was the concept of the “Daddy Caddy”. Most of the kids competing at this level of golf have their dads as their caddies. This adds the dynamic of dad being the on course coach, motivator and when needed…shoulder to cry on. As you would imagine this works better for some families than others. Since this is a documentary a lot of the comic relief comes from kids being kids and just saying what is on their minds. I hope you will add this movie to your must see list or pin this post to a “Movies I want to See” board on Pinterest so that you don’t forget about this gem of a documentary.
Disclosure: I received a screened copy of this movie for the purpose of this review. No other compensation was received. All opiions are 100% mine.
Golf is different game compared to any other games and this film is amazing and inspiring for kids. This kind of documentaries will helpful to create a sportive environment to the kids aged 6 or 7 years.