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 Jon Fitzgerald tees off in an event at Talega Golf Club (Photo: Eddie Meeks) A documentary about Fitzgerald’s quest to become a professional golfer at the age of 40 premiered in April at the Newport Beach Film Festival, and it will be screened at some theaters across the country this month on the weekend of the U.S. Open. “The Back Nine” is a product of Fitzgerald’s lifelong love of competitive sports and his 15 years as a filmmaker. The 85-minute film, co-written and co-directed by Fitzgerald and Ron Vignone, documents Fitzgerald’s three-year quest to transform his golf game and begin playing competitive golf seriously for the first time. Fitzgerald assembled a team to work on his golf swing, fitness and mental approach, and he shaved 11 strokes off his 15 handicap and won the first tournament he entered on the Golf Channel’s Amateur Tour. Complicating Fitzgerald’s quest are his professional and family requirements. He owns a film production company, remains involved in organizing film festivals, and has a wife and two young children, the youngest being born halfway during shooting of “The Back Nine.” “It hasn’t been easy,” said Fitzgerald, who lives near the beach in Venice. “I’m working 100 hours a week or more, trying to get my older kid out the door in the morning for school and then helping to raise our new child. So it’s not like I can spend five to six hours every day on the range. But I feel strong, hungry and passionate enough to pursue this.” Golf is the primary focus of the film, but he and Vignone realized that another storyline emerged during filming. “When you make a documentary, you start with a core concept and shoot as much as you can and the movie kind of materializes over the course of the production,” said Fitzgerald, who turned 40 in February 2007 and began working on “The Back Nine” the year before. “And what ended up happening is that the story became as much about my searching for an identity as it did about my game.” Fitzgerald grew up with two father figures: his biological father, whom he played golf with while growing up, and his stepfather, who urged him to take a more pragmatic approach to his career. So he put his athletic dreams on hold to pursue a career in film. Ultimately, “The Back Nine” is about the effect those men had on Fitzgerald, who took an aggressive approach to golf improvement and marketing the film. “It’s a novel approach to screening an independent film, but we’re hoping the U.S. Open being at the same time will spike interest, and the fact it’s on Father’s Day fits in as well,” he said. Placement in theaters and DVD distribution is planned for the fall. “I want this to be something that is an inspiration, that reminds people that it’s never too late to become what you wanted to be,” Fitzgerald said. “People tend to think that if you turn a certain age you can no longer become a painter or a screenwriter. Golf is the same way. But I hope my story encourages people that if you have a dream, you should chase it.” For more information, visit thebacknine.com. |
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Congratulations ! I'm looking forward to the documentary film.
| Comment at 5/31/2009 |
