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what was the importance/significance of the golf scene?


the background looks totally fake (probably because of an unfortunate shadow) and it really gets on my nerves


i would have much preferred it if they Charlotte/Robots scene had replaced it..


what do you think?

Just showing what Bob likes to do on his day off, play golf, much like Bill does. I think the background looks nice, its not fake.

i know its real, it just looks fake...

my mum and brother agree.

i just felt that it didnt add much to the film... i liked the deleted charlotte scene much better

I've mentioned this on LJ group, and everybody said it is real and so are you guys.

But how can we be so sure? Asian have a lot of indoor golfing range with wall paper created such to give you the feelings of you're actually there.

I've noticed the Fuji mountain was shown while Scarlett was in the train so film is definally taking a place around the mountain with snow smelting on the top. As I was looking at Bob's golf ball flying I really didin't see it landing down. It was going up and seem like disappeared into the waLL!
And never saw the ball coming down.

I don't know if this is really has to do with the lighting of the place where they filmed so that's how it appears as fake or not..

It does seem to have a fake look to it, but I am pretty sure it is real... don't quote me on that though...

welcometoTokyo wrote: As I was looking at Bob's golf ball flying I really didin't see it landing down. It was going up and seem like disappeared into the waLL!
And never saw the ball coming down.

i watch for that bit everytime, and i never see it land.... id thought that maybe i just cant see it because some of the background is quite light....

and when he walks off to continue the game, he doesnt get as far as the fake looking bit...

it makes me think too hard, i wish it wasnt there

Bill said in an interview how about he crushed the "crud" out of it, and he played all 18 holes since it was his day off from shooting except for that one shot.

oh so it must be real then..


i wish they'd filmed it from a different angle or something

Yeah, it's real. I've been to a number of golf tournaments, and it has always amazed me when I stare as hard as I can at the flight of a ball. At some point, it just disappears. It's much easier for me to watch from behind the golfer. If I'm out to the side, it is much harder for me to pick up the ball's flight. Conversely, if I CAN pick up the ball's flight while I am watching from the side, I can always see where the ball falls. This would be a good problem for physics class.

A pro's drive will start out straight and will slice or draw toward the end of the ball's flight, depending on the player's wish. A duffer like me will hit a drive and it will immediately draw or slice because I'm such a poor player. Bill Murray is a very good player, though not pro material. If you'd like to see him play, he is always at Pebble Beach, which is played in January or February each year.

That scene is one of my favorites in the entire movie. You can tell Bill absolutely crushed that drive, it's no wonder he kept playing that day. If you're having a good golf day you've got to go with it.

sooner77 wrote:That scene is one of my favorites in the entire movie. You can tell Bill absolutely crushed that drive, it's no wonder he kept playing that day. If you're having a good golf day you've got to go with it.

really? what makes it so good for you?

It's beautifully composed for one thing. There's a serenity about it that I like.

yeah, It looks great but truly a little fake. I just noticed that few days ago when I watched LiT for like the 15 th time. I wish they took a different angle on there but oh well

Looks like a well composed straight drive that any seasoned player could make and the background has beautiful composure and dimension..I see nothing fake about any of it at all.

It is a real golf course. Bill Murray was interviewed for "Premiere" magazine, just prior to the opening of "LiT" so it had to have been either the August or September 2003 issue. In it he said that he hit the ball 295 yards, and continued to play out the rest of the course.

The background does have an artificial look though. I have looked for a leaf blowing, anything bending with the wind, but it just doesn't happen. I have also tried to follow the flight of the ball, but to no avail. It's the real deal though.

If you ever want to see Bill Murray really get serious about his golf game (when he's not interacting with the fans on the sidelines) check out the February AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am tournament. The man really knows what he is doing. If he ever gave up acting, he could be a real threat on the links, no fooling.

In England (I'm not sure about anywhere else) there is a HSBC advert that features the exact same course in the shadow of Mount Fuji, its real alright.

I think it works well, almost like an intermission. I can't remember exactly where it fits into the movie, but it gave a little breather from all the introverted character shots. It also gave a little color contrast to all the oranges and browns of Park Hyatt.

It feels like it gives Bob a little comfort time, too... Surrounded by so much foreign culture that it becomes impenetrable, it was probably a nice experience to get into something he's familiar with and good at.

I think this scene was very tranquil. Basically to show you what Bob would do on his day off. The shot was very panoramic, it was mainly to show you a big part of the park...I found it beautiful. i t also allows you to understand the charatcter a little better, now you know why he is so calm and that he is a simple guy (like Phoenix's song said)

We've been having a parallel discussion on IMDb about this scene and some of the following observations have been made:

• The golf scene functions as a transition or "intermission" within the narrative.
• It functions to "carry" the focus from Bob and Lydia to Bob and Charlotte. Bob hits the ball away from its stationary location, near the "eye" of the screen ("Lydia"), and away, at greet speed, towards the distance ("Charlotte"). Recall that the golf scene is preceded by a scene between Bob and Lydia and followed by a scene between Bob and Charlotte.
• The scene is also a microcosm of Bob's story, as depicted in the film. He begins the scene by coming towards us from one direction, he takes a practise swing at a right angle, then he turns away and takes a proper shot in the general direction he first walked from. In the film, Bob arrives weary and burdened from his existing life in America, he spends a little time in Tokyo and dallies with Charlotte, but never sleeps with her, then he returns to his existing life in America, refreshed and reinvigorated.
• Mt. Fuji appears both here and later in the "Kyoto" sequence. Here, we and Bob are seeing it stationary, from one side, while later in the film, we and Charlotte are traversing it laterally, from the opposing side. The moutain itself seems to be a metaphor for the tremendous distance between Bob and Charlotte the and "taboo" of their relationship; they may enjoy each other's company for a while, but it can't last.
• The scene is "Part Two" of a two-part set. "Part One" is the scene of Bob on the elliptical trainer in the gym of the Hyatt. In the earlier scene, Bob imprudently rushes to get into shape, but comically fails. Conversely, the golf scene represents a successful demonstration of his virility. Far from being pointless, the gym and golf scenes show a deliberate contrast and change in Bob's attitude and behaviour.

On a personal level, the thing I like most about the golf scene, and probably its most distinguishing feature, is the way it was shot. It is presented in a single, continuous take. There are no edits and no manipulations. We get to see Bob getting into the groove and becoming his old / new self. The unembellished, true-to-life nature of the scene is further underscored by Bill Murray himself, who is really a golfer, and according to reports (as already noted in here), actually played the course. So the scene also conveys a blurring between fact and fiction, fantasy and reality. It's a clever piece of cinema, just like the other 120+ minutes of this magnificent film.

I thought the golf scene was meant to show the effect that Charlotte has had on Bob.
To make that perfect drive and crush the ball, as it appears, everything must be in sync....the grip on the club, the stance, the swing, and most of all being relaxed. At this point I doubt that Bob realizes that this relaxed state or calm is a direct connection related to his relationship with Charlotte and the calming effect she has had on him.

If you recall when Tiger Woods marriage went down hill so did his golf game.