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When I was contacted by Jon Fitzgerald a while back, I was immediately interested in reviewing his documentary The Back Nine.  Fitzgerald, a veteran film maker, had embarked on a journey to become a professional golfer.  Naturally, he documented the entire experience.

The Back Nine is a documentary of his entire journey.  It covers his experience from all angles.  There is not only the work on his game but we also witness the interaction and support of those around him and the effect of it all on his life in some very profound ways.

When Jon Fitzgerald started the journey, he was over the age of 40, but he was armed with serious determination.  His dedication took him through a lot of hard work with a swing coach, a mental game coach, and a fitness coach.  In the process of putting in all that work, he lowered his handicap by 11 strokes.

Part of the desire to become a pro comes from his strong competitive spirit.  He found an outlet for that on the Golf Channel Amateur Tour.  He didn’t just spend time putting the back yard and beating balls at the driving range.  He worked hard to hone his competitive edge.

Naturally, regular readers will be able to infer that Jon Fitzgerald’s journey hit home with me.  His goal is a little different than mine, but his desire and competitive spirit are the same.  I try to learn all I can and seeing what others are doing to achieve similar things is very informative for me.

Aside from being an educational experience, I found The Back Nine to be very inspirational.  Watching a person work so hard for something is quite uplifting, especially when golf is the goal.

The Back Nine went way beyond golf, though.  Through the film, Fitzgerald found himself redefining relationships in his life.  His parents were divorced when he was younger and growing up, there was something lacking in the relationships he shared with his father and stepfather.

One of the more touching segments of The Back Nine showed Fitzgerald taking a golf trip to Scotland and Ireland with his father.  His purpose was to visit the home of golf and to draw on that for his quest, but visiting the place of his ancestors with his father had a profound effect beyond just golf.

I personally enjoyed this film a great deal.  It actually exceeded my expectations. It had special meaning for me because of the nature of the quest, but I think the story is compelling on many levels beyond just golf.  It’s about determination, dreams, family, and priorities.

I won’t reveal how it all turned out, but the journey is what it’s all about.  I enjoyed this film and I think you will too.  You can get more information at the website by clicking here.

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