Be The Ball - A "Spiritual" Golf Documentary

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Want to get into the movie business?  This dude is working on a documentary what it takes for golfers to "get into the zone."

 

It's called, of course, "Be The Ball" Check out the link and watch the video (couldn't figure out how to embed it!).  Golf needs more of this kind of stuff - it's a game. It's supposed to be fun!

 

This is from the film's Kickstarter website...

 

 

WHAT IS "BE THE BALL"?

People say golf is all about mind over matter. "BE THE BALL" is a feature length documentary that will scientifically put that statement to the test, in what we are calling the greatest sports experiment ever conducted.

HOW DOES THE EXPERIMENT WORK?

Professional and amateur golfers will join me on a retreat where they'll be taught exactly how to access the thoughtless state that elite athletes call "the zone".

"It teaches me how to get in the zone, shows me what it feels like when I'm in the zone and allows me to work on replicating it.

His Airness knows how to get into the zone - clean your clubs with total consciousness!

With the training they will receive, their focus will increase, their stress will decrease and their scores will get lower. That is my hypothesis.

Their results will be tracked and proven with the Focus Band (available here at the $650 tier), which will teach them how to access their personal and unique avenue to the zone - a practice reserved only for the most accomplished athletes. Until now. 

Here I am "in the zone" with the Focus Band, hidden inside this cap, perfect for the range or course. The right side of my brain - where the zone is - glows blue in the iPhone app and I'm ready to hit a golf shot. Get Focus Band at the $650 reward tier.

When the experiment is complete, the players will return to competition and the real-world results will be seen.

While the film uses golf as its leaping off point, it's about being human, and striving to achieve excellence and focus in whatever we do.

WHO IS THE DIRECTOR?

I'm Erik Anders Lang and I am an avid golfer. For five years I've been interviewing the greatest golfers from around the world, and dissecting the game of golf as a whole. This is a passion project for me that marries my two great loves: golf and filmmaking. 

My commercial work is a perfect tie-in to this subject. Take a look at my website - link by my name up and to the right - to see some of what I have done recently for clients like Hollister, SONY, Louis Vuitton and Serato. 

Pete Dye on 17, Norma Jean on 18, Erik Anders Lang on 19

 CHECK OUT THE FULL TEASER FOR BE THE BALL HERE

See a preview of the fascinating interviews I've filmed thus far.

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE FILM...

The game of golf has different roles across the globe. We'll film in America, where the game is commercially successful; in Scotland, where ‘legend has it' golf was conceived; in India, where golf is the preferred sport in the slums; and in Japan, where we'll  investigate the root of the Zen connection. 

Across these vastly different cultures, what about golf stays the same? Where did golf really originate? Was it philosophical or spiritual from the beginning? We're going to find out. As well, the golfers that take part in the experiment will come from these different golf hot spots, with their own unique approaches to spirituality. 

You'll hear from a diverse and fascinating group of players like Bill Murray, Deepak Chopra, comedic actor Jeff Garlin, Sean Foley (Tiger Woods' prior swing coach), Martina Navratilova, Kenny G, Dr. Parent (author of "Zen Golf"), Michael Murphy (founder of Esalen and author of “Golf in the Kingdom”), Pete Dye (Hall of Fame golf-course architect), and way more.

Why do so many people love this fascinating and difficult game? Titans of industry, world leaders, creatives and so many more share a passion for golf. How does the pro game differ from the amateur game? What can they teach us? Pros Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Nick Price and Bernhard Langer offer rare insights into their games.

 

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE EXPERIMENT...

We'll begin the experiment by filming professional golfers as they experience a meditation retreat with a crew of 10-15 people. A large cost is just bringing the athletes, gurus and camera crew to the location, not to mention filming and performing the experiment.

PGA TOUR player Jason Day (ranked #8 in world) says Focus Band "teaches me how to get in the zone, shows me what it feels like when I'm in the zone and allows me to work on replicating it."

There will be several shooting days after the experiment as well, where we'll follow the cast to their next competitive venues and witness the results. 

We've slated a period of several months for editing, and aim to release "BE THE BALL" prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio.

 

 

 

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

My friend Kevin Unterreiner from TwinCitiesGolf.com just posted a podcast interview with Erik Anders Lang, the director of "Be The Ball."  This is a pretty interesting project about getting "in the zone."  Love the part where Lang talks about his interview with Bill Murray - when asked to describe golf, Bill says "Golf is an opportunity."

 

I like that.  Golf is an opportunity.

 

Give it a listen here.