Ian (Flash Review)If you are not a golf fan now, this film won't win over new fans from viewing this. It doesn't focus on why golf caught on or how its appreciation truly grew. Rather if focuses on the man who shepherded into wider popularity in the 1860's, Tom Morris, while his son, Tommy Morris, became a multiple early Open Champion. For me, too many scenes revolve around father and son as well as early golf country members as they all squabble about social classes and how big a slice of the purse the winning golfer should get compared to the tournament organizers. I wish they could have better intertwined into the story more interesting historical golf factoids of the early game of golf. I didn't connect with any of the characters as they were far from warm so when strife hit them my emotional reaction was minimal. It was moderately interesting as it was shot very professionally but I wish the script had adjusted its focus better for my interests as the core drama was of marginal intrigue.

CineMuseFilms With sixty million golfers on the planet, you would expect a movie about the early history of golf to delight audiences all over the world. The game is rich in tradition and a spectacle for big-money professional sport. The historical drama Tommy's Honour (2016) has much to offer for die-hard lovers of the sport, but most other audiences may find it rather dull.The twin narrative inter-weaves the story of golf with the legend of the 'Two Tommies', the father and son team credited with launching the modern version of the sport. Set in 1860s Scotland, gruff Old Tom Morris (Peter Mullan) is groundsman for the famous St. Andrews Golf Club and he pioneered the early rules of the game including the 18-hole course standard. His 15-year old son Young Tommy (Jack Lowden) has grown up with game and becomes a better golfer than his record-holding father. When he beats his father's record, tensions boil over and Tommy wants to go his own way while Tom clings to past ways. The young champion tours the country winning match after match, and collecting more prizemoney and social respectability than his father ever dreamed of. When Tommy falls for Meg (Ophelia Lovibond), an 'older woman with a past', the family is torn apart.The story reveals several fascinating things about golf, including how the once-exclusive Gentleman's Club sport became opened to universal participation and how big-money gambling was integral to the game. The primitive early equipment, the feather-stuffed hand-stitched leather balls, and the cow-paddock roughness of the course are interesting insights into the origins of modern golf. While the period sets, costumes and historical depictions have high production value, the characterisations and melodramatic performances leave the story muddled, tedious and repetitious. Old Tom is portrayed as a cantankerous domineering father who is difficult to like, especially for his regular rants against Tommy's behaviour. His Scottish accent is so strong that many people will miss much of what he says. Young Tommy is the likable one, although his attitudes to parental and aristocratic authority are far too modern for a working-class boy of 19th century Scotland. The dynamic between them is unremarkable and predictable, and the romance is subdued and uninspiring even though Meg provides the film's aesthetic high point. The backbone of the story comprises the various games that Tommy inevitably wins, the monotony of which can quickly wilt the patience of both golfers and non-golfer audiences.The decision to spend so much of the film watching the primitive golf games of yesteryear has robbed the story of any narrative tension. As an historical drama, it shows how sport has potential to break down class barriers although today's private clubs would not agree. Anyone who loves and plays the game will wince at the sight of the early conditions under which it was played, but viewers unconnected with golf may struggle to stay awake with this one.

jacobs-greenwood Tommy Morris was one of the greatest golfers of all-time. Less than a month ago, when Jordan Spieth won the 2017 Open Championship aka British Open (four days before his birthday) he became only the second golfer - after Jack Nicklaus - to win 3 different Majors before the age of 24, which is quite an accomplishment, of course.But Tommy Morris won the Open Championship 4 times before he turned 21, the first when he was just 17 years of age and still holds this record as the youngest Major winner. However, Morris didn't win "different majors"; that's because the second Major (the U.S. Open) wasn't established until 23 years after Morris won his fourth Open, twenty years after his premature death in 1875. Despite this, there aren't 20 golfers in the sport's long history that have won more Major Championships than Morris even though there have been 3 to win every year since 1916, and 4 since 1934 when the Masters was established.Tommy's Honour is about Young Tom 'Tommy' Morris (played by Jack Lowden) and his father Old Tom Morris (Peter Mullan), who won four Open Championships himself and was also a greens-keeper, course designer and early innovator the game.Unfortunately, director Jason Connery and editor John Scott must have felt obligated to include every aspect of their fascinating story in the movie because it covers a lot of ground regarding social issues while repeating many of the golf elements without giving enough emotional weight to either's triumphs or struggles. The closest it comes are in the moments between Young and Old Tom.Sam Neill plays a club gentleman who resists Tommy's efforts to rise above his station as a caddy. Ophelia Lovibond plays Tommy's love interest come wife, who died along with their child during a difficult labor just four months before he passed on Christmas Day, 1875.Still, for golf enthusiasts it gives glimpses and insight into the realities and challenges of the game's early years, and it caused this reviewer to learn through research the accomplishments of its titled golfer.

David Ferguson Jason Connery (Sean's son) directs this story about old Tom Morris and his son Tommy written by Pamela Martin from the book by Kevin Cook. It's a bit surprising that the story focuses as much or more on the melodrama and personal story of the younger Tommy than the historical influences, but there is links action to give us a feel for the times.Jack Lowden and his dimples portray Tommy, while Ophelia Lovibond plays his love interest Meg. Their relationship drives the story, and we are reminded that small-minded people were every bit as prevalent 140 years ago as they are now. Tommy's mother, their community, and even the minister of the Church pass harsh judgment on Meg and her unfortunate past. Combine that with the element of "Gentlemen", which are anything but, and we get an understanding of how Tommy's actions changed not just the game of golf, but also influenced the softening of the class difference. His push to bring respect and fairness to professional golfers erased the similarities with how race horses and golfers were treated the same from a wagering perspective.This was the time of the original "13 Rules of Golf", and when rowdy crowd hovered right next to the golfers as they played. Other than the closing credit graphics, Old Tom Morris (Peter Mullan) isn't really given his due as a course designer, but this is really the story of his son, and though the film is a bit too long, it's a story that deserves to be told.