Adele Invergordon (Theron) inherits her father's beautiful golf and finds that she is also in debt and about to lose her father's dream to big business. So she persuades golfing champions Bobby Jones (Joel Gretsch) and Walter Hagen (Bruce McGill) to play a demonstration match: the prize, $10,000. For local colour, she asks her former fianc((eacute)), Rannulph Junuh (Damon), to play. Rannulph, a shell-shocked, rum-sodden former golfing hero, isn't interested. But how else would we get a movie? in the end, Junuh plays, largely because of local youngster Hardy Greaves (J. Michael Moncrief), who idolises him.
Enter Bagger Vance (Smith), in time to mentor Rannulph in his preparations for the match. Living on sunshine and aphorisms, Bagger prescribes such salves as "Inside each and every one of us is one true authentic swing" to turn Rannulph into a functional human being.
The plot is thin, but the film is warm and technically perfect. Redford's attempt to draw characters from landscape fails to draw deep characters, but results in brilliant cinematography throughout. Smith restrains his usual humour to good effect, and all the actors do well. Less than perfect, but worth seeing.