It’s James Bond Day

It’s James Bond Day

October 5, 1962 was the release date of the first James Bond film, Dr. No. Fifty nine years later, the series has reached 27 films (25 in the series and two non-canon) with seven different actors.

What’s the golf connection? Well, Goldfinger, naturally.

In the third film in the series, Bond (Sean Connery) takes on Auric Goldfinger (Gert Frobe) in a golf match. You can watch part of the scene below

Goldfinger: Two holes to go.
Bond: Yes, and all’s square.
Goldfinger: Then you have no objection to increasing the stakes?Bond: No. What did you have in mind?
Goldfinger: Why, the bar of gold you have with you, naturally.
Bond: It’s worth five thousand pounds.
Goldfinger: Oh, I’ll stake cash equivalent.
Bond: Naturally.
Goldfinger: Strict rules of golf?
Bond: But of course.

from Goldfinger, 1964

You know how it turns out. If not shame on you. Your homework assignment is to watch Goldfinger.

In the scene, Connery is wearing a Slazenger sweater (called the “Legend Jumper”) and plays a Penfold Heart ball. Goldfinger plays a Slazenger.

With all due apologies to fans of Daniel Craig, Timothy Dalton, Roger Moore et. al., Sean Connery is hands down the best James Bond. He had a menace matched only by Craig, and a suave sophistication matched only by peak Moore.

He also had a certain sly quality. Notice how in Goldfinger, he trolls the villain with the gold bar in his possession.

Connery was actually quite taken with the game of golf, so the scene in Goldfinger was no stretch.

Here’s an excerpt from Sean Connery’s autobiography about his passion for golf.

I never had a hankering to play golf, despite growing up in Scotland just down the road from Bruntsfield Links, which is one of the oldest golf courses in the world. It wasn’t until I was taught enough golf to look as though I could outwit the accomplished golfer Gert Frobe in Goldfinger that I got the bug. I began to take lessons on a course near Pinewood film studios and was immediately hooked on the game. Soon it would nearly take over my life.

The photo below, from the set of Diamonds Are Forever shows Conner’s golf obsession.