“You are Goliath and I am David and I am going to watch you fall.”

Synopsis: Suspended from the LPGA tour an American pro golfer escapes the paparazzi by going to her grandparents’ village in Greece. There she leads a fight against a greedy land developer changing the villagers’ lives forever.

Imagine being at the top of your professional golf game where you have a chance to come back with a simple 3-foot putt you’ve made thousands of times—but you miss the shot, have a total meltdown on live national tv, and bury your putter in the green which, by the way, is an automatic suspension. Although your meltdown went viral every talk show host and sports network wants you on their shows what do you do?

That’s exactly what happened to pro golfer Zoe Papadopoulos (Shannon Elizabeth). She decided to go someplace where she could once again find herself while staying under the radar. And what better way to regain your purpose than on a beautiful Greek island with your grandparents.

While swimming she is attacked by a flurry of golf balls. When she finds the culprit it is a 10-year-old girl by the name of Stella (Viktoria Miller) who is determined to become the next golf sensation. With that in mind, she makes a deal with Zoe that if she will give her golf lessons she will teach her Greek. From this, they forge a relationship where Zoe finds herself grooming a golf prodigy whose mantra is “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.” And who loves to play with a five-iron because that’s the only club she’s been able to afford.

Meanwhile, the manager Panaylotis (Renos Haralambidis) of the local golf club is being pressured by Glenn (John O’Hurley) a greedy real estate developer who bought the golf club from the villagers and is prepared to sell it—if he can’t see an immediate profit. So in a panic, Panaylotis tries to get Zoe to come to the golf club to start a golf clinic so he can turn a quick profit. Because Glenn has only given them two months to turn this financial fiasco around. Panaylotis tells Glenn a half-truth that he has hired a male pro golfer with a fictitious name that stopped by on his way from Dubai.

Zoe is unaware of this issue even though the golf club employee keeps dropping all sorts of hints about this debacle. She agrees to run a golf clinic and makes a deal with the manager which includes letting all the villagers play for free. With the help of Father Anthony (Hristos Sougaris), some elbow grease, and a much-needed facelift, the golf club is starting to see profits and more paying players on the course. Yet with all of this good news, Panaylotis is miserable because he abhors working for Glenn who he calls a snake. Glenn wants to turn the golf course into a luxury resort. But when his idea is revealed; in order to save the golf course Stella will play Glenn for all or nothing. A child versus an adult? Interesting.

Will Zoe get her golf game back? Will the golf course become a luxury resort? You will just have to watch the movie to find out.

Released in 2016, Swing Away is 99 min, rated PG, and can be seen on Tubi, YouTube, Apple TV, YouTube TV, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, and Vudu.

Director: Michael A. Nickles.
Writers: Paul Robert Lingas, Julia Wall, and George Elias Stephanopoulos.
Stars: Shannon Elizabeth, John O’Hurley, and Karl Theobald.

We give Swing Away

Although having an air of predictability Swing Away is a good family golf comedy with a dose of David and Goliath for good measure. The storyline is woven with Zoe’s relationship with her grandparents, Stella, and the villagers. Her fight to once again regain her golf game and the golf course of her people are paramount. This movie teaches valuable lessons on humility, determination and with God on your side all things are possible.