Seve film is talk of the club

Chris Payne (right) has been the talk of his new club thanks to his involvement in the Seve biopic which has recently come out on DVD.

The 31 year old is a teaching pro and head PGA Assistant at Whitewebb Park Golf Club in Enfield and was the golf consultant on the film ensuring the footage and action was in keeping with the era.

Payne also appeared in the film as an extra sparking eagled-eyed club members to spot his appearances.

“I’ve had people coming into the shop saying ‘we saw you in the film’ so it has created a bit of interest,” he said.

“I thought I was only in it for one scene but they used me for a couple more than I realised.

“There was one section in the film about the caddies tournament which Seve famously won and quite a few of the shots were of me playing and replicating his shots. It was quite nice being in the cinema and seeing myself on the big screen.”

Seve fan Payne, who landed the consultant role after meeting the film’s producer, attended the premier for the movie in London over the summer and met two of the great Spaniard’s former caddies – Billy Foster and Dave Musgrove (above left) where he heard at first hand a couple of famous anecdotes.

“It was a highlight to meet them and hear a couple of their Seve stories,” he added.

“Dave (Musgrove) retold the one of meeting up a few weeks after Seve’s Open win at Royal Lytham in 1979 where he was a bit taken aback to hear Seve list all the things Dave had done wrong during the week and which he had to do different next time.

“He also revealed Seve had told him he was going to win at Lytham because ‘it had more bunkers than anywhere else and ‘I am the best out of bunkers’.”

Foster’s story related to the famous shot in Switzerland in the early 90s when – on finding Seve’s ball behind a wall, a pool and pine trees – the caddy informed his boss he should just chip out only to be told ‘go away, I have got it covered,”.

“Seve, on bended knees proceeded to hit the ball from an impossible lie through the trees, over the wall and on to the fringe where he promptly chipped in for a fifth successive birdie.”