Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Have you ever wondered how much of The Legend of Bagger Vance is rooted in history? Steven Pressfield, author of the 1995 novel that inspired the 2000 film, joins Based on a True Story to unpack the story’s connections to the Bhagavad Gita, the real-life golfing legends Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, and the choices Hollywood made when bringing the book to the screen. They also explore Steven’s approach to writing historical fiction and his latest novel, The Arcadian.

Guest Links

The Legend of Bagger Vance by Steven Pressfield: links.boatspodcast.com/385baggervance
The Arcadian by Steven Pressfield: links.boatspodcast.com/385book
Steven Pressfield's Website: links.boatspodcast.com/385guest


Chapters

0:00 Intro and movie synopsis
2:43 Meet Steven Pressfield
5:35 Is Bagger Vance based on history?
11:32 Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, and real golf history
18:07 The missing 10 years after World War I
27:18 What the movie changed from the book
40:02 Writing historical fiction with Steven Pressfield
52:06 The Arcadian and final thoughts



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