The Squeeze - Based on the life of Par 4 Golf Management’s co-owner Keith Flatt

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The Squeeze

Based on the life of Par 4 Golf Management’s co-owner Keith Flatt

Story by Heidi Chackel

Caught in The Squeeze, Chris McDonald and Jeremy Sumpter tee off in high stakes gambling matches careening through the South and landing in Las Vegas in Terry Jastrow’s feature film directorial debut from his screenplay based on a true story. The premier, hosted by Wynn Las Vegas where the movie was also filmed, was April 12 with proceeds benefitting Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank that serves Clark County and surrounding communities.

Based on the life of Par 4 Golf Management’s co-owner Keith Flatt, The Squeeze follows the story of a humble young man from a small rural town who is convinced by a gambler to use his unique golf talents to compete in high-stakes matches, eventually becoming a game of life or death. Written and directed by Terry Jastrow, the film stars Jeremy Sumpter (Friday Night Lights, Peter Pan), Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore, Requiem for a Dream) and Katharine LaNasa (The Campaign) and Jillian Murray.

The Squeeze DVD is now available at various retailers and on most major Video on Demand providers.

“I grew up in Azle, a small town in Texas. After playing golf as a junior, I eventually played a mini-tour satellite professional golf tournament where I shot 65 and 63 to win by a long shot. A professional gambler who was at the tournament saw the scores and had never heard of me. He made a call to some friends and said, “I have found our guy.” They wanted someone who people had never heard of to play golf in money games. We traveled around the country and eventually ended up in Vegas.

These men were all the big-time gamblers and poker players at that time. It was a way for them to bet on something during the day and play cards at night. We did this for a few years in the late 1970s and I never lost a match. They came to me after our biggest win and asked me to do some things I wasn’t comfortable with. You don’t tell these guys no, and if you do what they ask they own you forever. Later that night I called my uncle and asked for help. He created a family emergency to get me out of there. A few weeks later the guys called asking for me to come back, and I told them I was going to pursue the tour instead. They were good guys and it wasn’t a problem. I played for about three years and it just wasn’t happening. I loved Vegas and wanted to come back so I found a job and am still here today, eventually forming Par 4 Golf Management with Paul Jaramillo in 2008.

The movie turned out great. My main thing when Terry (Jastrow) came to me was to get someone that could play golf. And Terry nailed it with Jeremy. He does a good job portraying me; I am an honest person and just got mixed up in this gambling world with some not so honest people.”

-Keith Flatt

"I watched The Squeeze with Barbara and really enjoyed it. It's a fun movie that tells an interesting story, and the golf elements are so real you actually believe it could happen."

- Jack Nicklaus

The Squeeze is a wonderful golf movie because it's so authentic. It hooks you in the beginning and stays interesting and entertaining right to the end."

-Phil Mickelson