Like apple pie, sports movies are a staple in America. From Chariots of Fire to Field of Dreams, sports movies have been giving us a good time for a long time. My family owned a video shop before there was a company like Blockbuster, so I’ve seen a lot of movies, and sports movies are my favorites.
I also like to play golf a lot. I love golf and will watch anything on the golf channel, from the US Women’s Amateur to Big Break. When you put these two things together, you get a person who has seen every golf movie ever made, and many of them more than once. I thought it would be fun to make a list of the best golf movies ever made. I think only five are worth mentioning, so this is a list of the top five.
So, without further ado, let’s get to my list of the top five golf movies ever made. For those who haven’t seen them, I’ll give a short summary of the story and explain why I put them where I did. Get some popcorn and settle in. Feel free to talk to me about these movies and/or how they rank; I’d love to hear your thoughts.
The Top 5 Golf Movies Ever Made
5. The 1996 movie Happy Gilmore
Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Carl Weathers, and Christopher McDonald are at the beginning.
Adam Sandler was coming off the success of Billy Madison when he chose to make his first sports movie. He plays the lead role in this movie.
Happy Gilmore wants to play hockey, but he can’t walk or control the puck. However, thanks to his dad, he has one of the strongest slap shots anyone has ever seen. He is also kind, but he loses his anger quickly. When his grandmother’s home is at risk of being taken away because of unpaid taxes, Happy wins a local golf event, which gets him a spot on the “professional golf tour.” This gives him the chance to make enough money to save his grandmother’s house.
Happy is a fan favorite because he can hit a ball 400 yards, but tour expert Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) doesn’t like him because of his pranks and attitude against golf.
The story is a little strange and unbelievable, but that’s the point. The movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. One of the best parts is when Happy and Bob Barker get into a fight at a Pro-Am.
This movie has so many funny and memorable lines, and everyone who has seen it has tried to swing like Happy at some point, but none of us got as far as he did. Sandler’s rapid rise was still in full swing, so if you liked his early goofiness in movies like Billy Madison and The Waterboy, you’ll like this one too.
4. The Greatest Game Ever Played was released in 2005.
Shia Labeouf, Stephen Dillane, Josh Flitter, and Elias Koteas are at the beginning.
The movie is mostly about Francis Ouimet (Labeouf), who came from a poor family in Massachusetts and worked as a caddy at The Country Club in Brookline when he was young. These events happened before and around the 1913 US Open.
At the time, golf was known as a “gentleman’s game,” and people from poor homes were looked down upon on the course. Even though Harry Vardon (Dillane), who at the time had won five British Opens and one US Open, was from a poor background, he was not allowed to join the country club.
To show Americans that the English were the best golfers in the world (like USA Basketball), they sent Vardon, Ted Ray, and amateur winner Wilfrid Reid to play in the US Open and win it easily. Ouimet qualified for the US Open, and the rest is truly history (if you want to know what happened, check Wikipedia).
This movie has great talent, and the story is interesting. I never get tired of watching it, and you will too if you like golf and the way Disney does sports movies. It’s always interesting to see how people used to play golf and what they wore.
3. The 1980 film Caddyshack
Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray, and Michael O’Keefe are among the actors in the movie.
This is where the arguments start.
I know that a lot of people think this is the best golf movie ever, but I think there are two better ones. I also think it’s hard for a comedy, especially one as weird as Caddyshack, to compete with a drama or a dramedy.
It’s a fun movie with some really funny parts, but I think some parts are a little slow. Carl Spackler, the groundskeeper, is played by Bill Murray, who is a genius at it.
There are different stories going on in the movie. The first one is about Danny, who works as a caddy at the exclusive Bushwood Country Club and is trying to save money or get a college grant. In the other, rich people like Judge Smails (Knight), rich people like Ty (Chase), and rich people like Al (Dangerfield) all go to war with each other.
The movie leads up to a 2-on-2 match where the winner gets everything, and an expected replacement happens. It’s funny, and the gopher that moves is the movie’s star.
2. The Legend of Bagger Vance was released in 2000.
Matt Damon, Will Smith, and Charlize Theron play the main roles.
This is a story told from a child’s point of view, or more accurately, from an old man’s point of view when he was a child. The Great Depression starts just as Adele Invergordon’s (Theron) father finished building Krewe Island in Savannah, GA, his dream golf course. Due to the state of the economy, the course starts off as a failure, and her father kills himself.
Adele pays Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen $10,000 to play a practice match at her father’s golf course so that people will hear about it and come to the course to play. Local officials think they need someone from Savannah to play, and Hardy Greaves suggests Randolph Junuh (Damon), a local golf winner and war hero.
The trouble is that Junuh has lost his swing, is fighting the demons of PTSD, and is trying to remember who he is and who he wants to be.
Bagger Vance, played by Will Smith, is a caddy who happens to be in town and offers to carry Junuh’s bag for him at the show. During the whole game, he acts as a life coach or spirit guide.
I’m once again in love with old-time sports and the way people lived in the 1920s. The movie is great. Robert Redford does a great job directing it, and everyone does a great job playing. Jack Lemmon tells the story as the old man Hardy Greaves. His voice is so warm and friendly, and it paints a wonderful picture. I would even say that his story telling is as good as Morgan Freeman’s in The Shawshank Redemption.
Whether you agree with the rating or not, you can’t deny that you liked the movie. You will like it if you haven’t seen it yet.
1. The 1996 movie Tin Cup
Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, and Cheech Marin lead the cast.
Roy McAvoy, played by Costner, is a down-and-out golf pro who works at a driving range. A neighborhood celebrity who hits the golf ball better than anyone else, he now lives in a Winnebago with his friend and helper, Romeo (Marin).
When Molly, or rather Doctor Griswold (Russo), shows up for a golf lesson, Roy is immediately smitten. He later finds out that she is dating his college golf buddy and PGA Tour pro David Simms (Johnson). Molly can’t see that David really doesn’t like kids, old people, or dogs, so Roy tries to win the US Open to show her that he’s a better choice.
There are expert players in this movie, and the game scenes are very true to life. It’s fun and funny, and we all like an underdog, especially one who never gives up.
We’ve all had the same problems on the golf course as Roy does in this movie. In a conversation with his caddy, he says, “Greatness begets failure, Romeo.” This is a great way to sum up all of these things. Romeo tells the boss, “You know what?” Maybe you’re right. Here’s what I know, though. Par is sometimes good enough to win.
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