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From Bobby Jones and Ben Hogan biographies to the comic riffs of Carl Spackler and Happy Gilmore, Hollywood has long been attracted to golf. Here are 10 films we’d recommend to any fan of the game. “Tin Cup” Release Date: 1996 Director: Ron Shelton Starring: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin Avid golfer Kevin Costner stars as Roy McAvoy, a down-on-his-luck pro who lives in a glorified trailer at a dilapidated driving range he owns in West Texas. After falling for a beautiful woman who winds up being the girlfriend of his PGA Tour star nemesis, McAvoy tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to turn his life around. Costner is a typical Hollywood leading man, but performances by Don Johnson as his archrival and a comedic supporting performance by Cheech Marin light up the film. “Caddyshack” Release Date: 1980 Director: Harold Ramis Starring: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Bill Murray Though it won’t win any awards for subtlety or taste, “Caddyshack” is the highest-grossing golf movie ever made, if inflation is factored in. The 1980 comedy stars some of the most popular TV personalities of the day — including Bill Murray, Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase and Ted Knight. Ostensibly about a scheme by an obnoxious developer — Dangerfield — to build condos on the site of a country club, what people remember most is Dangerfield’s non-stop barrage of one-liners and gags, and Murray’s insane battle with a pesky gopher. “Happy Gilmore” Release Date: 1996 Director: Dennis Dugan Starring: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Carl Weathers Golf purists — and those who loathe Adam Sandler — may wince, but there are few movies that better capture the unadulterated joy of playing the game than this 1996 comedy. Sandler plays Gilmore, a hockey player possessed with the right kind of fierce temperament for the game. But he finds that his hockey shooting style translates into the kind of tee shots that would make John Daly green with envy. “Follow The Sun” Release Date: 1951 Director: Sidney Lanfield Starring: Glenn Ford, Anne Baxter Although criticized by some for fictionalizing certain elements, this biography of Ben Hogan is a powerful movie thanks to the man’s incredible story. From his poor upbringing in Texas to rising to the top of professional golf and his incredible comeback after a near-fatal car accident, this is the type of story that, unlike the others on this list, is completely real. It can get corny in that 1951 way, but there’s nothing corny about the golf sequences in the film: Hogan hit the shots himself. “Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius” Release Date: 2004 Director: Rowdy Herrington Starring: James Caviezel, Malcom McDowell, Aidan Quinn Despite retiring from competitive golf at age 28, Bobby Jones is still considered by many as the greatest amateur golfer of all time. The highlights of his life and career are featured in this biopic, which earned high marks from critics because of solid acting and an enthusiastic approach from director Rowdy Herrington. At the very least, this films provides an excellent opportunity to learn about one of the most pivotal figures in the history of the sport. “The Legend of Bagger Vance” Release Date: 2000 Director: Robert Redford Starring: Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron “The Legend of Bagger Vance” is about many things besides golf. It is a love story, it displays the hardships born from both World War I and the Great Depression, and it conveys the difficulties associated with alcoholism. But the main story is still golf. Damon plays Rannulph Junuh, who is convinced to play in a match against Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen at the urging of mysterious caddy Bagger Vance (Smith). The film is also notable in that it features Jack Lemmon’s final performance. “The Greatest Game Ever Played” Release Date: 2005 Director: Bill Paxton Starring: Shia LeBeouf, Stephen Dillane, Stephen Marcus One of the most inspirational golf films ever produced, “The Greatest Game Ever Played” tells the unlikely success of Francis Ouimet (LeBeouf), an amateur who shocked the world when he defeated Harry Vardon (Dillane) and Ted Ray (Marcus) at the 1913 U.S. Open. This movie contains some of the most imaginative and aesthetically pleasing golfing scenes ever to appear on the big screen, and LeBeouf does an outstanding job portraying the unlikely hero. “The Caddy” Release Date: 1953 Director: Norman Taurog Starring: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Donna Reed When it came to comedy in the 1950s, not many duos generated more laughs than Martin and Lewis. Their hilarity is on full display in this film, which chronicles a golfer-turned-instructor-turned-caddy (Lewis) and his talented student (Martin). While their exploits on the golf course end up producing disastrous (and funny) results, they are redeemed by what they are able to achieve in the entertainment world. This film does not boast the same riotous scenes of “Caddyshack,” but it is still a worthy entry in the golfing genre of the silver screen. “Dead Solid Perfect” Release Date: 1988 Director: Billy Roth Starring: Randy Quaid, Kathryn Harrold, Jack Warden Dan Jenkins, one of the best American sportswriters of the past 50 years, wrote two of the best books about football and golf, respectively. “Semi-Tough” focused on exploits on the gridiron, while “Dead Solid Perfect” followed the fictional journey of a second-rate golfer who traversed the country trying desperately to make the PGA Tour, at the same time dealing with a foundering marriage and party-hearty lifestyle. “A Gentleman’s Game” Release Date: 2001 Director: J. Mills Goodloe Starring: Mason Gamble, Gary Sinise, Philip Baker Hall Based on the novel by Tom Coyne, “A Gentleman’s Game” tells the tale of aspiring 12-year-old golfer Timmy Price. The youngster thinks he’s getting good golf experience when he caddies at a local country club over the summer, but he ends up learning just as much about class and society from his new gig. Although this is a coming-of-age story, it boasts an “R” rating — so use discretion before showing it to your kids. |
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