I am pleased to bring you another guest poster for this fine Friday Flick Faceoff. Lary Hehn is here from his site Christian In The Rough by way of Toronto, Canada. Larry’s a great guy and multitalented. He’s a gifted cartoonist in addition to writing and speaking. Best of all, he’s real. I knew he was coming from the right place when I read this quote from his site: “I will never have all the answers, but I love finding them.” You can also find him on Twitter.
The first idea Larry had for a FFF nailed me right between my frigid little eyes. With two simple words he seemed to melt just a bit of the fresh, white powder chilling the ledge outside my window. ”Golf movies,” he said. After a series of cold weeks interspersed with snow and ice storms my chapped heart throbs for those warm, summer days on the golf course, cool beverage in hand. So hook it, slice it, or knock this baby flush, but be sure to take a swing at what Larry’s teed up.
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My Dad and I have always been sports buffs and enjoyed each other’s company on the playing field. For years he was my coach and sometimes even my teammate. But now that he has turned 80 and has three knee replacement surgeries under his belt, there’s pretty much only one sport left that we can enjoy playing together.
That’s golf. 
I always look forward to our annual father and son golf game, even though I’m a lousy golfer. Yes, “Christian in the Rough” is both the name of my blog and a very accurate description of my golf game.
But sometimes golf is about more than just knocking a little white ball around some very expensive real estate. It’s also about character. Friendship. Bonding. Reflection. Taking stock. Sharing. Frustration. Encouragement. Discouragement. Fun. Angst.
Golf makes for great drama. And comedy. Sometimes on the very same shot.
So when Clay graciously invited me to guest post today for the Friday Flick Faceoff, and to choose a topic, I knew right away that our quest would be to determine…The Greatest Golf Movie Ever!
Of course, golf is made up of foursomes. So we have four gems for you to choose from today spanning 20 years of film making. There’s comedy. There’s drama. There’s gophers. Romance. Improbable comebacks. Fist fights with game show hosts.
Who ever said that golf was boring?
So…which film will get your vote for the greatest golf movie ever? Here are the four finalists, listed in chronological order:
Caddyshack (1980) – Too many subplots to mention here, but by far the most memorable character in this film is assistant greenskeeper Carl Spackler, played by Bill Murray. Murray was only with the production for six days. None of his lines were scripted. But his “Cinderella story…” line is ranked #92 of the top 100 quotes from U.S. films by the American Film Institute. And who can forget his zany attempts to rid the country club of gophers?
Happy Gilmore (1996) – Adam Sandler plays hot-headed hockey player Happy Gilmore. Happy discovers that his booming slap shot easily translates into massive 400 yard drives, which have the potential to earn him big money. Seeking to earn enough cash to save his grandmother’s house, Happy lands on the Pro Golf Tour. He quickly turns the gentleman’s game into a contact sport. Memorable moments: Happy duking it out on the links with game show host Bob Barker.
Tin Cup (1996) – Kevin Costner plays Roy McAvoy, a failed pro golfer who tries to qualify for the U.S. Open in order to impress the beautiful new girlfriend of his PGA superstar nemesis. Costner trained with golf pro Gary McCord for this film, and many of the shots in the film were made by Costner himself. Including the ones that landed in the water.
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) – This film revolves around a golf match between Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen, two of the best golfers of the era, and Rannulph Junuh, a local boy still traumatized from serving in World War 1. Mysterious stranger Bagger Vance arrives on the scene to caddy for Junuh and help him overcome his personal demons.
Well, there you have it. A formidable foursome. Which flick has earned your vote?
Once again, I’d like to thank Clay for inviting me to share a Friday Flick Faceoff with you all. It only seems fitting that, as the Christian in the Rough, I leave you with a special golf-themed blessing by that famous Author Unknown:
“May thy ball lie in green pastures…and not in still waters.” Amen!
[UPDATE: It took every bit of an entire weekend but Happy Gilmore just edges out Caddyshack! Great selections Larry. Thanks for voting everybody and we'll see you next week.]
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The Friday Flick Faceoff features films that somehow share a common thread. Cast your vote anyway you like and don’t worry if you’ve seen the movies or not. Love to hear why you picked what you picked though.
This was a tough one. Tin Cup and Caddyshack are a couple of my favorite movies. I was leaning towards Tin Cup because of Don Johnson. Then I decided to put it to the Desert Island test. If I was trapped on a desert island I would much rather have Caddyshack to watch.
Y’know, I had never heard of the desert island test before. I like it! That will definitely come in handy down the road. Thanks!
Hi Larry! Hi Clay! Two of my favorite blog boys in one post? You spoil me.
Great job, Larry! I didn’t know you had a connection to Clay, but sooner or later, we all meet up somehow.
I’ve never seen Tin Cup, nor Bagger Vance, but reading your descriptions, I now will add them to my Netflix queue. I sadly must admit that yes, I’ve seen Caddyshack (a long time ago), but I was forced to not like it, on principal, because my Dad was a fanatic golfer and forced me to watch it. And, of course, kids hate watching what their parents want them to watch, so…
My vote goes with the film that features Bob Barker lighting up Adam Sandler, Happy Gilmore. But, to be fair, I will now go back on my own time and re-watch Caddyshack
Great job, Larry!
Hi AB. Larry’s just another one of the great people I’ve met since diving into Twitter. He’s working today but will be jumping in here later on.
Hi Aunt Bethany! I must admit that I re-watched Caddyshack last week while preparing this post, and I didn’t find it to be as funny as I remembered. Today I’m in a Happy Gilmore mood. It gets my vote too. Cheers!
I have to agree Tin Cup going against Caddyshack was a tough one, since comedy is more my style of movie I had to go with Caddyshack but I feel Tin Cup was Kevin Costner’s best non-baseball movie. Don’t really care for Adam Sandler and will have to see Bagger Vance…I still have a problem with Golf to this day, never understood hitting a ball then chasing after it only to hit it again..I prefer the sport that gives it back to me or goes to someone else…Just my thoughts…
I’m still trying to talk people into full contact golf. I’d pay good money to watch that.
Hmm…now I think I know why I liked Happy Gilmore so much.
Happy Gilmore received my vote because it was the only one with Bob Barker. I love that guy!
Yep, Bob Barker does a great job. I also love the scenes with Lee Trevino. For some reason he just cracks me up.
For me this was a tough choice between Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore. Still deciding, in fact. Enjoyed the post, Larry, though I’m not much of a golfer myself.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post, WPE! It looks like the battle between Caddyshack and Happy Gilmore is going to be close.
Golf movies – a fantastic idea, Larry.
I voted for Tin Cup not because it was my favourite movie, but because I love the soundtrack. Makes me dance around my kitchen…which is a bit of a scary thought.
Perhaps not quite as scary as dancing around someone else’s kitchen. Some people freak out when I do that.
I would have liked to have seen a 5th spot for Dorf On Golf! Haha nooooo not really.
Brent! I was thinking about you the other day, wondering how you were. Great to hear from you. And yes, Dorf (Tim Conway) is legendary.
So I voted for Happy Gilmore, but it’s been forever since I’ve seen the other 3 movies. I’ll need to rewatch them all to be fair.
I went with Bagger Vance. I just love all of the actors in it (Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Matt Damon). And, although not an all-time favorite movie of mine, I have seen it 3 or 4 times.
Wow, so far this is a very close battle. This is more exciting than real golf!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!! I can’t believe I missed the poll! My vote goes to Happy Gilmore!
For now though, I have to go to my happy place to get over missing this vote. Great post!
Better late than never!
Hello,
My vote goes to Greatest Game Ever Played, 2005 starring Shia Labeouf based on a true story. The story itself is what drew me in.
I had great hopes for Bagger Vance. It lacked something. With that group of actors, it should have been GREAT! Sorry to say it was not.
I enjoyed your post. Thanks
~Barb
Thanks for stopping by Barb!