Tag: short game

Happy Gilmore: A Golf Fan’s View on Comedy, Chaos, and Cult Classics

Golf movies are a rare breed, and as a lifelong fan of the sport, I’ve watched them all—from the irreverent laughs of Caddyshack to the heartfelt drama of Tin Cup. But when it comes to pure, unfiltered fun, Happy Gilmore stands in a league of its own. Released in 1996, this Adam Sandler classic isn’t just a comedy—it’s a love letter to golf’s quirks, frustrations, and unexpected joys.

Taking a Wild Swing at Golf Tradition

Happy Gilmore flips the script on the traditional golf movie. Instead of a seasoned pro or a struggling underdog, we get Happy, a failed hockey player with a temper and a slapshot swing. His journey from the ice rink to the fairway is as chaotic as it is hilarious. For golf fans, watching Happy’s unconventional approach—smashing drives, trash-talking opponents, and even wrestling with an alligator—feels both sacrilegious and oddly satisfying.

A Golf Comedy Hitting a Sweet Spot

What sets Happy Gilmore apart is its willingness to poke fun at golf’s stuffy reputation. The film’s humor is broad, but it’s also packed with inside jokes for those who know the game. From the iconic “Happy swing” to the infamous brawl with Bob Barker, every scene is a reminder that golf doesn’t always have to be serious.

This comedic approach echoes the spirit of Caddyshack, another golf classic that lampooned the sport’s upper-crust image. Both films feature outrageous characters—think Shooter McGavin versus Judge Smails—and memorable one-liners that have become part of golf’s pop culture lexicon. Yet, while Caddyshack leans into absurdity, Happy Gilmore grounds its comedy in the relatable frustrations every golfer faces: missed putts, impossible lies, and the pressure of the big shot.

Discover Goodness on the Green

Beneath the slapstick, Happy Gilmore has genuine heart. Happy’s quest to save his grandmother’s house gives the story emotional stakes, much like Roy McAvoy’s pursuit of redemption in Tin Cup. Both films remind us that golf is more than a game—it’s about perseverance, passion, and finding your own way to win.

As a golf fan, I appreciate how Happy Gilmore celebrates the sport’s accessibility. You don’t have to be born into privilege or play by the book to fall in love with golf. Sometimes, all it takes is a wild swing and a lot of heart.

Why Golf Fans Love Happy Gilmore

Nearly three decades later, Happy Gilmore remains a favorite among golfers and movie buffs alike. Its influence is everywhere—from fans mimicking Happy’s swing at driving ranges to pros referencing the film in interviews. Like Caddyshack and Tin Cup, it’s a movie that understands golf’s unique blend of agony and ecstasy.

If you’re a golf fan looking for a film that captures the sport’s spirit with a side of laughter, Happy Gilmore is a must-watch. It’s not just a comedy—it’s a celebration of everything that makes golf maddening, magical, and endlessly entertaining.

Practice for Playing the Conditions

Two things that I’m certain of no matter how golf I play is that you have to play the course and the conditions as they are. The course has its own particular design and layout. The conditions are just what they are for that given day and even at that moment.

I tend to practice early mornings, especially on Sundays. In many cases, the greens are soaked and my poor little Callaway balls are rolling and splashing around while I’m chipping and pitching onto the surface.

This helps me accomplish a few goals. One of the main goals that I accomplish with this type of practice is that I can get a feel for what effect different conditions have on the ball upon approach to the putting surface. That helps a lot once we start to play on any course.

Presidents’ Day Practice

I awoke early. I did some dynamic stretches and came close to emulating a few yoga poses that have helped with my back and hips. I was ready.

Once on the road, I would stop for a large coffee at a convenience store on the way. No donuts on the menu for today.

By the time I arrived at the golf course, I was ready.

My mindset was focused on the selection of clubs and the Callaway Chrome Super Soft golf balls that I had laid out in the trunk. My stretching had my body ready for taking the club back slowly and swinging through effectively for my desired results.

Everything seemed in place.

Early mornings aren’t my best time to play. I think the earliest I ever played was at 6 AM with a 5:45 AM check-in. Even for Southern California, that was too chilly to be swinging any type of club for recreation.

This Monday morning was not chilly like that, but it did have residue from the early morning overcast and fog. Dew covered the practice green and surrounding areas. The dew on the green was so thick that the golf balls would make tiny streaks that laced their own trails towards the target holes during the practice session.

I focused upon my wedges. Short game skills can always provide you with a safety net if you can’t pull the rest of the game together. And, as one who doesn’t always have it together, I tend to rely on my short game to serve as almost like an equalizer for my recovery from some bad choices on the fairway and at the tee box. That’s not perfect, but that’s definitely something I have to keep in mind every single time I tee it up these days.

In all honesty, the sand wedge and lob wedge delivered the best results. One contributing factor could be the fact that the greens were soaking wet. Additionally, I used the pitching wedge first and followed that up with the gap wedge. Therefore, by the time I got to the lob wedge and sand wedge, the surface might have lost some of its morning dew and was pretty slick with melted moisture.

I took note of the conditions causing different responses to various clubs and I tried out some trickery around the target hole on the putting surface. Technically, I’m more experienced with the lob wedge than the sand wedge. Yet, I have a greater sense of touch and feel with the sand wedge.

By the time I play a full 18 holes on a par 3 course, I think I might just go out with an 8 iron and a sand wedge. I think that would get the job done and get me ready for another test of my short game skills.

A Storied Ending of the West Coast Swing

The Genesis Invitational was set to provide a thrilling storyline for pro golf. In fact, this pro golf tournament tournament hosted by Tiger Woods on behalf of TGR Foundation is held at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. It serves as a befitting end to the West Coast Swing portion of the annual golf season.

What we got from the Genesis Invitational was way more than any of us bargained for along with most probably less Tiger Woods than we originally expected to see. The lineups and foursomes were great pairings for viewers of the event. The struggles on the course called for some sensational news like Cantlay fighting to maintain an early lead or Jordan Spieth getting disqualified for signing the wrong score on his scorecard. That all came around the same time that we heard about Tiger having back spasms and other issues on the course. It wasn’t long before we got word of Tiger pulling out of the tournament altogether.

All of that made for great fodder, but the true story was being etched out day by day on the course. Hideki Matsuyama was delivering sub-70 golf scores daily at Riviera starting with an opening round of 69 and ending with a final round 62. Matsuyama finished the tournament with a 6 stroke lead at the end. Matsuyama took home a $4 million dollar prize and an additional 700 Fedexcup Points.

Watching the final round of the tournament had me looking for who might catch up to Matsuyama and provide another playoff weekend. But that never happened here. Masuyama maintained his lead at a safe distance from his competitors and won this tournament free and clear.

After watching a post-game interview with Hideki Matsuyama sharing about overcoming back issues and his closing in on the course record during this final round, I was motivated. I was motivated to pick up my irons and chip and putt for some more practice around the green. According to Matsuyama, everything was not working for him during the entire final round, but he was able to remain consistent with his short game and his putting. That told me that we all can tee it up high and let it fly, but if we’re going to keep winging we better do it strategically to stay the course.

North County Golf Outing

The tee time was pushing it close, but we knew that when we started. Daylight would rush our play towards the end of the day. Nevertheless, we made our way to Rancho Bernardo Inn in North County San Diego just under 30 miles from central San Diego proper.

From the first tee, I felt good swinging in the tee box. I drove it across a waterway and followed that up with an approach shot onto the green. I putted for par on the green, and then played it too safe on a par 3 that cost me some strokes. Then, I made my second par on a par 5 hole and saw my potential for breaking 90 light up.

Unfortunately, not many highlights pop up after that.

One memorable hole had me trying to work some magic by overplaying a dogleg that got me caught up with some dogwoods and eucalyptus trees. That move had me right along with my foursome who all sat in the fairway, while I wrestled with the tall grass amid the trees. I overworked for that double bogey on that hole.

I never went beyond making a bogey on the back 9. In fact, I stacked up enough double bogeys to keep me focused on fixes for my next outing.

I was too conservative on my putts, leaving myself too much ground to cover on the second putt. Also, I was overplaying a few holes when I was left with under 100 yards to the flag. Playing a 9 iron instead of a pitching wedge under such conditions makes the difference between being on the green or just beyond the green.

I learned one lesson clearly and it has been on my mind since this round. I need to manage my shot selection and choice of clubs in order to set up the next shot. If I don’t do that well, then I’m bound to still struggle breaking 90.

Finding Time to Practice

The driving range is notorious for being filled with people swinging like crazy and supposedly working on their game. The truth of the matter is that we cannot be sure of what progress everyone else is making on the range. The only thing that we can be certain of in this regard is our own progress based on goals that we have set for ourselves at one point or another.

My range practice sessions are narrowed down to 20 to 30 minutes nowadays. I focus on specific techniques. I spend a concentrated amount of time working on certain aspects of my game.

What I Do

I have been struggling with my approach shots going awry. I take to the range lately to work on mechanics for such shots, especially with my irons. I will get ahold of a 6 or 7 iron just to work on those shots that need me to focus my address and alignment to a target. For those shots at 100 yards or under, I’m looking at where the ball is at address in relationship to my feet. I use an 8 or 9 iron for such shots, and then I do similar work with a pitching wedge or a sand wedge.

What I Don’t Do

I don’t take my full bag to the driving range anymore.

I will grab 3 to 4 clubs and use only those for specific time allotted. i don’t need a full bag of hybrids, fairway woods, and a driver. I just need clubs that will help me work on the specific aspect of my game where I need more focus.

I won’t work on driving or hit the putting surface. When I work on my putts, I show up with just my putter and 4 balls. I focus on roll. I focus on contact. I focus on the feel. When I am working on my driver, I am focused on tee height and following through with a balanced stance. But that’s not every single time that I hit the range.

Am I There Yet?

Practice is a time-consuming venture. It takes time to match up your progress with your goals. It can get to you.

I’m going to keep things consistent. I’m going to keep working on my game. I’m still a work in progress.

Feedback for My Flaws

Since posting how my recent golf outing showed signs of much needed improvement, I’ve reflected on things a bit and shared my thoughts on the whole thing. It was good to get it off my chest and just put it out there.

Here’s what I did to help improve things:

Help me with my flaws. On my quest to break 90, I’ve done it when I’ve made the right adjustments. I just need to get to the point where I can do it on a consistent basis.

I need the feedback to fix my flaws. Help a golfer out if you would be so kind.

My 99 in Hindsight

Scorecards don’t lie.

They’re an indicator of how well or how poorly we played a round of golf on a certain course at a certain time on a certain day.

My recent round of 99 was an indicator of what was right about my game as well as what was so wrong about my game.

Driving Distance and Fairway Play

I will be the first to admit it. My fairways hit usually are limited to 2 maybe 3 per round. I tend to veer to the right and then adjust and start going too far to left. I’m not hitting as many fairways as I would like with my woods, especially the driver- my TaylorMade Burner Superfast Driver.

This round I actually hit 7 fairways. I will take that. I need to get it up to 9, but I haven’t played in ages. Distance was not a problem off the tee.

Great to Just Get Out

I loved playing with my cousin Robert from Texas and PGA Tour Champions caddie and Monday qualifier Mark Teran. Along with Mark’s brother, I was completely surrounded by Austin, Texas, and they let me know it and not forget it.

Mark Teran owns Piped Golf and caddies for some well-known senior PGA players. He’s definitely got his eyes set on swinging on tour making his rounds and taking his shot at Monday qualifiers. Beyond being a superb caddie with great reviews, Mark is a mean with a dream and a pure swing.

Fix and Focus

I need to fix my swing flaws as i mentioned earlier. i need to find my rhythm and get there with my swing. On the par 5 8th hole, I hit trees on one side of the course and chipped it short of the green by about 8 yards or even closer. That’s what needs to fixed and quickly.

I need to focus on my fitness, and then I need to focus on my par 3s and playing from the rough. I’ve come up short too many times leaving myself with par shots at best. If I do this right, I can see more fairways hit, a few greens in regulation, and lower numbers of putts.

My Breaking 90 Goal Broke Down Today

Not Today

I’ve got way more that I could say about this round today.

I’m just going to go ahead and just leave this pic here for you to soak it in.

In summation, it was not my greatest outing and despite some good moments it just wasn’t happening for me today.

When the wheels came off, they broke the whole darn thing down to pretty much a crawl.

Not Ready Yet

Like many things in life, we’re not ready to talk about this one yet. I’m going to need a healthy does of time and space. I’d say at least 24 hours. I think I can regroup and break down where I broke down and need to fix some things.

Currently, I’m rethinking my retention of the wisdom of Brian Penn’s post on swing thoughts. I am reeling on my heels and tiptoes at what the Grateful Golfer shared in a past post about our work to get things done.

In the meantime, check out the Instagram page of Piped Golf with Mark Teran. I did have the pleasure of playing a round with Mark and his brother as my cousin and I ventured out to Cottonwood Golf Club today. Mark’s got an extraordinary story to tell and I hope to give you more of his story in another format on another day.

I’m regrouping. I’m recharging. I’m hitting reset right here and it’s right up someone else’s alley. I’m going to have to make a fitness turnaround within this equation, though. That can cause more delays in fixing my game, but the benefits will outweigh those delayed opportunities.

For now, just know that I am not ready to talk about today’s round like folks watch Disney movies and agree to not talk about Bruno anymore.

Bringing Back Conservative Play

My time on the gold course has been a continual learning experience. I’ve come to enjoy the little lessons that have come my way by way of learning what works and what doesn’t work for my game.

What Doesn’t Work

It’s always obvious what doesn’t work. The problem is that it’s not always the same thing that doesn’t work. During some outings, I can swing my 7 wood, solidly smack a golf ball against the thin club face, and smash it like a laser unto the green from within 150 yards. Other times, I find myself struggling to get off the tee.

Give me another ball! (Tin Cup)

What Works (For Me)

I have learned to put into practice and play what works for me. I cannot speak for anyone else or substitute what works for them and drop that into my repertoire.

I got to go for what I know by applying what works for me.

That’s a struggle on the golf course at times when you have some golf buddies who always have a library catalog of golf tips and knowledge like the next Ty Webb with insights like “Be the ball.” You cannot make every swing adjustment that works for that other dude because he’s all of 5’6 and you’re over 6 feet tall. His swing is troubled by an outside to in swing path with a dip in the shoulders. You just have issues with your alignment at approach and keeping your head down through your swing with your hybrids and long irons. Almost anything he has to say to you is null and void for your game.

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Conservative Play Means

  • Cautionary without getting careless
  • Consistency without getting too complicated
  • Correction without creating a new swing by the turn

My Mantra is Reborn

It all comes down to the way that you play. You’ll never have fun if you keep playing stressed out and on edge. Golf is a leisure sport. It’s not meant to be played like high intensity sports like the grid iron, hoops or baseball. You’re supposed to enjoy golf and reap the benefits of a an easy-paced recreational sport.

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My mantra is:

  • Play it smart: think through your next shot based on the conditions and the course
  • Play it safe: consider the obstacles or hazards in play as well as the course layout like doglegs or low-hanging tree branches near the fairway
  • Play it strategically: limit the recovery shots by playing the best option available and planning the follow-up shot after that

My goal is to improve my scorecard results. I want to land somewhere between 85-88 on a consistent basis, approximately 75% of the time. I want to feel confident when I go out to play that I will enjoy myself as I fish a birdie out of hole on a par 3 every now and then. That’s what I want and where I am headed.

Let’s see what comes up next time.

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