Huffman’s top 10
all-time golf flicks
1. Caddyshack
2. Tin Cup
3. Happy Gilmore
4. Legend of Bagger Vance
5. Bobby Jones -- Stroke of Genius
6. Follow the Sun (The Ben Hogan Story)
7. Dead Solid Perfect
8. The Greatest Game Ever Played
9. The Golf Specialist
10. Goldfinger (OK, so it’s just one scene)
Golf-inspired movies are a tough sell at the box office, as are most flicks that feature sports-related themes. Chances are you can count on one hand the number of great golf movies that have been made over the years, or ever since W.C. Fields starred in “The Golf Specialist’’ in 1930.
So it’s no surprise, really, that the latest to hit the big screen -- “The Greatest Game Ever Played’’ -- really isn’t that great. Oh, sure, the costumes are cool, the setting is fairly authentic, and some of the camera angles are revolutionary. But The Greatest comes up short because it’s got a weak plot, underdeveloped characters and lacks humor with the exception of the one-liners provided by the little caddie, Eddie Lowery (Josh Flitter).
So what makes a good golf flick? Arguably, there are three key components:
*Can people relate to it -- the plot, the characters, the humor -- who are not golfers? The best golf movies of all-time -- “Caddyshack’’ and “Tin Cup’’ -- did this better than the rest.
*Does the movie deliver some memorable quotes that movie-goers can use on their own golfing buddies? And, to be really successful, is it funny enough to relate to your own game?
*Is it realistic? Do the actors swing like golfers, or do they swing like actors? Do the actors adhere to the etiquette and rules that make up the game, or do they give themselves away like plumb-bobbing with the putter touching the ground or grounding the club in the bunker.
Without question, the most popular golf movie ever was/is “Caddyshack,’’ which has achieved cult status since it was released in 1980. The chief reason for its success was its cast of characters: Billy Murray as the crazed superintendent Carl Spackler; Rodney Dangerfield as the irreverent new club member, Al Czervic; Chevy Chase as the mischievous Ty Webb; and Ted Knight as the snobbish Judge Smails.
Out of Caddyshack, we got the Dali Lama speech -- “the Cinderella Story’’ -- from Murray, along with one of the great comic rivalries between Dangerfield and Knight. And who can ever forget the dancing gopher, who made a noise like Flipper?
“Tin Cup’’ also is right up there, and for many of the same reasons. Great characters like Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner) and Romeo Posar (Cheech Marin). Talk about memorable lines, it’s hard to beat
Cheech the caddie telling his player, Costner: “Look boss, I got only one rule, and that’s never bet money that you don’t have on a dog race with an ex-girlfriend that happens to be a stripper.’’ The unpredictable nature of this fictitious U.S. Open also bodes well.
Considering my third favorite golf flick also has a truckload of comic relief -- “Happy Gilmore’’ -- obviously, there’s a pattern here. And I’m not a big Adam Sandler fan, either, which is why I liked the fight scene with Bob Barker. Plus, “Happy Gilmore’’ had appeal for both golf and hockey fans, two sports which somehow have become related because of the swing.
No one ever has polled golfers on which of these movies they like the most, but I’ll bet those three would be one-two-three in some order. Beyond that it’s a reach, although “The Legend of Bagger Vance,’’ “Follow the Sun,’’ “Dead Solid Perfect’’ and “Bobby Jones -- Stroke of Genius,’’ would make most lists.
Where “The Greatest Game Ever Played’’ fits in remains to be seen.
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