Golf is a deceptively slow sport that, to the untrained eye, can appear as if nothing much is happening. However, like chess or cricket, the game actually belies a lot of nuance in the irons and under the visors. There’s cunning, finesse, strategy, and technicality in every swing, which makes for an exciting watch—if you know what to look for. For non-golf enthusiasts, though, sometimes it’s just nice to watch people hit balls into a hole on some freshly manicured grass. And if you’re in the mood to watch people hit balls on fresh grass, then there are plenty of movies about what’s often labeled by many sports fans as “The Greatest Game on Earth.” But where do you even start? Let us help you with 10 different options of golf films, from the silly (Caddyshack) to the serious (Tommy’s Honour) and everything in between.
10.Who’s Your Caddy? (2007)
Director: Don Michael Paul
Cast: Big Boi, Lil Wayne, Andy Milonakis, Faizon Love, Terry Crews
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 31m
Rotten Tomatoes: 6% (Critics), 59% (Audience)
While Rotten Tomatoes critics scored it a measly six percent Fresh, director Don Michael Paul’s sports comedy Who’s Your Caddy? is still a ridiculously funny watch. The story follows hip-hop mogul Christopher "C-Note" Hawkins (hilariously played by Antwan “Big Boi” Patton), who devises a cunning plan to enter the Carolina Pines Golf & Country Club after getting denied membership: buy land containing the course’s 17th hole. This doesn’t go over well with the elite troupe, and the film devolves into this outlandish extravaganza as C-Note—along with fellow cast mates Andy Milonakis and Terry Crews, among others—stake their claim as a Carolina Pines member while the Country Club attempts to kick them the hell out. The writing isn’t the best and the story itself is rather unoriginal, but the actors deliver their lines with verve, bringing the script to life with exceptional comedic timing. Plus, Lil Wayne makes an appearance, and who doesn’t love seeing the GOAT?
9.Tommy’s Honour (2017)
Director: Jason Connery
Cast: Peter Mullan, Jack Lowden, Ophelia Lovibond, Sam Neill, Max Deacon
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 52m
Rotten Tomatoes: 67% (Critics), 69% (Audience)
Based on the true story of the sport’s modern founding fathers, Thomas Mitchell Morris (“Old Tom Morris”) and Thomas Morris (“Young Tom Morris”), Jason Connery’s Tommy’s Honour is an intimate drama about classism, family, and determination. Set in Scotland in the late 1800s, Old Tom Morris is a pro-golfer-turned-caddy who’s now a ball-builder, club-maker, and greens-keeper for the The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, one of the world’s oldest golf clubs. His son, Young Tom Morris, is a budding golf prodigy who doesn’t want to just be someone else’s caddy; he wants to golf. These two—powerfully played by Peter Mullan and Jack Lowden, respectively—are the film’s center, which tells the story of a father-and-son duo who clash over ambition and tradition, where one is set in his old ways and the other wants those old ways left in the bunker. It’s an engrossing movie that’s as exquisitely shot as it is acted, and one that illustrates how golf became the sport it is today.
8.Pat and Mike (1952)
Director: George Cukor
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White
Genre: Comedy
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 1h 35m
Rotten Tomatoes: 85% (Critics), 69% (Audience)
You can’t talk about golf movies without talking about this ‘50s classic. Directed by George Cukor, Pat and Mike is a comedy about Pat Pemberton (Katharine Hepburn), a fabulous athlete in myriad sports—including golf and tennis—who becomes a wreck whenever her fiancé Collier Weld (William Ching) is around. To focus on her game, she recruits the shady sports promoter Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy), who winds up becoming a romantic distraction. A silly narrative that sees Pat and Mike face all sorts of obstacles, from mobsters to a jealous boxer to their growing attraction, Pat and Mike is a great look into film history and sports comedies.
7.Tin Cup (1996)
Director: Ron Shelton
Cast: Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin, Rex Linn
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 2h 13m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 65% (Audience)
Another romcom on this list, Ron Shelton’s Tin Cup has an intriguing premise that’s delivered with hilarious wit and overt raunchiness. Rebel Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy (Kevin Costner) was a pro golfer who lost everything because of his antics on the green and attitude off the green. Attempting to retain his connection to the sport by becoming a golf instructor, McAvoy develops a thing for psychiatrist Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo), who happens to be his newest pupil and the girlfriend of his arch nemesis David Simms (Don Johnson). To win her heart, restore his reputation, and to stick it to Simms, McAvoy trains to put everything on the line at the PGA Tour. Tin Cup may be a silly story, but it still puts a great emphasis on the sport, making it a solid watch for golf fans.
6.Happy Gilmore (1996)
Director: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay, Carl Weathers
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 32m
Rotten Tomatoes: 62% (Critics), 85% (Audience)
Easily one of Adam Sandler’s best films of his early career, Happy Gilmore is probably the most recognizable golf movie out there. It really needs no introductions, and doesn’t necessarily need a blurb, but for anyone who hasn’t seen it, this film is ridiculously goofy in ways you’d expect from Sandler while still delivering a competent story about the particulars of the sport itself. Directed by Dennis Dugan, the movie follows Happy Gilmore (Sandler), a hockey-player-turned-golf-player who uses his newly found talent for the sport to help Grandma Gilmore (Frances Bay) keep their house that the IRS is threatening to foreclose on. From hustling movers to winning tournaments, Happy eventually takes his exceptional swing to a major competition in the hopes of securing the grand prize and saving his grandma’s home. This movie is incredibly funny, and although the comedy can be overbearing at times, the short runtime makes it a brisk watch that never overstays its welcome. If you’re looking for a tolerable Sandler flick about “The Greatest Game on Earth,” look no further.
5.The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
Director: Robert Redford
Cast: Will Smith, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Bruce McGill, Joel Gretsch
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2h 6m
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% (Critics), 65% (Audience)
An emotional story by Academy Award-winning director Robert Redford, The Legend of Bagger Vance is a must-see film for golfers and cinephiles alike. Featuring stellar performances by a young Matt Damon, Will Smith (whose Southern accent never quite gets there but is a valiant effort nevertheless), and Charlize Theron, the movie—loosely based on the sacred Hindu text, the Bhagavad Gita—is about the downtrodden pro golfer Rannulph Junuh (Damon), who encounters the mysterious coach Bagger Vance (Smith) and helps him reclaim his game. It’s a gut-wrenching tale about alcoholism, the costs of war, love, and the determination to persevere. It’s a great movie, and one that may leave you in tears as Damon and Smith display a golfer’s love for the sport.
4.Caddyshack (1980)
Director: Harold Ramis
Cast: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O'Keefe, Bill Murray
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1h 38m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 87% (Audience)
What an outrageous film this is. Kind of about golf but mostly about the interpersonal relationships between golfers, Harold Ramis’ Caddyshack follows a handful of characters connected to the snobbish Bushwood Country Club. There’s the anxious teen Danny Noonan (Michael O'Keefe), the arrogant golfer Elihu Smails (Ted Knight), the charming pro Ty Webb (Chevy Chase), the deranged greenskeeper Carl Spackler (Bill Murray), and other A-listers that fill out a story revolving around golf, reputation, and sex. It’s a little unhinged, and while golfing takes something of a backseat to the story’s plot, it’s still a funny sports film to watch on a lazy Sunday.
3.From The Rough (2014)
Director: Pierre Bagley
Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Tom Felton, Michael Clarke Duncan, LeToya Luckett, Henry Simmons
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 37m
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A (Critics), 71% (Audience)
A drama with some serious heart, From The Rough by Pierre Bagley is quite the captivating movie. Catana Starks (exceptionally played by Taraji P. Henson) goes from coaching the Tennessee State University’s swim team to the men’s newly formed golf squad. However, her new team comes with very little funding and support, and instead is filled with a diverse group of misfits who go from the worst on the green to the best in the collegiate league. Henson gives a stellar performance here, which helped her win the Best Actress trophy at the 2015 BET Awards. It’s got grit, soul, and passion, making it a heartfelt narrative that’s well-worth watching.
2.The Phantom Of The Open (2021)
Director: Craig Roberts
Cast: Mark Rylance, Sally Hawkins, Rhys Ifans, Jake Davies, Christian Lees
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1h 46m
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (Critics), 88% (Audience)
We all have dreams about doing things we’re probably not great at, and that fear tends to prevent us from going after the goal. Not Maurice Flitcroft, though, which is who this film is all about. Directed by Craig Roberts, The Phantom of the Open follows the unrelenting optimist Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), a dreamer who somehow enters The British Open Golf Championship despite never playing pro golf a day in his life. Pitted against some of the best golfers in the world, Flitcroft’s lack of experience causes him to swing terribly and ultimately go down as one of the worst golfers in the sport’s history. However, that fact doesn’t wipe the determined smile off his face. Based on the real life of Maurice Flitcroft, this is a heartwarming story about following your dreams in the face of adversity and never giving up no matter how hard things become, a lesson we all could learn from.
1.The Greatest Game Ever Played (2005)
Director: Bill Paxton
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Matthew Knight, Stephen Dillane, James Paxton, Peter Firth
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1h 55m
Rotten Tomatoes: 63% (Critics), 82% (Audience)
For a sport often referred to as “The Greatest Game,” it’s only fitting that Bill Paxton’s The Greatest Game Ever Played tops this list. A young Shia LaBeouf gives one fabulous performance here as Francis Ouimet, an amateur golf prodigy born into a working-class family who experiences horrendous classism in the 1900s. Determined to make a name—and a living—as a pro golfer, Ouimet goes from small-green competitions to big-green tournaments, eventually becoming the first amateur to take first place at the U.S. Open (which is major). It’s a great movie to watch for folks who love golf and people curious about how epic the sport can be, demonstrating that golf is more than hitting balls on perfect grass. There’s artistry, emotion, and strategy in golf, and The Greatest Game Ever Played underscores why the sport is indeed fit for that prestigious title.