The Academy Awards take place this Sunday, and as usual, golf is underrepresented among the Best Picture nominees. (Caddyshack II was robbed!) Here is my list of the 10 best golf scenes in movies.
1. Caddyshack (1980)
In this completely ad-libbed scene, Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) lives out every golfer’s fantasy—a Cinderella story winning the Masters. Swiping at flowers with a garden tool, he hits an imaginary 8-iron from 195 yards—and “It’s in the hole!” The next scene—"I don't think the heavy stuff's going to come down for quite a while"—isn't bad either. In fact, nearly every scene from the movie could make this list.
2. Goldfinger (1964)
With all due respect to The Greatest Game Every Played, the best golf match in cinema history is the one between James Bond (Sean Connery) and Goldfinger (Gert Frobe). The close match turns when Bond catches Goldfinger cheating on the 17th hole: “If that’s his original ball, I’m Arnold Palmer,” says his caddie.
"It isn't," 007 replies.
"How do you know?"
"I'm standing on it."
3. Tin Cup (1996)
In golf’s version of a seductive dance, driving range pro Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy (Kevin Costner) gives a lesson to Dr. Molly Griswold (Rene Russo) that ends with his serenade: “Tempo is everything, perfection unattainable…a slight hesitation, a little nod to the gods.”
4. Sideways (2004)
During a road trip through wine country, a round of golf between Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Jack (Thomas Haden Church) is interrupted when the group behind hits into them. Miles then fires the ball back with his best swing of the day, while Jack runs at the group, brandishing a driver.
5. There’s Something about Mary (1998)
At a driving range, sleazy
private detective Pat Healy (Matt Dillon) begins his seduction of Mary
(Cameron Diaz), who shows off a pretty good swing (especially considering Diaz had never played before). In between spinning
lies about himself to impress Mary, Healy asks her for a tip. She answers: "Yeah, don't
talk in someone's backswing."
6. Swingers (1996)
Mike (Jon Favreau) and Rob (Ron Livingstone) are recent transplants to Los Angeles who talk life, love and careers while playing at a par-3 course (LA's Los Feliz). At the end of the scene, they struggle to count up their strokes. Asks Rob: "How many strokes?"
"I don't know. Eight or nine."
"I'll give you an eight."
"What'd you get?"
"An eight."
"Looks like we're in a dead heat after one hole. This is turning into quite a rivalry."
7. Happy Gilmore (1996)
In a scene that every pro-am contestant (pro and am alike) no doubt has imagined, Bob Barker (as himself) is unhappy about the bad play of Happy Gilmore and starts a fistfight by saying: "I can't believe you're a professional golfer. I think you should be working at the snack bar." The fight ends with a riff off Barker's longtime game show, "The Price is Right."
8. Lost in Translation (2003)
In a turn that is the opposite of Carl
Spackler's antics, Bill Murray plays Bob Harris, an actor who spends a week in Tokyo filming TV commercials. The completely wordless scene in which he walks to a tee and hits a
drive with Mt. Fuji in the background is perfect for this subtle movie.
9. Dead Solid Perfect (1988)
In this made-for-TV adaptation of Dan Jenkins' novel, struggling tour pro Kenny Lee (Randy
Quaid) breaks through by winning the U.S. Open with a shot on the 72nd
hole that starts under tree limbs before rising over water—with a fade.
Quaid, a five-handicap, needed 26 takes to pull off the shot.
10. MASH (1970)
Although a football game plays a key role in the movie, golf is the primary diversion for iconoclastic Korean War military surgeons Hawkeye (Donald Sutherland) and Trapper John (Elliott Gould). The pair is hitting balls off a helipad when a helicopter arrives with urgent orders to operate on a congressman's son. Says Trapper John: "I wish they wouldn't land those things here while we're playing golf."
The best golf movie by far is "The Caddy" with Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Donna Reed, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Byron Nelson, Julius Boros, Jimmy Thompson and Harry Cooper. Dean Martin wants to be a golf pro and his father wants him to be a fisherman. One look at Donna Reed at the local Country Club and you'd want to turn pro too. Jerry Lewis schemes to skip work so he can see Ben Hogan. The scenes with Lewis on roller skates in a department store and hanging from a tree telling Hogan "it's a 9-iron" is a must rewind. Plus "That's Amore" was nominated for an Academy Award as best song (1953).
Number two is "The Greatest Game Ever Played" simply for the fact it's about one of the greatest upsets in all of sports.
Posted by: Mike Serino | February 19, 2009 at 06:24 PM